A Message from the
Iowa Afterschool Alliance
Our world is hurting. For months, we have been experiencing a global pandemic and coping with abrupt changes to our daily lives. Now, most of us have seen or heard about the murder of George Floyd and the protests that have followed. Young people are not isolated from these major events and likely have thoughts about what is happening—especially Black youth who may have had to confront racial injustice and discrimination in personal ways long before these topics had such prominence in our media and conversations.
As afterschool providers, we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to help youth navigate these tough times by supporting them, caring for them, and facilitating tough conversations to help them make sense of the world and create a better, more just future. In order to do these things, we recognize that out-of-school time professionals must have the skills and knowledge to effectively promote equity, civil dialogue, and inclusion in their programs. The Iowa Afterschool Alliance is committed to supporting the development of these skills for program staff across the state by providing resources, offering intentional professional development, advocating for youth of color in our policy work, and sharing data. We still have a lot of room to grow and much to learn, but we hope that you will join us in this journey for the sake of the youth and families we serve.
Please reach out to Britney Samuelson at
bsamuelson@sppg.com
if you have any recommendations or requests for specific materials or professional development.
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Resources
The Choices Program provides a lesson plan with an interactive timeline about the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter with tips on facilitating these activities from home.
PBS NewsHour provides a lesson plan with news clips, discussion questions, and activities to have conversations about what is going on today.
The New York Times has chosen the richest, most student-friendly articles, Op-Eds, videos, photos, graphs and podcasts they could find, from The Times and elsewhere, to help teenagers put news and protests in a larger societal context.
The Anti-Defamation League has created a series of projects that provide fun activities and opportunities to talk with children (ages 3–12) about respect, inclusion, diversity, bias and social justice.
Colorful Pages has created activities for students to learn about and process Black Lives Matter, racial injustice, and the murder of George Floyd through discussions and videos or read alouds. Students will then get the chance to take action and stand up for Black Lives Matter and George Floyd by picking a Black Lives Matter Project to do.
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The Afterschool Alliance is asking for the creative young people you know to use their youth voice!
"
We are asking youth (13 years or older) to submit a short writing, creative, or art piece showing their experiences over the past few months and what they hope will happen in the future, for the chance to win a $40 Amazon gift card. Authors and artists whose pieces are published in full by the Afterschool Alliance will receive a $75 stipend, or may be invited to apply to become a 2020-21 Afterschool Alliance Youth Ambassador!"
Click here
to find out more about submitting work to the Afterschool Alliance!
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In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) - Over the last few months, we have collectively experienced a great deal of change. In response to this change and a growing need, the Out-of-School Time Enrichment Coaches developed and hosted a series of virtual professional development opportunities. The
CIOST Re-imagined
series focused on providing program staff serving school aged youth with a “toolkit” including strategies, activities, and other resources to best meet the needs of the communities we serve.
Additional Resources: Now that summer is underway, we know planning time is a precious commodity. We are committed to supporting the professionals who provide expanded learning opportunities. Check out this
Summer Activity Guide
that was developed by Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network and the 50 State Afterschool Network. There are 5 units with activities that are adaptable for in-person and virtual instruction for students age 5 to 18. It is the perfect tool to add fun and engaging activities into your program in this atypical summer!
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A Note From Championship Chess
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As schools look to the future of afterschool programming, we would like to introduce what we believe is the best way to offer chess. Our online curriculum, the
World of Chess
(WOC) is filled with instructional videos, downloadable information, interactive activities and game play where students are engaged, have fun and are motivated to learn ̶ and they earn Chess for Success Achievement Cards which are great motivators. As cards are earned, parents and teachers are updated, providing ongoing evaluation of student skills. Take a quick tour
here
. Our program has been tested and proven successful in afterschool programs. During the spring, when schools and our afterschool programs were shuttered, we discovered that students participated in the online program in greater numbers.
The WOC is a child-directed lesson plan, much like Minecraft. Players move on their own from one level to another. Training Games in the WOC provide practice on the Opening Strategies being taught. This allows students to play online, but it is structured play not random play. These games can be sent to the designated After School Administrator or teacher, the students’ parents and our coach, who can do game review/analysis, a lot like a player getting a private lesson.
If you’d like to sample our World of Chess, please, email
info@championshipchess.net
and we will set you up with a free trial membership.
Thanks,
Championship Chess
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COVID-19 Resources for the Afterschool Field
New COVID-19 resources have been released by the Afterschool Alliance! Please click the button below to access the Alliance's COVID-19 Toolkit.
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Iowa Women's Foundation
The Iowa Women's Foundation (IWF) is now accepting applicants to the Building Community Child Care Solutions Fund (CCSF). The funds in the CCSF are invested in organizations and
institutions focused on innovative and sustainable strategies/solutions ensuring access to
affordable quality child care that decreases the work force gap and ultimately increases
women's economic security across Iowa. This fund can be used to support community based solutions such as: building and expanding a child care center, maintaining and increasing child care entrepreneurs, establishing before and after school programs, innovatively addressing child care for 2nd and 3rd shift workers and creating businesses and child care partnerships. Interested applicants should submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) by July 31. Click
here
to learn more.
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Hunter's Fund
Hunter’s Fund invests in young people (16-25) who have a project, idea, or passion that needs funding. Preference is given to applications in the areas of music, performing arts, computer science and entrepreneurship. Grant awards can range from $500 to $5,000. All grantees are partnered with an appropriate mentor to encourage their progress and growth as they move towards their goals. Applications are reviewed and accepted twice a year with application deadlines of June 15 and November 15. Click
here
to learn more.
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Honda Foundation Grants
The American Honda Foundation engages in grant making that supports youth education with a specific focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment. Nonprofits and schools are eligible to apply.
Funding ranges from $30,000-$100,000. Deadline to apply for "new organizations" is August 1, 2020. Click
here
to learn more.
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Professional Development Opportunities
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Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Program - Summer Symposium
The U.S. Department of Education and the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Grant Program are hosting the annual Summer Symposium virtually on July 14-16, 2020. There is no conference fee to attend. Click
here
to learn more about the agenda and register.
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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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Afterschool Alliance Webinars
The Afterschool Alliance offers webinars on a wide range of topics, from policy and the new Every Student Succeeds Act, to STEM and Social-Emotional Learning. Find out more on their
webinars website
.
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Iowa Child Care Training Registry
Find professional development for school-age programming on the State of Iowa Child Care Training Registry on topics ranging from health and safety to developmentally appropriate programming.
Find out more online
.
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National AfterSchool Association PD Resources
NAA provides afterschool professionals with resources to stay up-to-date on the latest topics in afterschool and summer learning.
Find out more on their website
here
.
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Resources for STEM Programming
The Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) provides background information that is useful for the development of STEM programming. Find out more on their
website
.
The Afterschool Tech Toolkit aims to empower afterschool professionals and educators with strategies and training so they can provide students with access to technology outside of classroom hours. It includes training modules on getting started, training staff, accessing technology and devices, and more. Take a look at the toolkit
here
.
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BOOST Conference & Online Professional Development
October 26 - October 29, 2020; Palms Springs, CA
Join the largest, most recognized and comprehensive global convening for after school, expanded learning, and out-of-school time professionals. Set in a retreat-like atmosphere, this annual, extraordinary event will rejuvenate your passion, boost your direction for quality programming and provide tools and resources that will inspire you to create change.
BOOST also provides free online professional development. Click
here
to check it out.
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