October 2023

Iowa Afterschool Alliance News

The application for the 2024 Million Girls Moonshot Flight Crew is now OPEN! The Moonshot has launched a nationwide search for the Flight Crew - a group of youth advocates promoting the value of out-of-school STEM learning and equity in STEM for young people across the nation.  

Encourage girls, non-binary or cis-gender youth, ages 13-18, with experience in afterschool and summer STEM learning, to apply today. (Deadline December 1st) 

From February - September 2024, the Flight Crew will: 

• Act as a champion for OST STEM by sharing their first-hand, impactful STEM experiences beyond the classroom;
• Work with state leaders on relevant opportunities to advocate for OST STEM, create social media content and connect with media; 
• Aspire to break down stereotypes and spark their peers' curiosity in STEM by connecting their STEM experiences to everyday life; and 
• Receive leadership development opportunities, including public speaking, social media, and connections to mentors. 

Youth Should Apply Here

**If selected, Flight Crew members will join Moonshot’s advocacy efforts and commitment to create equity for girls in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) through elevating youth voices, inspiring peers and fellow future STEM leaders. Youth should be ready to share their experiences via writing, video, photos and in-person. 

The 2024 cohort will act as a champion for OST STEM, while honing their advocacy and leadership skills during eight months of virtual programming –including leadership development opportunities, public speaking experience, resume and interview coaching, access to scholarships and internships and mentor connections– using their experiences in afterschool and summer learning.

Policy Update

1. Allocate dedicated state funding for out-of-school time (OST) programs to enhance program quality, expand reach, and provide equitable access to all youth. Re-establish the Out of School Time Fund to support innovative and evidence-based OST initiatives. 

2. Encourage collaboration between schools, community organizations, businesses, and local government agencies to create a seamless continuum of learning and support for youth. Incentivize partnerships that leverage resources and expertise to enhance OST offerings.

3. Expand access to the Iowa Clearinghouse for work-based learning, allowing community-based organizations to facilitate career readiness opportunities for youth.

4. Create a competitive grant competition for evidence-based partnerships that create innovative extended learning opportunities. Provide targeted support for rural communities to establish and sustain high-quality OST programs through technology-based solutions and partnerships. 

We appreciate your input. Please send feedback on these four points to Heidi Brown at hbrown@sppg.com. 

It’s on! We’re proud to be joining the Afterschool Alliance and thousands of out-of-school time programs in the largest nationwide showcase of afterschool programs during the 24th annual Lights On Afterschool celebration on October 26th!

 Afterschool programs provide the fun, safe, and engaging environment that youth need to emerge from the pandemic confident and hopeful. On October 26, we’re helping to shine a light on the important role of afterschool programs in our community - and you can too! 

There's still time to sign up and join the celebration - No matter how big or small, all celebrations count! Help make this year the brightest Lights On celebration yet!

#LightsOnAfterschool events are happening all over IOWA - Check out the event database and visit a celebration in your neighborhood - Lights On Afterschool: Find an event (afterschoolalliance.org).

Grant Opportunities

Are you ready to take your afterschool program to new heights and prepare your students for a future full of possibilities? Look no further! We are thrilled to announce the opportunity for your program to participate in the Jobs for the Future Possible Futures career exploration program.

The Iowa Afterschool Alliance and the Active Learning Community Partnership is looking for 6 programs to facilitate the Possible Futures curriculum.

This 8-week program provides career exploration to learners in grades 6 through 10, with a vision that every young person will gain the foundational knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to make critical decisions about their future with confidence.

Each site will receive $1,000 stipend as well as a personalized Qualtrics data dashboard for participating. Please contact Elva Griffin at egriffin@sppg.com with questions or for more information.

STEM Opportunities

For more opportunities from Million Girls Moonshot,

please visit the STEM for Iowa website.

Are you on the Mizzen by Mott app? Check out the STEM Activities for K-5th in Small Groups playlist, a mix of engineering + science activities! Click here to download the app today.

Know someone interested in working with an afterschool program? STEM AmeriCorps applications are now open! STEM AmeriCorps members will help build capacity in afterschool programs by developing and facilitating engaging, high-quality activities that promote increased social, emotional, math, science, and reading proficiency. Members are placed in afterschool programs across the state and serve from September through June. STEM AmeriCorps members receive $11,700 in stipends for living expenses over the school year. They also receive a $3,447.50 education award that can be utilized toward qualifying loans or current educational expenses. This is upon completion of their service term. Please contact Elva Griffin at egriffin@sppg.com with questions or for more information.

Surprisingly STEM Video Series

Surprisingly STEM is a video series that highlights exciting and unexpected careers at NASA. This series is designed to inform students about the broad range of career opportunities at NASA – outside of the typical associations of rocket scientists  and astronauts – and to break down perceived barriers for working at the agency.

• Monthly Release of new pre recorded 5 minute career episode 
• Associated STEAM Activities 
• Monthly Live Session with NASA expert to answer Student Questions 

CHECK OUT THE FLIER HERE

Questions begin a path toward discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and develop their reasoning through the questions we ask them? This module is a great way to train staff on how to facilitate STEM learning. Experienced educators also love being part of a cohort as a way to connect with other educators across the country, to learn new lesson plans, and to reflect on practice.  This is our introductory module and a prerequisite to other opportunities. *The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend. 

Choose the cohort AC344PQ (Coach Becky T)

Register for this cohort here.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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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