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The Y4Y Insider - July 2022

Sisters Mean You Always Have Backup

“Sisterhood” means so much more than girls who have the same parents. You don’t have to be from the same family (or gender!) to appreciate that this term symbolizes empathy, shared experiences, and common goals through thick and thin. Y4Y celebrates sisterhood this month with an end to backseat hair pulling and: Ideas for bringing together big sisters and brothers in your program Tips for expanding the sisterhood (and brotherhood) of your program staff in time for fall   And check out this month’s podcast, Community Partnerships in the Borderlands, with guest Sara Morales from New Mexico State University’s (NMSU’s) STEM outreach department, and discover how this unique university-based 21st CCLC spreads the love and the learning.

Webinars   Miss the Summer Symposium? Don't worry, the recorded sessions will soon be available on Y4Y. Meanwhile, you can catch the sessions you missed on the Symposium website.  Be sure to watch the Y4Y homepage for details about Y4Y’s New Leaders Academy in August — the webinar series that teaches you all the basics of 21st CCLC programming to start your year strong!

Archived Webinars Please note: A certificate of participation is available only to those who participate in the live events. Certificates will not be issued to those who view the recordings.   Knowing Growing Kids: Child Development in Your 21st CCLC To better serve students, we need to understand developmental needs. In this archived LIVE With Y4Y! webinar, dive into child and adolescent development — a topic that aligns with our newly launched course on y4y.ed.gov. Explore the theoretical foundations of child and adolescent development and how developmental theories directly apply to practice in out-of-school time. Then use this information to identify instructional practices that support healthy child development and student learning.   Implementing Project-Based Learning With Y4Y Student-led projects are the perfect way to tap into students’ interests, develop cooperative learning skills, and make learning relevant and fun for students of all ages! Access the U.S. Department of Education’s You for Youth (Y4Y) two-part series from the Technical Assistance Team and explore how to help students craft a driving question, facilitate research, and work toward a culminating event, all while building students’ knowledge and 21st century skills. No matter your knowledge or experience, you’ll hear about exciting project ideas and learn best practices for facilitating student-led experiences!

Gathering STEAM Powering Your STEM/STEAM Initiatives  Black Holes and Supermassive Black Holes Your program impact isn’t the only thing that’s supermassive! Everyone’s talking about black holes, especially since the Event Horizon Telescope sent images of our own galaxy’s supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A, this spring. Engage the senses by exploring sonifications and 3-D printer files provided by NASA on the Chandra X-Ray Observatory site.   National Institute of General Medical Sciences A brand-spanking-new clearinghouse provides STEM K-12 education resources from the National Institutes of Health. Categories include Being a Scientist, The Brain & Mental Health, The Human Body, Scientific Tools and Methods, and more!   North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Check out June’s Watershed Chronicles, School-Based Meaningful MWEE’s Maximize Impact, to read about amazing STEM enrichment activities that took place last year in the urban forests of the Lynchburg, Virginia.   eePro Catch up on environmental education professional development with the NAAEE’s monthly webinar series (live or archived) with topics like Climate Emotions in Education and Access Nature: Inclusion in the Outdoors.   Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Getting in on the action of online read-alouds, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum now offers On Demand Story Time with titles that are sure to spark young imaginations around science.   STEM For All and the National Science Foundation Looking for a little inspiration on STEM activities? Check out these 267 short videos submitted by projects aimed at improving STEM (and computer) education. You can sort by key word if you have a special focus in mind.   Check out free STEM professional development webinars offered by NASA, including: NASA STEM: Activities That Encourage Communication, Collaboration, and Critical Thinking, July 26, 1-2 p.m. ET.

Family Resources Family engagement is a legislated component of 21st CCLC programs. Y4Y wants to help you build your library of national resources to better serve your families. Strengthen the sisterhood and share this catalog of resources for women from the federal government with the families in your program — especially those single moms!

Tech Tip Y4Y doesn’t want you to forget all the progress you’ve made! Starting this month, watch your inbox for reminder emails to come back and finish what you started — a great course!

State Coordinators Corner Post of the Month Are you looking to share new Y4Y content with your state’s grantees? Feel free to share the below Post of the Month on your social media accounts.   Directed Learning Last month, Y4Y presented six central concerns for 21st CCLC programs today and connected them with in-person trainings that you, as a state coordinator of 21st CCLC programs, can request from our Technical Assistance Team for no charge to your state. If your central training slate is complete but you want to offer grantees the resources to do independent learning, here are those same questions with relevant Y4Y courses and microlearning linked. Consider copying this text into your communications or posting it on your websites or social media pages.  How can we close the learning gap that has only grown in two years? Check out the Y4Y: Developing a Needs Assessment Click & Go Structuring Successful Homework Help and Tutoring Sessions Click & Go Citizen Science course Continuous Education course Literacy course Project-Based Learning course Recruiting and Retaining High School Students Click & Go STEAM course   What does a changing economic landscape mean for students and families? Check out the Y4Y: Career Pathways for Students course Civic Learning and Engagement course Financial Literacy course or Building Financial Literacy Click & Go Does social-emotional wellness need to be front and center? Check out the Y4Y: Stages of Child and Adolescent Development course Creating a Positive Learning Environment course Health and Wellness: Partnering With the School Day Click & Go Social and Emotional Learning Course Trauma-Informed Care Click & Go   Is staff burnout and turnover threatening those crucial relationships? Check out the Y4Y: Introduction to 21st CCLC course Family Engagement course Human Resources course Building an Organizational Culture and Climate Click & Go   Is essential safety a concern? Check out the Y4Y: Digital Literacy Click & Go Including Students With Disabilities course Developing and Implementing a Safety Plan Click & Go   If 21st CCLC leadership and program design learning is what’s needed most, Check out the Y4Y: Creating an Intentionally Designed Program Click & Go Fiscal Management course Human Resources course Implementing Your Program With Fidelity Click & Go Managing Your 21st CCLC Program course Training of the Month Programs are competing for new, high-quality staff members with many other potential employers. Please share Y4Y’s Training to Go on Conducting an Effective Interview so program directors can train their site coordinators on gaining the advantage in this process.

Voices From the Field Community Partnerships in the Borderlands Y4Y recently had a rich conversation with Sara Morales, the associate director of New Mexico State University’s 21st CCLC program. This unique university-based, STEM-centered program reaches 47 schools in five districts across a 50,000-square-mile area containing some of the most remote and smallest communities in the area of New Mexico that borders Mexico. Ms. Morales shared with us how strong and enriching their program has grown to be because of partnerships rooted in a fierce sense of community and shared goals.   Y4Y: Ms. Morales, please share with our listeners a bit about how your program came into being and who you serve today.   SM: The program began with a NASA-funded SEMAA (Science, Engineering, Math, and Aerospace Academy) grant that NMSU received around 20 years ago. The SEMAA outreach and curriculum grew to offering afterschool programs in Gadsden and Las Cruces school districts. Eventually, their districts — the Las Cruces Public Schools, Gadsden Independent School District, and Hatch Valley Public Schools — partnered with NMSU to submit a 21st CCLC grant to expand out-of-school time programs across Dona Ana County and beyond. Our program now also serves Lordsburg Community Schools, Hobbs Municipal Schools, and Raices del Saber Xinatchli Community School.   Between 21st CCLC and other district contracts, we currently serve 6,350 students. Roughly 20% are English learners in the elementary schools, 4% identified in the middle schools, and 4.5% in the high schools.   Read the full interview with Sara Morales, or listen to the podcast.

Sara Morales is the associate director for the NMSU STEM Outreach Center. A native of Puerto Rico, Ms. Morales received her foundational skills in a rural setting and was an English learner for part of her schooling in the U.S. Because of her upbringing, she is passionate about supporting underserved populations in education and ensuring that all students have access to rich learning environments.

Creative Program Ideas

August is National Immunization Awareness Month. People may associate “vaccination” with COVID-19, but Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resources offer students the broader history, science, and importance of vaccination.

Aug. 7 is National Sisters Day. Have boys and girls alike prepare a special card or message for a sibling or someone in their lives who’s like a sister, and explore the concept of girls and women supporting each other through “the sisterhood.”

Aug. 8 has been dubbed “The Date to Create.” Build your students’ inventive identities by having them produce a work of art or invention idea. 

Aug. 24 marks 16 years since Pluto was “demoted” to a dwarf planet. Your students may be too young to remember this change, but it’s a perfect chance to discuss how hard it can be to change our perceptions as science advances.

Aug. 27 and Sept. 5 mark 25 years since the passing of Mother Teresa and Princess Diana in the same week. Each is remembered for their great compassion. Their unlikely friendship shows how a shared concern for humanity can be a tremendous bond.

Feel-Good Forum Sisters Kelsey Harris and Alyssa Harris Martini from rural North Carolina were so grateful to the academic environment that helped shape their lives that each studied education. Now they’re back in the elementary building they attended, supporting one another as sisters and educators. Email today with your Feel-Good anecdote or inspiring quote!

Topical Tool Kit Making Connections: This tool kit cuts across courses to help you strengthen connections among (*) and with students.

Making Connections Tool Kit (Download zip folder)  Building Relationships Training to Go Building Student/Educator Relationships Questionnaire *Concentric Circles Discussion Format Creating an Environment That Amplifies Student Voice Training to Go Creating Positive Learning Environments for Summer Learning *Five Skill Domains of Social and Emotional Learning *Group Norms Agreement *Guide to Socratic Seminars Homework Contract *Icebreaker Activities *Incorporating Multiple Viewpoints Checklist *Incorporating the Democratic Process Training to Go Knowing Families and Cultures Positive Youth Development Rubric Real Talk: A Coaching Technique to Use With Staff and Students Socially Responsible Language Survey of Student Needs *Team-Building Activities Trauma-Informed Strategies for Elementary and Adolescent Students Understanding Development and Connecting With Children Training to Go Understanding Program Families *Youth Ambassador Action Plan Template *Youth Leadership Roles *Youth Recruitment Planner

Featured Download/Link Check out the Creating a Home Learning Nook from the newest Y4Y course, The Virtual Edge, for tips on supporting summer learning at home.

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