Iowa Afterschool Alliance News | |
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Applications Open: 2023 Healthiest State Annual Awards
The Healthiest State Initiative wants to recognize Iowa workplaces, education sites, health care providers, communities, youth, and individuals for their efforts to improve the physical, social and emotional well-being of Iowans.
Applications are now open for the 2023 Healthiest State Annual Awards! Click here to apply now.
Applications are due at 5:00 p.m. on January 27 and finalists will be announced in February 2023. All finalists will be recognized, and winners will be revealed at either the Workplace Wellbeing Conference or at the 5-2-1-0 Healthy Choices Count! Summit. Each winner will be awarded a monetary prize to contribute towards a health and wellness-related project that benefits their employees, students or fellow citizens.
Apply for the Out-of-School Award
Presented by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services
Nominate an out-of-school program (after-school program, day camp, youth recreational clubs) that has implemented policy, system and environmental changes that have improved the overall well-being of participants!
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Call for Student Artwork
The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) is creating a new opportunity to showcase student artwork at the 2023 Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Summer Symposium being held July 19-20, 2023, in New Orleans, LA. Selected artwork by your 21st CCLC grantees’ students may be featured in printed conference materials, as part of displays at on-site or off-site locations, and digitally as part of the program website. Your State is invited to submit up to three pieces of artwork for the Department’s consideration.
What items can you submit?
You may submit images of student artwork, photographs, or creations. As long as it can be photographed, it can be submitted! Submissions should reflect the theme for the Summer Symposium: “Celebrating 21st CCLC Resilience: Yesterday, Today, and Beyond.”
Who decides what items to submit?
Your State is responsible for selecting and submitting items to the Department.
Who may submit artwork?
States are invited to submit artwork created by preK-12 students participating in a 21st CCLC program. Submissions can be by individual students or be a group project.
How do you submit items?
Click here to complete the online submission form. You will need to submit a hi-resolution JPEG or PNG file and provide the following information:
· Program Name
· Program Contact Information
· Student artist names and grades
How will the final artwork be selected?
The Department will review submissions using a scoring rubric based on their relation to the Symposium’s theme and the overall goals of the 21st CCLC program. The Department will select one image to be featured in Summer Symposium branding, with the option to include other submissions in other Symposium materials or activities. Click here to view the scoring rubric.
What’s the deadline?
Please submit up to three items by 8pm Eastern Standard Time on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.
Thank you!
The Department appreciates all you do on behalf of students and families, and we look forward to reviewing your State’s submissions. We hope you plan to join us at the Symposium, where we’ll be celebrating 25 years of 21st CCLC program funding! If you have questions or comments about this invitation, please send them to Leed Management Consulting, Inc. (LMCi) at 21stcclc@leedmci.com. LMCi is coordinating the collection of student artwork submissions on behalf of the Department.
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New Year, New Opportunity to Get Involved! Deadline Extended to March 2023! | |
Thanks to all your work in 2022, we reached youth workers in every state! Mentors and tutors, coaches, librarians, camp counselors, afterschool leaders, and more who support youth completed the Power of Us Workforce Survey in 2022 to ensure their experiences are reflected in the survey data.
With millions of children and youth receiving supports nationwide, we want to make sure as many youth workers and volunteers as possible can take the Power of Us Workforce Survey. Therefore, we have extended the deadline for the Power of Us Workforce Survey to March 31, 2023.
Visit the Power of Us website to see how your state is doing, with an updated map here every Monday! Make sure youth fields workers in your state are completing the survey by continuing to post about and share information on the survey in 2023.
Are you ready to roll up your sleeves in 2023 to help us reach as many youth field workers and volunteers as possible? Read below for upcoming events, tips, and ideas!
Save the Date: Ring in the New Year with the January Power Hours!
Has sharing the Power of Us Workforce Survey been on your to-do list but 2022 got the best of your time? Join us and other Power of Us supporters for an optional Power Hour where we'll get the latest updates on the survey and take collective action in sharing the survey! Register through Zoom for Friday, January 13 and January 27 at 12pm PT/3pm ET. We hope to see you there!
Take Action
Share the news of the survey extension in your networks through one of the following activities:
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Share the Power Pledge opportunity with 5 organizations—honoraria are still available for a select number of organizations who commit to a recruitment target of youth workforce staff and volunteers to take the survey.
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Send an email to 10 people (staff, volunteers, friends) in the youth fields workforce and encourage them to take the survey and share with others.
Post about the survey on your social media channels—tag us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram so we can repost your content! See suggested posts at the end of the email and in the toolkit.
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The first session of the 90th General Assembly began this week. Much of the first week is spent on procedural matters and the traditional speeches; the Condition of the State, Condition of the Judiciary, and the Condition of the Guard. If you would like to watch these speeches, they can be found on the Iowa Legislature website here. Governor Reynolds delivered the Condition of the State on Tuesday evening, outlining her priorities for the 2023 legislative session. The Governor indicated Republicans are committed to looking at new ideas for improving education and that her school choice bill will be top priority. Governor Reynolds is proposing that the state pay $7,598 into accounts that can be used to attend private schools. The plan will phase the money in over a three-year period and will provide assistance to lower-income families first. More information on this legislation can be found here.
Leadership from both chambers have indicated they will spend this session looking at property tax reform, workforce solutions, state budgeting, and the governor’s education voucher proposal. Senator Sinclair, the new Senate President stated, “the goal of the legislature should be to make Iowa the place to raise your family, invest in your education, start and grow your business, live a meaningful life, and retire with financial stability”. Senator Wahls, the Senate Democratic Leader, said, “this session is a fresh opportunity to make Iowa better” and urges Republicans and Democrats to work together to make Iowa a destination state and reverse the “Iowa exodus”.
The Iowa Afterschool Alliance remains committed to advocating for afterschool and will provide biweekly updates during the legislative session. These updates will include an overview of legislation that has been introduced and the progression of those bills as well as a general session update. IAA will monitor all legislative activity and share any bills that are introduced that touch on education, child care, and after school topics. IAA's 2023 Legislative Agenda can be found here. If you have any questions or are interested in advocacy activities, please contact Hannah McDowell (hmcdowell@sppg.com).
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SSB 1010 Childcare Physicals: Requires employees of childcare facilities to take a physical with six months prior to employment or within 30 days of starting employment.
HSB 1 /SSB 1022 Education Savings Accounts: This bill would establish education scholarships for K-12 students that can be used to pay private schools and phase the scholarships in over three years, based on family income. This bill would also exclude the scholarships from the income tax.
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U.S. Education and Labor Departments Announce Initiative to Focus on K-12 Student Career Experiences
On November 14, the U.S. Department of Education announced its joint effort with the Department of Commerce and Labor, “Raise the Bar: Unlocking Career Success,” an initiative to connect K-12 education, post-secondary education, and workforce programs to prepare youth for the jobs of tomorrow. The partnership emphasizes engaging youth in career pathway opportunities and work-based learning experiences before they graduate high school, including experiences that help students earn industry credentials, earn college credit, and participate in registered apprenticeships in areas such as science, infrastructure, automotive services, and cybersecurity. It builds on the 2023 budget proposal of the Biden administration for a $200 million investment in “Career-Connected High Schools” that has yet to pass. Read the afterschool alliance article here.
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National Call to Action for Summer Learning: How Did School Districts Respond?
A global pandemic. Widespread student instructional loss. And, then, a call to action.
This was the lead-up to summer 2021, when school districts across the United States—supported by an unprecedented amount of federal funding and urged on by the U.S. secretary of education—mobilized to deliver summer learning programming for K-12 students. A full 94 percent of districts responded, reaching nearly one-fifth (18 percent) of their student populations, on average.
Click here for full report.
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Applications for the Summer Youth Internship Program Grants are due by Feb. 28, 2023
This week, Governor Reynolds announced that $379,000 will be made available to fund Future Ready Iowa Summer Youth Internship Programs. The grant supports the creation of internship programs for Iowa’s youth between the ages of 14-24 that help prepare them for high-demand careers.
Eligible applicants include non-profits, educational institutions, employers, and community organizations. The target audience for participants includes high school youth who are at risk of not graduating, youth from low-income households, youth from communities underrepresented in the Iowa workforce, or youth who otherwise face barriers to success and upward mobility in the labor market. Funds may be used for services and resources that support internship programs, including direct participant wages, training resources, and more.
Applications for the grant will open on Jan. 16 and must be submitted on IowaGrants.gov by noon on Feb. 28, 2023.
Here are resources and information about the grant program:
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STEM Opportunities
For opportunities from the Million Girls Moonshot,
please visit the STEM for Iowa website.
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Professional Development Opportunities | |
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National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment: Strengthening the Out-of-School Time (OST) Workforce: A Guide to Developing Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are industry-driven career pathways that combine classroom instruction, on-the-job training (paid work experience), and mentorship, generally leading to a nationally recognized credential or degree. They are gaining momentum in Out-of-School Time (OST) as an alternate career pathway that supports equity in the workforce. In this guide, you will learn why apprenticeships are a useful strategy for OST staff, programs, and field leaders. The guide also identifies challenges to address and explores key elements of an apprenticeship program and promising practices. Click here to view the guide.
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Wallace Foundation Resources
Millions of urban children and teens lack access to afterschool programs that provide rich opportunities for growth, learning and fun. One possible solution is to coordinate the work of programs, government agencies, private funders and others involved in afterschool programs—that is, build an afterschool system that is greater than the sum of its parts. Key components of afterschool systems include efforts to improve program quality and collection of data to inform decision-making.
Browse reports and other resources the Wallace Foundation provides for insights into making high-quality afterschool programming more readily available to urban young people.
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Out of School Time Professional Development Center
The Out of School Time Professional Development Center provides Out of School Time training to OST professionals. The classes provide in-depth curriculum and certificates. If you or your staff are interested in signing up for courses visit the Out-of-School Time website. Check out the entire course catalog here.
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Great Content on Y4Y!
You 4 Youth is a free online professional development site that is designed to support 21CCLC program staff but is a valuable tool for any afterschool professional looking to build their skills! Recently, Y4Y has rolled out a whole module on literacy. Click here to register.
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THE IOWA AFTERSCHOOL ALLIANCE IS HERE FOR YOU
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