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AFTERSCHOOL OBSERVER
JUNE 2018
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CONVENE
POLICY & PRACTICE REGIONAL CONVENINGS
This July, the NC Center for Afterschool Programs will host four Regional Convenings in various locations across the state. Each of the convenings will be held at Community Colleges that offer School-Age Career Certificates or Degree Programs. Specific dates and host community colleges are as follows:
July 10: Edgecombe Community College [Tarboro, NC]
July 12: Durham Technical Community College [Durham, NC]
July 17: Blue Ridge Community College [Flat Rock, NC]
July 18: Central Piedmont Community College [Charlotte, NC]
Policy & Practice Regional Convenings will provide an opportunity for attendees to engage in meaningful dialogue pertaining to the 2018 Roadmap of Need. The annual Roadmap of Need uses data on economic development, education, health and youth behavior & safety to take a whole child needs assessment of what youth living in each of North Carolina's 100 counties must have in order to thrive in school and in life. In addition to dialogue centered on the recently released Roadmap, attendees will be afforded an opportunity to explore a range of STEM-specific strategies through enrichment activities
presented by partnering organizations and STEM experts. Details regarding each convening's STEM spotlight is forthcoming. Lunch will be provided at each convening and attendees can register free of charge. Space is limited so secure your spot by registering today!
The agenda for each of the Regional Convenings will be as follows:
8:30 am: Registration/Coffee
9 am: Welcome/Roadmap of Need Dialogue
11 am: Lunch
11:30 am: STEM Enrichment
12:30 pm: Adjournment
The deadline to register is Sunday, July 8th.
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ADVOCACY
NC OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME MAPPING DATABASE
The NC Center for Afterschool Programs [NC CAP] developed a statewide, searchable database for out-of-school time programs (OST) programs that serve K-12 youth before school, after school, summers, weekends and during school breaks. Programs can take place in schools, school-age child care centers, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, universities, libraries, museums, camps, and other locations can register their programs in the statewide mapping database. You can utilize this database to search for information on program locations, activities, number and grades of youth served. This database helps families, schools, communities and elected officials locate programs for their youth. It also aids in identifying community assets and gaps in out-of-school time programming.
Registering your program in the statewide database is easy and takes less than two minutes. Register your program today!
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SUPPORT
NC SUMMER LEARNING TOOLKIT
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Are You A Summer Learning Ambassador?
A New Toolkit Helps Summer Program Providers Reach Parents
Children work hard during the school year and they learn a lot. But if we are not careful, they can lose what they learn over the summer. When that happens, they start the next school year behind, and it's hard to catch up.
We all want to help children keep learning over the summer, so they return to school ready to continue growing.
NCECF worked with Book Harvest in Durham to hear from their Parent Advisory Team and learned from parents across North Carolina to determine what messages would be most helpful and the channels they want to receive the messages.
Since summer program providers have the best opportunity to engage parents about how summer can be both a vacation from school and an opportunity for learning and enrichment, NCECF created a toolkit just for them! The toolkit is for schools, camps, churches, libraries and others working with children over summer break.
The Summer Learning Toolkit starts with a simple plan to engage parents throughout the summer including:
- Communication tools to ensure program staff understand the importance of summer learning so that they can communicate effectively with parents.
- Information and resources to relay to parents (in English and Spanish) each week of summer. That's texts, Facebook posts, and newsletter blogs and phone scripts.
- A tip sheet for parents about summer learning (in English and Spanish)
- Special Summer Learning Day stickers badge for everyone!
You'll find the NC Summer Learning Toolkit
here
!
Don't' Forget to Celebrate Summer Learning Day on July 12, 2018
Post Your Summer Learning Day events on the National Summer Learning Day map!
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THIS IS AFTERSCHOOL: PROMOTING HEALTHY FUTURES
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Studies show just how risky the hours after school can be:
Afterschool is changing that. Decades of research show that afterschool programs prevent substance use and reduce misconduct.
- A longitudinal study of 3,000 elementary and middle school students participating in afterschool programs found reports of misconduct declined, and among middle school students, use of drugs and alcohol was less than that of their unsupervised peers.
- A review of 43 studies of afterschool programs found declines in drug use or arrests and/or changes in attitudes toward drugs.
- According to data from Vermont's Youth Risk Behavior Survey, students who participate in extracurricular activities each week (up to 19 hours per week) are significantly less likely to use any alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana than those who did not participate in any activities.
- University of Alaska researchers found that students who participate in organized afterschool programs at least once per week are 16 percent less likely to binge drink and 31 percent less likely to use marijuana.
- Students in Chicago's After School Matters program engage in risky behaviors such as selling drugs, using drugs, and taking part in gang activity at a much lower rate than matched nonparticipants.
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SYSTEM (STRENGTHENING YOUTH THROUGH STEM)
SYSTEM is an afterschool program that offers support for students in grades 3 - 8 in Scotland County. We serve 160 plus students each year. We provide transportation, a meal, and snacks for all students. We also provide assistance with homework, Math, and ELA. Our students participate in STEM enrichment activities and Character Education. In addition to the above resources, we also support our parents with workshops that focus on parenting skills and community involvement.
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INFORM
2018 ROADMAP OF NEED
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First published by the Public School Forum of North Carolina and NC CAP in 2010, the
Roadmap of Need
uses data on health, youth behavior and safety, education, and economic development to take a whole child needs assessment of what young people living in each of North Carolina's 100 counties must have in order to thrive in school and in life.
According to the report, the five top counties where young people have the greatest likelihood for success are Orange, Union, Wake, Cabarrus and Dare. The bottom five counties where young people are most at risk are Anson, Warren, Halifax, Robeson, and Edgecombe. The makeup of the top five has Dare County in place of Watauga County, while Northampton moved out of the bottom five this year.
Over the past several years, the Roadmap has been a key resource for afterschool providers and other education organizations when communicating with policymakers, funders, and citizens about the importance of their services, and to target areas for increased investment. School administrators, central office staff, nonprofits, community leaders, and parent advocates also use the Roadmap to demonstrate to others the needs faced by their communities. Public education advocates have brought Roadmap data to the attention of school board members, county commissioners, and members of the General Assembly in order to inform their efforts to create state and local policies that address significant community needs.
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ADVOCACY
AFTERSCHOOL AND SUMMER LEARNING SUPPORTING CITIES NATIONWIDE
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Two new briefs from the
National League of Cities' (NLC)
Institute for Youth, Education, and Families highlight the ways in which afterschool and summer learning programs help develop students' college and career readiness and in turn support the economic success of cities. For students, future success is influenced by academic success, development of social and emotional and foundation skills, school attendance, graduation, the development of social emotional skills and competencies, and knowledge of future opportunities. In communities where students are not receiving the supports and guidance to assist in their success, the economy suffers from a lack of a workforce with the skills and prerequisites to fill jobs and support economic development.
Afterschool and Summer Learning:
A City Strategy to Support College and Career Readiness and
Afterschool and Summer Learning: A City Strategy for Workforce Development highlight the challenges that cities face preparing young people for future success, the impact those challenges have on a city's economy, and how afterschool and summer learning programs provide solutions.
Students and cities face many challenges that impact the future economy
In
A City Strategy for Workforce Development, the authors show that a vibrant economy is dependent on an abundant workforce of qualified, passionate, and satisfied workers. The report outlines that currently, businesses lose $3 billion annually due to childcare-related employee absences and spend more than $164 billion per year on employee education and training to improve workforce skills.
While employers face challenges filling positions, students across the country are struggling to succeed.
A City Strategy to Support College and Career Readiness connects workforce challenges back to student success. The report outlines students' ongoing battle with chronic absenteeism, low academic achievement, and lack of awareness and exposure to college and career opportunities that limit their possibilities for the future - especially for low-income students.
To read the full article, click
here.
Excerpt from:
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INFORM
SUMMER FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM (SFSP)
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers free summer meals to kids across North Carolina. The program is similar to the School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, except meals are free to all kids that come to a registered summer meals site.
Here are four ways to find a nearby free summer meals site in North Carolina for children:
- Text "FoodNC" to 877-877
- Text "Summer Meals" to 97779
- Call toll-free 1.866.3Hungry (1.866.348.6479) or 1.877.8Hambre(1.877.842.6273)
- Visit the USDA's Summer Meal Site Finder at fns.usda.gov/SummerFoodRocks
FREE: Meals are free to children and teens ages 18 and younger who come to a summer meals site. SAVE MONEY: Free summer meals will help families save money and stretch their already tight food budgets. NUTRITIOUS: Food served at summer meal sites follows USDA nutrition guidelines and are paid for by the USDA. SAFE: Summer meal sites are safe places for kids and teens to go, such as schools, churches, and community centers. FUN: Many sites offer educational and recreational activities that kids of all ages can participate in so they can eat, hang out with friends and take part in activities offered. NO ID, NO REGISTRATION: Parents don't need to apply to the program to get a free summer meal for their kids. Children simply need to come to a summer meals site in their community, and enjoy a healthy meal without the hassle of having to fill out an application or enroll in a program. No ID or registration needed.
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SUPPORT
NC HEALTHY OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME RECOGNITION PROGRAM
The North Carolina Healthy Out-Of-School Time Recognition Program (NC HOST) offers a voluntary recognition for out-of-school time programs that provide foods, beverages and physical activities that promote lifelong health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. Out-of-school time programs that meet a set of standards are eligible for NC HOST recognition.
The
NC HOST Standards are a subset of the National AfterSchool Association's Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) standards as outlined in the
Healthy Out-of-School Time Framework. Standards used for NC HOST were chosen from the best available evidence of programs, policies, and practices shown to positively impact healthy eating and physical activity behaviors among youth.
The NC HOST Standards can be downloaded
here.
Steps to Apply:
Step 1: Complete the NC Healthy Out-of-School Time
Assessment.
Step 2: Complete the NC Healthy Out-of-School Time
Application.
NC HOST recognition will be awarded at a Bronze, Silver or Gold Level.
- Bronze denotes programs that meet a minimum number of required standards.
- Silver denotes programs that meet all of the minimum standards and demonstrate progress in meeting additional standards.
- Gold denotes programs that consistently meet all standards.
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INFORM
HOW AFTERSCHOOL CAN FIT WITH BE BEST
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Recently the first lady, Melania Trump, launched a child-focused initiative titled BE BEST. The official
BE BEST website states that 'the mission of BE BEST is to focus on some of the major issues facing children today, with the goal of encouraging children to BE BEST in their individual paths, while also teaching them the importance of social, emotional, and physical health.'
The BE BEST initiative will focus on three pillars (as defined by the website):
- Well-being: By promoting values such as healthy living, encouragement, kindness, and respect, parents, teachers, and other adults can help prepare children for their futures.
- Social media use: When children learn positive online behaviors early on, social media can be used in productive ways and can effect positive change.
- Opioid abuse: BE BEST will support the families and children affected by this crisis, bring attention to neonatal abstinence syndrome, and help educate parents on the importance of healthy pregnancies.
To read the full article, click here.
Excerpt from:
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SUPPORT
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
The After School Advantage (ASA) Program is a signature education program and flagship community involvement initiative. The program strives to close the "Digital Divide" for disadvantaged children who get left behind because they do not have the means to access computers in today's increasingly digital society.
Its goal is to address the needs of underprivileged/at-risk children ages five to 18 with a meaningful, yet fun, learning experience during the critical after-school hours in a safe environment. It does this by providing qualifying non-profit community agencies and public schools with digital learning centers. Each digital learning center is unique in its design and specific to an organization's custom needs.
In collaboration with the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), Crayola offers up to 20 grants for schools to help Creative Leadership teams identify and deliver innovative programs that inspire educators to increase art-infused education. The applications will only be accepted from principals who are members of NAESP.
SC Johnson is proud to support its communities through philanthropic giving.
SC Johnson predominately supports institutions or organizations that serve or directly impact communities where they have major operations. Their efforts assist existing non-profit organizations or programs focused on defined areas of interest. Areas of Focused Giving include:
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Community & Economic Development
Education
Health & Wellness
Social Services
Environment & Sustainability
The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation supports nonprofits helping people & places move out of poverty & achieve greater social & economic justice. They look for promising work that aligns with the Foundation's mission and demonstrates the following characteristics:
Connections with low-wealth people
Clear analysis and strategies
Networks, alliances and resources
Long-term view
Strategic and opportunistic
Wells Fargo makes contributions in areas that we believe are important to the future of our nation's vitality and success. Their first priority is to support programs and organizations whose chief purpose is to benefit low- and moderate-income individuals and families. They look for projects that keep our communities strong, diverse, and vibrant.
They support organizations that promote academic achievement for low- and moderate-income students.
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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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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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