The Y4Y Insider

January 2023

Starting Anew

The calendar year isn't the only thing that hit the reset button. The Y4Y Insider has a fresh new look to make it easier for you to find and link to the content you find most relevant and interesting. Enjoy!

What's New With Y4Y

Marketing and Outreach Module

You've created a dynamic out-of-school time program. Now you're ready to inform and engage students, families, partners, and community members. Study up on some winning strategies with the latest Quality Program Quickstarter from Y4Ythe Marketing and Outreach module!

Winter Check-In for Program Leaders

Attend the First-Ever Y4Y Virtual Office Hours Session

Thursday, Jan. 19, at 1 p.m. ET 

Register now and submit your burning questions about budget amendments, summer planning, and whatever else is on your mind. The U.S. Department of Education’s You for Youth Technical Assistance Team will provide answers and share best practices.

Summer Symposium Dates Announced!

Save the Date/Call for Presentations

The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) 2023 Summer Symposium will be hosted in New Orleans on July 19-20. The theme is “Celebrating 21st CCLC Resilience: Yesterday, Today, and Beyond. For more about the conference and the call for presentations, visit the conference website.

Y4Y Blog Roundup

Practical tips and inspiration for out-of-school time leaders and practitioners.

Be Seen: Marketing and Outreach for Your Program

Breaking Old Habits

Planting Seeds of Creativityand Watching the STEMs Grow

Gathering STEAM

Powering Your STEM/STEAM Initiatives

Broadening Perspectives on Broadening Participation in STEM Toolkit

Check out the Center for the Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE) toolkit and related materials to make STEM education more accessible.


Bringing STEAM Activities to Life Through SEL Integration 

Build staff and family support for science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and social-emotional learning (SEL) through evidence-based approaches and family engagement resources with this 60-minute on-demand course. Content is supported by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (To take the course, you’ll need to set up a free account on the Alliance’s website.)

Y4Y User Tip

Browse the Y4Y Learn More Library collections to find a multitude of resources outside of Y4Y on topics like creating a positive learning environment and project-based learning. Y4Y has more than two dozen topical libraries — one for every course!

Creative Program Ideas

Jan. 18 is National Thesaurus Day. Play a game: Put students into groups and assign a word. The group that comes up with a synonym and uses it correctly in a sentence earns a point.

Jan. 29 is National Puzzle Day. Set up stations with jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, and other types of puzzles. Share different problem-solving approaches and why sharpening your brain through challenging but fun exercises is a good idea.

Feb. 1 marks the beginning of Black History Month. Visit the For Teachers section of the federal government’s Black History Month website for ideas on how to celebrate with your students all month long!

Feb. 7 is National Send a Card to a Friend Day. Card and letter writing is a skill that’s fading. Bring it back by covering the basics (date, address, salutation, body, closing, signature). Reflect on how it feels to get a personal card or letter in the mail.

Voices From the Field

A School Principal's Take on Family, Community, and Out-of-School Time Partnerships

Paul Travers, principal at Washington Montessori Elementary in Greensboro, North Carolina, and Guilford County Principal of the Year, talks with Y4Y about the people who inspired him to become an educator — and innovative ways to engage partners.

“There are a lot of great people that I get a chance to work with who are in there every single day, trying to make a positive impact on students’ lives and help them see how they can contribute their skills and gifts to this world. We want to communicate that hope, and we want our students to be hopeful about what this world will look like.”


Read the full interview or listen to the podcast.

State Coordinator's Corner

Please mark your calendar for Y4Y’s Virtual Office Hours session on Thursday, Jan. 19, at 1 p.m. ET. You’ll find out what’s on the minds of 21st CCLC program leaders around the nation during this 90-minute Q&A session with the Department’s Y4Y Technical Assistance Team. Invite the program leaders in your state to attend as well! 

Register now and submit your questions. 

To kick off the new year, Sheena Strickler, state coordinator for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program in Idaho, shared this story about a new initiative in her state to support students’ behavioral health. 



Hello from Idaho! For over three years, I’ve had the pleasure of providing support for Idaho 21st CCLC subgrantees as their SEA Program Coordinator. Post pandemic, I continually heard from program directors that they were struggling to support students’ behavioral health. We knew we had to do something. So in the fall of 2022, we introduced a supplemental grant to support a statewide summer learning opportunity, targeting 170 fifth- through eighth-grade 21st CCLC participants. The 20 directors and staff who applied would join a yearlong Summer Learning Professional Learning Community (PLC), which kicked off at the National Summer Learning Association conference in October. PLC participants helped develop targeted enrichment and family engagement opportunities. They collaboratively designed an invitation letter to intentionally target students in their 21st CCLC programs who were most “at risk.” The PLC also developed a schedule for inclusive family events at locations throughout the state so that students and families can connect and build relationships before the summer learning event in June 2023.

The state 21st CCLC staff selected the location, dates, and initial partners to help provide behavioral health support during our summer experience. Partners that have been instrumental in supporting our summer learning opportunity are Treasure Valley YMCA, YMCA Horsethief Camp staff, Cool Speak Youth Development Trainers, and the Idaho Out-of-School Network. We are excited about our first-year statewide summer learning opportunity in June and anticipate expanding to additional target populations in future years.

Y4Y Course Spotlight

Career Pathways for Students

New year, new goals! Help students get to know themselves, explore careers and requirements, build skills, and dream big. Start with the online Work Personality Evaluation

Featured Download/Link

Marketing and Outreach Tool Kit

This tool kit bundles tools, templates, and examples of marketing and outreach materials such as flyers, infographics, newsletters, and social media posts.

Quicklinks to Anytime/Anywhere Learning

Click & Go's

Courses

Quality Program Quickstarters

Topical Tool Kits

Webinars

Choose from 13 topics. Download a video, podcasts, FAQ, tools, and resources. Learn in 30-60 minutes.

Choose from 23 topics. Finish in 5-10 hours. Earn a certificate for each section.

Get up to speed fast on program quality basics. Finish in an hour. Get a certificate.

Download a zip file with customizable Y4Y tools on the topic you choose.

Attend a live webinar to get a certificate or watch an archived webinar anytime.

Looking Forward, Reflecting Back

Thanks for making Y4Y your partner in professional learning!

These data from 2022 demonstrate your engagement with Y4Y — and your commitment to students and families. We’re committed to you as well and look forward to another great year together!

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