AFTERSCHOOL OBSERVER
SEPTEMBER 2022
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As I pause to reflect on my tenure as the Director of the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs, my heart is filled with absolute love and admiration for each of you. Over the last five years, I have watched you consistently rise to the moment to serve our children, families, and communities statewide. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, your resilience and steadfast commitment were paramount and undeniable as you cared for the children of essential staff, partnered with schools and families on remote learning days, provided meals to youth and families, and engaged youth in-person and virtually. It is safe to say that each of you are heroes!
At this juncture, I prepare to transition into a new role wherein I will have an opportunity to serve and advocate for the out-of-school time field nationwide to ensure that all of our nation's children have access to high-quality programs. As I embark on this journey, I take each of you with me in spirit and in my heart as I hold fast to the many memories that we have made together over the years.
As I watch from afar, I trust that you will continue to rise to every moment that comes to love and serve North Carolina’s children and families. As you love and care for them, don't forget to pause and take time to love and care for yourselves, because you can't pour from an empty cup. Serving you has been one of the greatest pleasures of my life. I love you and I will miss you immensely! #NorthCarolinaStrong
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ADVOCACY
PLANNING TOOLS FOR YOUR LIGHTS ON AFTERSCHOOL CELEBRATION
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We’re six weeks out from the 23rd celebration of Lights On Afterschool! If you’re in search of event ideas or unsure where to begin, we’ve got you covered. Read on to discover planning tools to help you organize your event!
Register your Lights On event by September 23, and you'll be entered to win an assortment of 12 Torani Flavoring Syrups from long-time afterschool supporter, Torani. Use the collection to hold an Italian Soda party, or reward hard-working staff with a bottle to take home! Every program registered will receive 10 free Lights On Afterschool posters.
Here are our top tools to help you get started on your Lights On Afterschool celebration:
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Use the planning timeline to stay on track with event preparation. If you’re wondering when to send out invitations or contact the media, this tracker is for you. From ideation to execution, we have tips here to guide you through every step of the planning process.
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Our updated social media kit features sample social media posts that your program can use to spread the word about your event. It also features the new Lights On Afterschool 2023 graphics and a timeline to help you plan out social media posts in the months leading up to your event.
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Join the Lights On Afterschool Lightbulb Challenge! It’s an easy way to participate in Lights On, even if you aren’t able to organize an event this year.
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You can now order strobe buttons, sunglasses, and even car decals to include in giveaways, goodie bags, and as promotional items for your Lights On Afterschool event!
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Our event ideas page showcases past Lights On Afterschool celebrations around the country. Use this page to gain inspiration for your next event.
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INFORM
NEW RESOURCE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ON IMPLEMENTING QUALITY AFTERSCHOOL AND SUMMER PROGRAMS
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In tandem with the launch of the historic Engage Every Student initiative last month, the Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) released a new tool to support states, school districts, and community-based programs in using evidence to implement and expand quality afterschool and summer learning programs. The new tool, Building and Using Evidence in Summer, Afterschool, and other Out of School Settings, is part of IES’ Evidence-based Practices for Renewal and Recovery, which curates research, tools, and other materials from a wide range of sources—showcasing the use of evidence-based practices in this period of pandemic recovery and renewal to improve outcomes for all learners, especially those that education systems have historically underserved.
The U.S. Department of Education Engage Every Student Initiative is supported by a public-private partnership with five coordinating organizations: the Afterschool Alliance, AASA, the School Superintendents Association, National League of Cities, National Summer Learning Association, and the National Comprehensive Center, who will work with allies across the nation to promote access to quality afterschool and summer learning programs and the critical learning and development opportunities they provide for all students.
The new IES implementation tool leverages the goals of Engage Every Student by helping align resources provided by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) so that state education agencies, school districts, local governments, and nonprofit organizations have the opportunity to use out-of-school time (OST) to address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on students, families, and their communities. A wide range of programs can be considered OST programs, including comprehensive afterschool, summer-learning and enrichment programs, vacation academies, work-based learning programs, youth development programs, experiential or service-learning programs, and other expanded learning programs.
To learn more about the Engage Every Student Initiative, click here.
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SUPPORT
POWER OF US WORKFORCE SURVEY: CALLING ALL
YOUTH-SERVING PROFESSIONALS AND VOLUNTEERS
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Every person who works with young people is committed to helping them thrive. On athletic fields, in afterschool programs, in libraries, in faith-based institutions, youth-serving professionals and volunteers are making a difference every day. Through the Power of Us Workforce Survey, youth-serving professionals and volunteers can contribute to a national effort to explore, define, and elevate their profession. Take the survey today!
To take the survey, click here.
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INFORM
THE AFTERSCHOOL GUIDE FOR GAMES THAT BUILD THE 4CS
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Young people need to develop 21st century skills for success in college, work, and life. Out-of-school time professionals and programs can provide that space for skill development. Are you looking for resources for skill-building?
NAA has developed a powerful tool to help OST providers build their own enriching games and experiences with a focus on 21st century skills. By enhancing these skills young people become more adept global learners and are better prepared to meet the challenges of a broader and ever-changing society. Among the 21st century learning skills are critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. These skills, or the 4C’s, are considered the four most essential of the 21st century learning skills. Are you interested in learning more?
You can find the complete guide here.
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SUPPORT
MAKE A PLEDGE TO THE OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME PROFESSION
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A comprehensive OST job quality overhaul –rethinking compensation and schedules, making benefits accessible, and creating career pathways–is needed. The out-of-school time field must design quality jobs and provide support to develop and sustain the workforce, beginning with equitable hiring practices. Guaranteeing job quality creates workforce stability, allowing afterschool professionals to deliver high-quality programs, ultimately leading to positive youth outcomes. Take the pledge today and share it with your colleagues! |
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SUPPORT
MINI GRANT PROGRAM FUNDS AVAILABLE TO HELP DEVELOP YOUTH PROGRAMS ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA
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Youth councils, local governments and private or non-profit agencies with ideas for innovative programs to help North Carolina’s teens can now apply for grants up to $500 through the State Youth Council’s Mini Grant program. Beginning August 26th the North Carolina Department of Administration’s Council for Women & Youth Involvement will accept applications from organizations that build character and leadership skills among North Carolina youth through peer-to-peer community projects. The application deadline is Sept. 30.
“The mini grant program fuels creativity and innovation among our youth while nurturing their interest in public service,” said Department of Administration Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell. “These grant funded projects are all inspired by our youth, who are looking for ways to serve their peers and help their local communities.”
Examples of previous projects include: mental health care packages for youth; meal delivery to underserved communities; trail conservation; and tools to communicate through art. Food, entertainment, travel, and salaries do not qualify for grant funding.
Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30 to be considered.
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INFORM
FOSTER STEM LEARNING WITH THE 4-H STEM CHALLENGE
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To engage young people in STEM through fun, educational, and interactive experiences the National 4-H Council presents the 2022 4-H STEM Challenge!
This year’s challenge, Explorers in the Deep, focuses on the mysteries of the ocean and its connection to climate change. In a recent national survey, 84 percent of teens feel that climate change is among the most urgent issues they face. With this in mind, the activities in the 2022 challenge kit are designed to help youth explore the world's ocean, how the actions of humans affect it and how young people can serve as champions of change.
You can use the three Challenge kit activities to foster after-school STEM learning in the following ways:
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Ocean Robot Test Tank. Youth act as scientists to replicate the sinking and floating behavior of an ocean submersible. They learn about buoyancy, the density of objects and how ocean exploration takes place.
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Ocean Expedition. Using an interactive game, young people navigate their submersible around the world while learning about the ocean and human impacts on the ocean ecosystem.
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Ocean Communicator. Allows youth to get creative and design an ocean-related billboard or advertisement. They take what they’ve learned from the 4-H STEM Challenge, to become a champion for the ocean and share with others in your community.
The 2022 challenge, Explorers of the Deep, is a perfect way to get young people excited about STEM and have a fun learning experience. Get a kit and be a part of it!
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SUPPORT
ENSURING ACCESS TO SCHOOL MEALS THIS FALL
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As we launch the new school year, school nutrition programs are increasingly important in ensuring children are fed during the hours they are in and out of school and addressing food insecurity exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When school lets out, children from households with low incomes lose access to the school meals, and afterschool snacks they receive during the school year,” emphasizes FRAC. Not only do school meal programs ensure that youth are fed, but they reduce food insecurity, support healthy eating, and promote academic achievement. “Hungry children can't learn,” tweets Maryland Hunger Solutions.
In the linked article you will find key tools and strategies to help your program leverage available funds and resources to enhance access to healthy foods in your programs.
Read the full article here.
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INFORM
BUILDING, SUSTAINING AND IMPROVING: USING FEDERAL FUNDS FOR SUMMER LEARNING AND AFTERSCHOOL
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High-quality summer and afterschool learning programs (“out-of-school time” or OST programs) play an important role in young people’s lives. They are even more important in 2022 when many educators are relying on them to help young people recover from learning time lost to COVID-19 and to promote well-being.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 includes several funding opportunities that could support such efforts. This guide identifies those opportunities, which providers, districts, summer, and afterschool intermediaries, and municipal and state officials can tap to cover program costs, plan for the future and develop infrastructure to execute their plans.
The guide groups funding streams under three broad headings:
- Creating and Sustaining Equitable Conditions for Learning
- Preparing for Program Delivery
- Building and Aligning Ecosystems of Support
Within those categories, the guide identifies funding streams for seven elements that emerged from a review of research and conversations with national and local out-of-school time leaders. These elements include:
- Safe and Supportive Environments
- Relevant, Rigorous, and Engaging Opportunities
- Planning, Communication, and Retention Infrastructures
- Physical Infrastructures
- Human Capital
- Systems of Continuous Improvement
- Strategic Partnerships
The guide was created by the EducationCounsel, an education consulting firm working on policy, strategy, law, and advocacy to support improvements in the U.S. education system.
To download the report, click here.
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SUPPORT
NC DPI OFFICE OF LEARNING RECOVERY & ACCELERATION (OLR) MATH ACCELERATION & ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS
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The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Office of Learning Recovery & Acceleration (OLR) is launching a $36M program for math acceleration and enrichment programs for grades 4-8 on July 1st. Programs can take place before or after school, or on the weekends. Additionally, the allowable uses align with that of the 21st Century Grant. Funds will be allocated to PSUs, and OLR will provide technical guidance support to PSUs as they develop their programs. How can you help? Do you have, or have you seen, an engaging program for mathematics (grades 4-8)? Do you provide or know of an engaging math resource that is aligned to grades 4-8 standards? If so, tell the Office of Learning Recovery & Acceleration about it by completing this survey.
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ADVOCACY
NEW EXAMPLES OF COVID RELIEF FUNDING FOR AFTERSCHOOL FROM THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES
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In the next phase of our COVID work and to celebrate the launch of the Engage Every Student Initiative, we have collaborated with the National League of Cities (NLC) on the next iteration of our map that shows where COVID funds are supporting afterschool & summer programs across the country. We’ve added nearly 150 new examples thanks to the support of the NLC, and the map now features examples for all 50 states and the District of Columbia and shows funding at the city, state, and school district levels.
The map highlights how states are spending major funding bills including the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (2020), the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act (2020), the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act (2021), Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER), and the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund.
Explore this map to see how communities across the United States are investing essential dollars into helping young people recover.
To view the map for North Carolina and National Examples, click here.
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INFORM
MILLION GIRLS MOONSHOT STEM ACTIVITIES
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The North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs is a part of the Million Girls Moonshot, helping out-of-school time programs as they increase the quality of STEM learning opportunities for all young people, especially underserved and underrepresented youth. The following engineering activities can be shared with programs and families for additional STEM learning.
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Role Models are Critical to Introduce Girls to STEM Careers - Looking for STEM role models & mentors? Create a free VolunteerMatch account and post volunteer opportunities to connect STEM role models and mentors to work with your youth today!
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Take Flight - Using everyday materials, youth engineer a glider that can fly straight for 15 feet.
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Keep Your Cool! Design Your Own Cooler Challenge - Youth design a cooler that will keep a bottle of water cool using the engineering design process. They test their prototype and graph their results to determine the effectiveness of the solution.
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Get it Write! - Youth engineering a writing device (pen) using everyday materials. They think about both the (water soluble) "ink" and the delivery mechanism.
To learn more, click here.
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SUPPORT
WEBINAR: ADDRESSING STEM STEREOTYPES WITH YOUTH AND YOUNG ADULTS
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Join the National Girls Collaborative Project for a webinar on October 13th at 11:00 am to learn how to combat pervasive STEM stereotypes with youth and young adults.
Back by popular demand! This webinar is the first of a two-webinar series on addressing STEM stereotypes with children and youth. This webinar will dig deeply into research and best practices related to addressing STEM stereotypes with older youth and young adults. Researchers and educators will share strategies and resources to counter and break down STEM stereotypes. Confirmed speakers include:
- Claudia Fracchiolla, American Physical Society (APS)
- Michelle Higgins, The University of Arizona
- Corinne Okada Takara, Bio-artist and STEAM Educator
To register for the webinar, please click here.
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INFORM
NC CAP STEM CORNER: ARTEMIS I LAUNCH
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After several delays NASA will launch its the first mission in preparation to send humans back to the moon in October. You can get updates, watch the launch, and track the Orion spacecraft on the Artemis I mission in real-time online!
Join NASA’s Orion spacecraft on its first mission around the Moon using the Artemis Real-time Orbit Website (AROW) to track the spacecraft’s flight as it happens.
During Artemis I, Orion will travel to 40,000 miles beyond the Moon in the first integrated flight test with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. By using AROW, anyone with internet access can pinpoint Orion's location and track its distance from the Earth, distance from the Moon, mission duration, and more. AROW is available as of August 28th on NASA’s website and on the @NASA_Orion Twitter account. |
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PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
NC CAP WANTS TO HIGHLIGHT YOUR PROGRAM!
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The North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) would like to highlight program successes statewide. Tell us about your program and you might be our Program Spotlight in the next edition of the Afterschool Observer or on Social Media. Click the Program Spotlight below to be redirected to the updated survey link to tell us about your program. |
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SUPPORT
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
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The Allen Foundation, Inc.'s priorities and policies are: (1) to make grants to fund relevant nutritional research; (2) to support programs for the education and training of mothers during pregnancy and after the birth of their children; (3) to assist in the training of persons to work as educators and demonstrators of good nutritional practices; (4) to encourage the dissemination of information regarding healthful nutritional practices and habits; and (5) in limited situations to make grants to help solve immediate emergency hunger and malnutrition problems. Applications are due January 15th, 2023.
Centene is offering general operating grants of up to $500,000 to organizations that fall within one or more of the following areas of focus: Health, Education, Children, and the Arts. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Discover is offering grants of up to $5,000 to nonprofit organizations working in the areas of education and literacy. Funding, donations, and sponsorships are intended to support programs and initiatives that meet the needs of various communities across the country, with a particular focus on communities where Discover employees live and work. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
Dogwood Health Trust seeks to dramatically improve the health and well-being of all people and communities of Western North Carolina. They are interested in projects that address one or more of their strategic priorities: Housing, Education, Economic Opportunity, and Health and Wellness and that align with their overarching commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. They also have interests in projects related to improving broadband access to support education and healthcare bridging rural divides, and addressing racial equity issues. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
The NC GlaxoSmithKline Traditional Grants provides grants of $25,000 and above to organizations to help meet the educational and health needs of today's society and future generations. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
The Duke Energy Foundation is committed to making strategic investments to build powerful communities where nature and wildlife thrive, youth can excel, and a talented workforce drives economic prosperity for all. These grants support programs that prevent summer reading loss, while also advancing energy, engineering, and environmental education. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
The Saxena Family Foundation is a privately funded, 501(c)(3) registered non-profit charitable foundation headquartered in Austin, TX. The Foundation awards grants and supports programs that have a particular focus on STEM education and around empowering women in the United States and in India. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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