YOUR SOURCE FOR SUMMER LEARNING NEWS |
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January 27, 2021
Issue No. 32
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Photo credit: ANYTOWN®, CAMP EDMO®, and Canoemobile (Excellence in Summer Learning Award-Winning Programs)
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Greetings!
January 20, 2021, ushered in a new dawn for our nation and its citizens with Joseph R. Biden’s inauguration as America’s 46th president. We also witnessed a turning point in history as Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as the first female vice president, the first African American and the first Asian American vice president, and the highest-ranking female elected official in U.S. history.
And who among us can forget the powerful and uplifting words of the Inauguration Poem delivered by National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, “For there is always light if only we are brave enough to see it – if only we are brave enough to be it.”
For us, here at the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), Amanda Gorman’s words call us to summon our collective strength to unite as fellow citizens against racial injustice, poverty, inequity, and violence. These words remind us that there is hope at the end of the dark tunnel we faced in 2020, and part of that hope rests in securing bright futures for our nation’s children.
In this week’s issue, we turn our sights to summer program planning and provide ways in which you can connect with NSLA by joining our professional learning communities. We’ve also launched a new Summer Innovation Fellowship opportunity intended to support emerging leaders of color. Read on to learn more about this and other exciting initiatives we will advance this year.
In Partnership,
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NSLA believes summer learning programs provide a unique and flexible opportunity for leaders to try out and measure the effectiveness of new ideas and strategies, creative partnerships, and policies before scaling.
The severity and enormity of the societal challenges we face in America require entrepreneurial leaders to pursue innovative solutions. NSLA is launching a new Summer Innovation Fellowship for leaders of color, which will offer:
- $25,000 towards implementing an in-person, virtual, or hybrid summer learning program;
- A personal NSLA Coach to work with the fellow and a team with planning;
- Access to NSLA tools, resources, and convenings to support their work;
- Mentoring opportunities with experienced role models and leaders in the field; and
- Free registration to NSLA’s annual “Summer Changes Everything” national conference.
We aim to support emerging leaders of color who are:
- Looking to launch, modify or expand a new program serving low-income students;
- Model and promote unique and innovative practices, partnerships, or policies;
- Address an unmet need and offer students some combination of academic, enrichment, and physical and social-emotional supports.
- Interested in measuring their success and joining the NSLA Community.
Applicants should be sponsored by or apply in conjunction with a fiscal sponsor such as a school district, nonprofit, or government agency.
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New Year. New Connections.
Join NSLA's Professional Learning Communities
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For many years, NSLA has invested in Program Quality and Partnerships through webinars, national conferences, training, and tools. We would now like to leverage our expertise and expand our efforts to empower and equip more programs at all stages of development and create deeper partnerships through the formation of ten Professional Summer Learning Communities (PLSCs):
- Summer Youth Employment & Internships
- Arts Education
- STEM & Health Careers
- Literacy and Libraries
- College Access & Summer Melt
- Sports and Health
- Public Housing
- Environmental and Nature
- New Vision for Summer School (School Districts)
- Special Populations
Each Professional Summer Learning Community will:
- Regularly convene youth development staff from like-minded groups across the U.S.
- Be planned, led, and facilitated by NSLA program staff and a skilled NSLA Field Consultant.
- Hold quarterly training meetings and one in-person, all-day retreat at NSLA’s Annual Conference.
- Cover key topics such as COVID-19 Planning, Virtual Learning, Racial Equity, Evaluation, and Program Quality.
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Entrepreneur Education: Harness Students’ Talents and Passions
Wednesday, February 3, 2021, 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Are you looking to harness the summer of 2021 to help students develop their talents and passions while becoming reengaged in their education? Join this session to learn about entrepreneurial education and free k-12 resources and events that are flexible and can be facilitated in virtual or in-person environments and support other program goals such as social-emotional learning, career readiness, STEM, and service-learning.
Presenters:
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Scott Mann, Director of Education and Training, VentureLab
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Kelly Biggar, Afterschool Program Manager, Young Entrepreneur Institute
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Chic Thompson, Founder, WagiLabs
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Erikah Padilla, Program Associate, Andy Roddick Foundation
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Marie Edwards, Out of School Program Manager, Community Building Institute of Middletown Ohio
- Dr. Anisha Daniels, RISE MHS Program Coordinator, Community Building Institute of Middletown Ohio
- Stacy Ward Braxton, Executive Director, New Life Community Development Corporation
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NSLA Consulting Services for Partners and Programs |
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When kids continue learning during the summer, they are healthier, safer, and more prepared for the school year ahead. NSLA staff and our roster of expert Field Consultants are available to help partners plan, train staff, prepare and measure effectiveness for the coming summer. NSLA can design tailored training solutions for your program and offer the following services: |
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Program Planning
- Data-driven Planning
- Leading from the Point of Service
- Summer Starts in September
- Results-based Accountability
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Positive Youth Development
- Advancing Youth Development One-day Overview
- AYD 30-hour Training
- Combating Adultism
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Program Management
- Advancing Youth Development for Supervisors
- Leading for Quality
- The Role of the Coach in the Quality Movement
- Making Meaning with Multiple Data Sets (M3)
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Systems Building
- Summer Landscape Assessment
- Community Indicators of Effective Summer Learning Systems (CIESLS) Assessment
- Community Report
- Strategic Planning
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Get ready for National Summer Learning Week, July 12-16, 2021. Our annual celebration is dedicated to elevating the importance of keeping kids learning, safe, and healthy every summer, ensuring they return to school ready to succeed.
For 2021, we're bringing back themes you can use to highlight activities during the celebration. Some suggested themes are: Dive into a Book Adventure, Discover STEM and Soar, Eat Healthy and Grow Strong to Win at Wellness, Celebrate the Future Leaders of Tomorrow, and Make a Masterpiece. Bookmark the Summer Learning Week homepage as we continue to post more information, activities, and resources to help you plan your celebration.
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The American Camp Association
Field Guide for Camps on Implementation of CDC Guidance
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Environmental Health & Engineering, Inc. (EH&E) has updated and revised the Field Guide for Camps, including a new chapter on vaccines that provides background information on the COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the U.S. and potential impacts on camp operations.
This field guide is designed to provide camp directors and staff with a practical guide and tool kit to implement specific recommendations provided by the CDC in relation to risk reduction at camps.
The objective of the field guide is to provide educational materials for camp staff to reduce potential exposures to and spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19.
The recommendations provided are designed to be implemented for various types of camps (e.g., adventure/touring; day, resident, backcountry, weekend) and geographic locations and pertain to camps in geographical locations under low and medium mitigation conditions, according to federal guidance.
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