August 2023

Iowa Afterschool Alliance News

Have you registered for the Impact Afterschool Conference yet? Don’t miss out – register now!

This year the conference will be held at the Holiday Inn and Suites Des Moines-Northwest in Des Moines. Join afterschool professionals in Iowa from all areas and levels of expertise on September 28 & 29, 2023 for professional development, experiential learning, and networking.

Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this event. Register now and secure your spot. 

A huge congratulations to our very own Hannah McDowell! Hannah is the Policy and Partnerships Coordinator for Iowa Afterschool Alliance, and one of the newest White Riley Peterson Policy Fellows.

The White-Riley-Peterson (WRP) Policy Fellowship has selected 17 afterschool leaders from across the country to participate in this prestigious program, designed to equip fellows with the policy knowledge to successfully advocate for afterschool programs.

Learn more about the WRP Fellowship, offered annually by the Riley Institute at Furman University and funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, here.

Grant Opportunities

Are you ready to take your afterschool program to new heights and prepare your students for a future full of possibilities? Look no further! We are thrilled to announce the opportunity for your program to participate in the Jobs for the Future Possible Futures career exploration program.

The Iowa Afterschool Alliance and the Active Learning Community Partnership is looking for 6 programs to facilitate the Possible Futures curriculum.

This 8-week program provides career exploration to learners in grades 6 through 10, with a vision that every young person will gain the foundational knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to make critical decisions about their future with confidence.

Each site will receive $1,000 stipend as well as a personalized Qualtrics data dashboard for participating. Please contact Elva Griffin at egriffin@sppg.com with questions or for more information.

STEM Opportunities

For more opportunities from Million Girls Moonshot,

please visit the STEM for Iowa website.

Are you on the Mizzen by Mott app? Check out the STEM Activities for K-5th in Small Groups playlist, a mix of engineering + science activities! Click here to download the app today.

Looking for fun #STEMActivities for families? NASA has an educator guide for easy-to-implement activities. Click here to learn more.

Know someone interested in working with an afterschool program? STEM AmeriCorps applications are now open! STEM AmeriCorps members will help build capacity in afterschool programs by developing and facilitating engaging, high-quality activities that promote increased social, emotional, math, science, and reading proficiency. Members are placed in afterschool programs across the state and serve from September through June. STEM AmeriCorps members receive $11,700 in stipends for living expenses over the school year. They also receive a $3,447.50 education award that can be utilized toward qualifying loans or current educational expenses. This is upon completion of their service term. Please contact Elva Griffin at egriffin@sppg.com with questions or for more information.

Inclusion Spotlight

After a few years working in a crime lab, Dr. Raychelle Burks returned to academia. An analytical chemist, Raychelle is a chemistry detective. She and her team design new ways to detect a variety of drugs, explosives, and chemical weapons. Raychelle’s team pairs color-changing sensors with smartphones to produce portable and easy-to-use detection devices.

Beyond the bench, Raychelle is a prize-winning science communicator. She is the co-creator of the popular speaker series SciPop Talks!, was a regular on the Science Channel’s Outrageous Acts of Science, and routinely appears in media to discuss science and pop culture. Raychelle writes the popular forensic science column “Trace Analysis” and was recently in the first season of “The Curious Life and Death Of...”, a show on the Smithsonian Channel. A dynamic public speaker, Raychelle is often a featured speaker at genre conventions like DragonCon and created the DIY Science Zone at GeekGirlCon. Raychelle holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa, a Master of Forensic Science degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University, and a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. She lives in the District of Columbia. Learn more about Dr. Raychelle Burks here!

Wallace Foundation Resources

Millions of urban children and teens lack access to afterschool programs that provide rich opportunities for growth, learning and fun. One possible solution is to coordinate the work of programs, government agencies, private funders and others involved in afterschool programs—that is, build an afterschool system that is greater than the sum of its parts. Key components of afterschool systems include efforts to improve program quality and collection of data to inform decision-making.

​​Browse reports and other resources the Wallace Foundation provides for insights into making high-quality afterschool programming more readily available to urban young people.

Out of School Time Professional Development Center

The Out of School Time Professional Development Center provides Out of School Time training to OST professionals. The classes provide in-depth curriculum and certificates. If you or your staff are interested in signing up for courses visit the Out-of-School Time website. Check out the entire course catalog here. 

Great Content on Y4Y!

You 4 Youth is a free online professional development site that is designed to support 21CCLC program staff but is a valuable tool for any afterschool professional looking to build their skills! Recently, Y4Y has rolled out a whole module on literacy. Click here to register.

Iowa Child Care Training Registry

Find professional development for school-age programming on the State of Iowa Child Care Training Registry on topics ranging from health and safety to developmentally appropriate programming. Find out more online.

National Afterschool Association PD Resources

NAA provides afterschool professionals with resources to stay up-to-date on the latest topics in afterschool and summer learning. Find out more on their website here. 

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