After-School Bulletin | March 12, 2019
There's Lots to Observe this Month!     

There's more to the third month of the year than March Madness and basketball. (Yes, really!)

Let us know how your program is observing March, home to Women's History Month, National Nutrition Month, Daylight Savings Time, Spring, and let's not forget the opening of the "Lights On Afterschool" poster contest. And we'll be sure to share out those great tips next year!

Besides the events listed above, March also heralds a "Day of Action" sponsored by the Afterschool Alliance on March 26, a day to remind lawmakers about the importance of afterschool programs from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Here are a few Alliance suggestions for taking action.

1. Contact your member of Congress and invite them to visit your program while they're on recess.

2.  Tell how your program supports healthy eating and afterschool meals.

3. Plan how you will participate in the"Lights on Afterschool" poster contest, now in its 20th anniversary year.

One final timely note: The National AfterSchool Association's 2019 Convention takes place March 15-18 in New York City this year.

Access the Afterschool Alliance's calendar here.
Peruse Latest  
 Research in Afterschool   
 
The American Institutes for Research for the Statewide Afterschool Networks curates research articles of importance to the out-of-school-time community. Here are four recent articles of interest to providers.  
 
 

'Science Buddies' Offer Free STEM Resources

Looking for some cool new ideas for your STEM programming? Check out Science Buddies for some free resources.

Science Buddies is a non-profit organization providing free K-12 STEM education resources. It strives to build STEM literacy by delivering fun and engaging STEM activities to all students, whether it is in school, out of school, or at home. Its free library of high-quality, K-12 STEM resources can be utilized in afterschool and summer programs.
How are You Branding Your Afterschool Program?   
 
Looking for better results for your afterschool program? Then consider some marketing tips from a pro.
 
In this Afterschool Snack blog, senior marketing manager Susan Le offers a few tips for getting the attention your program deserves. Read it here.
Report: Civic Engagement in Afterschool
 
While the past few years have been full of inspiring displays of civic education and action from our nation's youth, a brighter spotlight has been shone on the role that afterschool programs can play in supporting the youth who are inspired to take action in their own communities -- something that many programs have already been doing for years.

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President Trump's Budget Zeroes Out Afterschool Funding to 35,000 Mi Kids      
Washington, D.C. - President Trump released his FY 2020 budget on Monday proposing that no government funds be used to operate the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program, the largest federally funded program for before-school, afterschool and summer learning.
 
If enacted, 35,776 kids in Michigan and 1.7 Million nationwide would lose access to afterschool programs that they and their parents depend on.  
 
According to the Afterschool Alliance, approximately 89 percent of Michigan parents surveyed said they support public funding for afterschool programs. Families agree that afterschool programs help parents keep their jobs and keep their kids safe and productively engaged in the critical 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. time frame when risky behavior can soar among unattended youth.
 
The 21st CCLC program generates $35.8 Million for Michigan annually - funding that would be eliminated if the plan is enacted by Congress. The program is funded to the tune of $1.3 Billion nationwide.  
 
This is the third year in a row that the Trump Administration has eliminated funding for afterschool programs, though Congress has restored funding in the budgets it has sent to the President for his signature.    
 
Across Michigan, nearly 210,400 children attend afterschool programs that are funded by many sources, including the federal government, nonprofits and families. But demand is high and many families are hard-pressed to pay for it. Another 625,000 Michigan children would attend an afterschool program if they were able to access one, and nearly 374,500 schoolchildren are left unsupervised in Michigan, according to the Afterschool Alliance.  
    
Learn more in the Afterschool Alliance's call to action and by following #AfterschoolWorks.   
 
Program Providers Invited to Participate in Important Compensation Study     
 
Across Michigan others just like you are trying to create growth and awareness of the out-of-school time program profession.  
 
In order to further efforts, the Michigan After-School Partnership (MASP) alongside other committed professionals would like to collect current data around staff salary and benefits so we can have a clearer understanding of the current compensation scales across the state.
 
All data will be kept confidential - no personal or organizational names will be asked. The information will be essential to promote equality in employment and quality programming for all youth.
 
Please complete the short survey by March 20, 2019.  Access it here.  
 
Contact the evaluator, Jamie Wu, Ph.D., at  wuhengch@msu.edu or MASP Quality Specialist, Kate Porter at kporter@uwmich.org if you have any questions.
 
#PowerofYouth Challenge Inspires Students to Lead Service Projects, Bringing About Positive Change  
 
America's Promise Alliance is launching the Power of Youth Challenge with the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and Peace First to encourage and inspire youth-led student projects around the country.
 
Through the Power of Youth Challenge, young people will have the tools to identify a need in their community, create a service project plan, and apply for a grant to help put the project into action - with the chance to apply for additional funding to scale up the project and give even more young people the opportunity to serve.   
 
The program is open to young people ages 13-18 who want to improve their communities. Teams should be made up of at least three young people. Participants must agree to report on project progress and reflect on your project's impact.
 
The grant application deadline is March 31.  
 
Through the Power of Youth Challenge, students will receive coaching and support as they develop a project. Every team that signs up will have access to financial support in the form of mini grants of up to $250. The amount of each grant will be determined by project needs.   
 
Those who apply and complete their projects will be eligible for an accelerator grant of up to $5,000 to grow their project over the next year.  
 
So don't delay, and get started. For graphics and other communications help, click on the Afterschool Alliance toolkit. 
 
NASA Offers Out-of-School Time Challenges to Middle School Students        
 
The NASA Glenn Research Center Office of Education is soliciting applications from youth-serving organizations and formal/informal education institutions in NASA Glenn's six-state service region (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI).  
 
This solicitation is requesting proposals to implement STEM content in out-of-school time (OST) settings for students in grades 5-9 from June 1, 2019 through August 31, 2019 using the new NASA Glenn Engineering Design Challenge (EDC): Spacecraft Safety or the Make it NASA: How Would You Measure the Moon? activity.  
 
This content received via this opportunity will allow students to work on real-world problems in a collaborative, team-based environment.  Students apply lessons learned to solve problems that STEM professionals may face while gaining a deeper knowledge of how NASA is a part of their everyday lives.   
 
 
 
 Current research on out-of-school time, STEM learning in the National Research Council's "Identifying Supportive Productive STEM Programs in Out-of-School Time Settings" report.