Dear Summer Learning Community,

NSLA would like to thank the hundreds of senior-level, multi-sector education and civic leaders from across Alabama and the US who navigated challenging weather and travel conditions to attend our recent Summer Solutions Leadership Forum in Fairhope, Alabama. We are grateful to our co-hosts at the Alabama State Department of Education and Alabama Expanded Learning Alliance, all our Professional Learning Community leaders, Sponsors, Board Members and Partners who helped make the inspiring and impactful gathering possible.

Check out the photos below and this short video about the key questions and goals discussed at the Leadership Forum:

We'll be sharing more resources and plenary recordings from the Forum in the coming months through our:

• Summer Solutions Playbook highlighting fresh ideas and strategies 
• Virtual Summer Planning Bootcamp on Friday, April 17th from 12-2 PM EST 
• Live event to highlight innovative leaders ideas and solutions 

Forum attendees left feeling energized and confident that, together, we can close America’s summer opportunity gap and provide a great summer for all kids - not just for some. We look forward to working with you to serve more students, families and communities this summer.

Aaron Philip Dworkin  

CEO

National Summer Learning Association

NSLA thanks all of our partners and supporters who helped make the Summer Solutions Leadership Forum possible and accessible for many participants.

Congratulations to Camp Southern Ground, founded by Zac Brown as the recipient of the Summer Learning Legacy Award, and to author Pablo Cartaya and illustrator Miguel Díaz Rivas, winners of the National Summer Book Award for Curveball.

Congratulations to the New York Life Foundation Excellence in Summer Learning Award honorees for delivering high-quality summer learning opportunities that keep youth safe, healthy, and learning during the critical summer months:

• Summer Achievers — The School District of Philadelphia and the City of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) top left photo
• Woodcraft Rangers (Los Angeles, CA) top right photo
• The GEMS Camp Summer Experience (Dallas, TX) bottom left photo
• Cedar Rapids Public Library (Cedar Rapids, IA) bottom right photo

Afterschool HQ is an all-in-one management platform for after-school and summer programs, camps, and youth organizations that helps streamline operations to focus more on student engagement. 

Save the date for AfterSchool HQ’s FREE Grant Reporting & Impact Metrics Live Discussion on February 18th at 3 PM ET! 

This live, interactive webinar is designed for youth program leaders who want to learn how software can simplify and streamline data tracking, making it easier to tell their program’s story, strengthen grant reporting, and secure more funding.

You’ll join peers from across the country in an open discussion focused on real-world impact and practical takeaways. Register here to join the conversation and walk away with tools and insights you can actually use to amplify your program’s impact. 

• The Wallace Foundation: Summer’s on The Mind Research-backed practices for jumpstarting your summer learning program

• Every Hour Counts: Youth Engagement: A Guide for City and State Agencies, a practical tool for intermediaries, city agencies, and state networks working to center youth leadership and share decision-making power in out-of-school time systems. Download the guide.

• State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO): Announced that they'll launch a new, two-year national initiative designed to strengthen state leadership in building research-based advising systems that support all students. Holistic Advising for Student Success will engage seven participating states—Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Montana, South Carolina, and Washington—in a sequenced program of assessment, coaching, and in-person collaboration. Learn more.

• The National Youth Leadershup Council (NYLC): The Power of We creativity contest, challenging teens across the country to explore, analyze, and share how working together for the common good makes' communities stronger.



• Mott Million Dollar Challenge: Turn your students’ “What if?” into “What’s next." Open to K-12 students to share ideas that make life better and compete for prizes from a $1 million prize pool. From solving everyday problems to improving their school or community, this is where bold ideas take the spotlight.