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AFTERSCHOOL OBSERVER
JANUARY 2019
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CONVENE
EARLY REGISTRATION
Early Registration is now open for the annual SYNERGY CONFERENCE! We hope you will join us on April 24-25, 2019 at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC. You can register here by February 10th for the discounted rate of 200. Regular registration will begin on February 11th at the regular rate of $225.
Afterschool, before school and summer programs that have never attended the Synergy Conference are being offered a special rate. If your program/organization has never attended or participated in the Synergy Conference, staff can register to attend at the rate of $175. Please send a registration request for this discounted rate to
[email protected]. In your email, please include your program/organization name and the names of staff that are registering.
***Note: This discount is specific to programs that have never been represented at the Synergy Conference.
The SYNERGY CONFERENCE 2019 will have a hotel block at the Sheraton Greensboro at
Four Seasons for the discounted rate of $145/night. Please visit
t
he
SYNERGY CONFERENCE 2019 page
next week for the link to reserve rooms and for additional conference details.
We hope to see you in Greensboro!
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INFORM
FEDERAL COMMISSION ON SCHOOL SAFETY RELEASES FINAL REPORT
In March 2018, following the tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, President Trump appointed U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to lead a Federal Commission on School Safety. The secretary was joined on the Commission by Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker (who recently succeeded former Attorney General Jeff Sessions as a Commissioner), Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen; this group was charged with providing meaningful and actionable recommendations to keep students safe at school.
On December 18, 2018, the Federal Commission on School Safety presented their final report to the president. We were pleased to see that the report recognized that supporting the social and emotional well-being of students and enhancing physical building security is essential to the safety of students. We agree with the Commission's recommendation that afterschool programs can improve social-emotional learning, combat bullying, increase student engagement, and improve school safety. For every student currently in an afterschool program, the parents of two more would like programs for their kids. Making our schools safer will take investments; unfortunately the report does not call for additional financial support for the effective programs like afterschool and summer learning that it recommends.
We are deeply troubled by the report's recommendation to rescind the Department of Education and Department of Justice Joint Guidance on School Discipline. The School Discipline Guidance was issued specifically to protect students of color, students with disabilities, LGBTQ students, and other vulnerable populations, to ensure safe and equitable learning environments for all children and youth. The rescission of this guidance will also have a disproportionate effect on kids with depression, autism, and behavioral disorders.
To view the Final Report of the Federal Commission on School Safety, click
here.
Article from:
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CONVENE
NC CAP'S POWER UP PROGRAM
Youth who regularly participate in high-quality programs develop strong social skills, are excited about learning, improve work habits and grades, improve school day attendance, have higher graduation rates, explore career paths and gain workforce skills. However, the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs recognizes that many factors have the potential to serve as barriers or challenges for programs serving youth, especially those in rural communities. The purpose of the POWER UP Program and mini-grants is to provide programs in pre-determined rural counties with resources and on-going technical support over the course of two years to build program capacity.
Programs serving youth afterschool, before school and during the summer months that apply and are accepted into NC CAP's POWER UP Program will engage in monthly in-person or virtual sessions focused on a range of topics and program focus areas. Examples of session topics include asset mapping; grant writing; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (S.T.E.M.); social and emotional learning; literacy; parent and family engagement; staff and volunteer recruitment and retention; program finance; private and public partnerships; and K-12 and higher education engagement.
Additionally, participating programs will be provided two waived registrations for the Synergy Conference over the course of the POWER UP Program.
At the end of year one, all participating programs will be asked to submit a proposal for
mini-grant funding through the NC Center for Afterschool Programs. All programs who have attended at least 80% of the monthly in-person and virtual sessions will receive $1,000 for their programs. Up to 5 exemplary proposals will receive $5,000 for their programs. The purpose of proposal funding is to support programs in their endeavors to combat a challenge they experience serving youth in a rural county.
Interested programs must currently serve youth afterschool, before school or during the summer months in one of the following counties:
Anson, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Caswell, Columbus, Duplin, Edgecombe, Halifax, Hertford, Lenoir, McDowell, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Person, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Scotland, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington or Wilson.
Applications for NC CAP's POWER UP Program can be submitted
here. The deadline for applications has been extended to Monday, January 14th.
Accepted programs will be notified in January.
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ADVOCACY
FROM A NATION AT RISK TO A NATION AT HOPE: RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE NATIONAL COMMISSION ON SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT
Join leaders from across the nation as we come together for the official release of the final report from the Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development on January 15th, 2019 from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM ET.
This event will officially:
- Release the Commission's final recommendations in research, practice, and policy;
- Advance a movement to support the whole learner;
- Announce commitments for future work to bring the recommendations to life.
The report recommends expanding access to afterschool and summer learning programs as critical pathways to developing the whole child. Tune into the live stream of the report release on January 15th - you can register
here.
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CONVENE
SYNERGY CONFERENCE 2019
The SYNERGY CONFERENCE is the premiere afterschool and expanded learning conference in North Carolina.
The conference will convene April 24 - 25 at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC. This year's conference is themed:
DOING THE
M
.
O
.
S
.
T
.:
M
AXIMIZING
O
UT-OF-
S
CHOOL
T
IME.
The conference timeline can be viewed
here
.
The Request for Proposals (RFPs) for workshop presenters and vendors are now open. We are excited to announce that Mentoring has been added as a new workshop strand. Workshop strands include Arts & Literacy, Closing Gaps, College & Career Readiness, Mentoring, Organizational Capacity, Public/Private Partnerships, S.T.E.M., and Youth Development.
Descriptions for each workshop strand can be viewed on the workshop and vendor RFPs. Copies of each RFP, deadlines and additional details can be accessed by visiting the Synergy Conference 2019 page. The deadline for proposal submissions has been extended to January 23rd.
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INFORM
NC OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME MAPPING DATABASE
Is your afterschool, before school or summer program registered in our Mapping Database? If not, register your program today so that
elected officials, program funders and educators search the statewide Mapping Database of Out-of-School Time Programs for programs in their service area? Is your program registered in the database? If not, you can register you program today. Program registration in the database is quick and takes less than five minutes.
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SUPPORT
NATIONAL AFTERSCHOOL ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP
The National AfterSchool Association is the voice of the afterschool profession; the national membership organization for you, people who work with and on behalf of children and youth during out of school time. NAA, like NC CAP, is on a mission to promote development, provide education, and encourage advocacy for the out-of-school-time community to further the afterschool profession.
Together we are building the capacity of the field and the knowledge and competency of the afterschool community - be it children and youth who attend the programs, entry and developing staff who work directly with children and youth, leaders at all levels who play a variety of key roles, and mastery level professionals who provide research and thought leadership.
Would you like to be engaged with a national community comprised of afterschool and youth development professionals from across the nation?
If so, there are currently two membership levels for individuals:
- Executive Level - Your $99 annual contribution (that amounts to $8.25 per month) provides benefits designed specifically to meet the needs of current and emerging afterschool leaders AND supports the overall development of the afterschool profession.
- Ambassador Level - A free starter membership provides benefits designed for entry and developing afterschool professionals.
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ADVOCACY
THE POWER OF AFTERSCHOOL IN NORTH CAROLINA REPORT
The Power of Afterschool in North Carolina Report was released at Lights On Afterschool NC in October of 2018. The annual report was developed to spotlight data that illustrates the afterschool landscape, both statewide and nationally. Statewide data is reflective of programs registered within the NC CAP mapping database of out-of-school time programs. National data was provided by the National Afterschool Alliance. The report was made possible by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the MOTT Foundation.
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SUPPORT
OST PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES
As part of their commitment to high-quality programs, MeckEd offers professional development opportunities to their partners. Their 2018-2019 professional development offers opportunities for program assessment, feedback, and coaching. The sessions will be held from 9:30 am - 11:30 am at Grier
Heights Community Center in Charlotte, NC on:
February 6, 2019
BEYOND RACE: Teaching Social Justice in 2019
March 6, 2019
ROCKSTARS WANTED: Building & Engaging a Dynamic Volunteer Base
April 3, 2019
PLAYING IN THE SANDBOX: Collaboration For Success
For additional details or to register to attend their professional development series, click here.
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PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT
NC CAP wants to highlight your program!
The North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs 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
AMERICAN HONDA FOUNDATION
The American Honda Foundation engages in grant making that reflects the basic tenets, beliefs and philosophies of Honda companies, which are characterized by the following qualities: imaginative, creative, youthful, forward-thinking, scientific, humanistic and innovative. They support youth education with a specific focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects in addition to the environment. Funding priority is youth education, specifically in the areas of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, the environment, job training and literacy.
The Burroughs Wellcome Fund has opened it's application for the 2019 Student STEM Enrichment Program (SSEP) grant awards. SSEP supports diverse programs with a common goal: to enable primary and secondary students to participate in creative, hands-on STEM activities for K-12 students and pursue inquiry-based exploration in BWF's home state of North Carolina. These awards provide up to $60,000 per year for three years. The application deadline is
April 16, 2019
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NEW YORK LIFE GRANTS
This coming May, the New York Life Foundation will make 26 awards to out-of-school time programs serving disadvantaged youth through their Aim High grant program. The Aim High program is part of the New York Life Foundation's ongoing investment in middle school OST programs to help economically disadvantaged eighth-graders reach ninth grade on time. The grant program will fund a total of 26 afterschool, summer and expanded learning programs nationwide, based on a competitive application process. This year, the Aim High grant program will provide $1,350,000 to support 26 awards nationwide.
The Triangle Community Foundation believes that all children can benefit from a camp experience; especially those who may otherwise be unable to attend due to financial constraints or family situations. The Foundation is now accepting applications from organizations with summer camp programs to provide camper scholarships.
The Westinghouse Charitable Giving Program provides financial support to communities in one or more strategic areas of giving including (1) Education with a focus on STEM, (2) Environment Sustainability, (3) Community Safety and Vitality.
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MISSION
To influence policy and serve as a catalyst, convener, and clearinghouse for afterschool programs through advocacy, professional development, and quality improvement.
VISION
High quality afterschool programs accessible to all North Carolina children and youth helping them to succeed in and out of school.
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