The Y4Y Insider - February 2021 |
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The feeling of being heard is at the heart of true student engagement. With this new You for Youth (Y4Y) course, you’ll gain the tools and tips you need to prepare your program, capture student voice and implement programming that honors student choice.
Important Notice About the STEM Course
The STEM course on the Y4Y website is being updated to a new and exciting STEAM course. The updated course will replace the STEM course on the Y4Y site on Feb. 25. If you’ve already started the STEM course, you must finish by Feb. 23, 2021, at 11 p.m. ET to receive your certificate of completion. If you don’t complete the course by then, all your progress will be lost. Questions? Email us at y4y@seiservices.com.
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Y4Y wants your wisdom on virtual programming!
One day the pandemic will be behind us, but virtual learning is here to stay! Y4Y is developing a brand-new course on the subject, and we’re excited to hear about 21st CCLC programs that have found special ways to excel in an online or hybrid environment. How did you keep or transform your favorite program elements? What strategies kept students engaged? What were your greatest challenges? Any words of wisdom? Please join us and a few of your colleagues for a listening session on Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. ET. Email Y4Y to be a part of it. Already booked that day? We’d love to hear your best practices by email!
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Webinars
Family Engagement (Two-Part Series)
Feb. 23 and 24, 1-3 p.m. ET
Engaging families in your program can be challenging, but it’s worth the investment of time, energy and resources when you see the positive outcomes and student successes.
Do you have questions about Y4Y webinar registration, sign-in, participation or certificates? Send your queries to this email address for the quickest response: Y4YWebinars@seiservices.com.
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Call for Presenters
The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to invite you to the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) 2021 Summer Symposium. Please save the date for this event, which will be held virtually this year on July 20-22, 2021.
The Summer Symposium will feature successful strategies that State education agencies (SEAs) and their grantees can use to implement and manage all components of a 21st CCLC program. Attendees will hear from nationally recognized speakers during plenary sessions and work closely with education experts and peers during interactive workshops. SEAs, staff and grantees will gain valuable perspectives on afterschool issues and receive important updates about the 21st CCLC program.
This year’s theme is 21st CCLC – Exploring New Horizons. Ideas for integrating virtual elements are woven throughout each of the Symposium strands. Read more and apply to present today.
Y4Y Presents at Beyond School Hours National Education Conference XXIV
Attending the Beyond School Hours conference this week? Y4Y can’t wait to see you at one (or all) of our virtual sessions!
- Thursday, Feb. 18 – Financial Literacy: 2 - 2:45 p.m. ET
- Friday, Feb. 19 – Civic Learning and Engagement: 12:15 – 1 p.m. ET
Y4Y will also have a virtual table on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 18 and 19, 12 - 4 p.m. ET.
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NASA STEM Stars
"NASA STEM Stars" is a webchat series that gives students ages 13+ the opportunity to connect with subject matter experts at NASA. Each chat introduces a STEM career, addresses a STEM topic and highlights a NASA mission. The broadcast also highlights a STEM activity that students can do at home. After the interview, students can ask the NASA experts questions and share their completed activities on social media using #NextGenSTEM. Visit the Y4Y NASA page and short STEM Stars video to learn more about upcoming events and archived webchats. (Please note: This is a resource to 21st CCLC programs and not a Y4Y professional development opportunity. Certificates are not available for these events.)
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Also check out NASA’s Museum & Informal Education Alliance — a great way to get resources, trainings and tools that make it easy to incorporate NASA content into your programming year-round.
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Archived Webinars
Please note: A certificate of attendance is available only to those who participate in the live events. Certificates will not be issued to those who view the recordings.
Student projects are the perfect way to tap into students’ interests, develop their independent and cooperative learning skills, and make learning relevant and fun for students of all ages!
This three-part series explores strategies, techniques and tools designed specifically for virtual and hybrid out-of-school time settings. Make sure your efforts align with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
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Tech Tip
Need help inspiring your students during virtual programming, or just in general? The STEM Initiatives tab in the Y4Y website’s navigation can provide fun, real-world STEM experiences for your students. The U.S. Department of Education has been collaborating with NASA, the National Park Service (NPS), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide exciting learning opportunities for students in 21st CCLC programs. Check out each agency’s portal on Y4Y for hands-on project ideas and resources that can bring STEM to life. Then take a peek at Y4Y’s new STEAM course for strategies to help you put it all together.
NASA has developed several STEM Design Challenges. On NASA’s Y4Y portal, you’ll find activity guides and professional learning resources so you can try these projects in your own program! Students watch videos and then draw, build and test prototypes. Each STEM challenge is based on real mission data and experiences that occur during human and robotic exploration of the solar system.
NPS has developed the After School Citizen Science STEM Program. The National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) partners with NPS to implement this program through its Greening STEM Initiative, which offers students the opportunity to have authentic STEM experiences in national parks. Greening STEM connects schools with public land agencies for the purpose of exposing students to the environment and fostering STEM learning and engagement. Learn more about Greening STEM and how you can get involved!
IMLS has developed STEM-rich making and tinkering activities. Download and follow the six-day activity guides, written with upper elementary school and middle school children in mind, but adaptable to all ages! Professional learning resources, helpful video and images of student examples are also included.
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State Coordinators Corner
Opportunities for grantees and practitioners to inspire one another are irreplaceable! How do you create such opportunities in your state? We asked a couple of SEAs, and here’s what they said:
“In Michigan, we hold monthly project director meetings via Zoom where grantees can share ideas and connect with each other. We have also created an invitation-only Facebook page where programs can share ideas and activities.” (Lorraine Thoreson, Manager, 21st CCLCs, Michigan)
“We have monthly meetings that all grantees attend. Most of those include time for formal professional learning communities, facilitated by a paid consultant with deep expertise in program quality. We also strongly encourage programs to join the state afterschool network, which includes other opportunities for communication and collaboration. We have a Listserv that all grantees are members of. As part of my technical assistance with sites, I also frequently encourage them to reach out to peers, particularly in situations where others may have relevant experience or wisdom with an issue that a grantee is struggling with.” (Jan Mermin, Expanded Learning Opportunity Specialist, Rhode Island).
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Voices From the Field
Marcy Richards is the 21st CCLC program manager for Alaska’s Anchorage School District, the most diverse district in the country. Y4Y asked, “What strategies help you provide equitable services to English learners when as many as 22 different languages are spoken within a single school?” It’s essential, she says, to establish strong relationships with students and families. Her program communicates with families in their home language whenever possible. Providing experiences where English learners feel successful is also important. Her strategy includes STEM-based enrichment and coordination with the school day to pre-teach math concepts.
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March 8 is National Proofreading Day. Have your students ever found a typo in a book? Here's an opportunity to emphasize the benefits of double-checking your work (and each other's — the more eyes, the merrier)!
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March 15 is Everything You Think Is Wrong Day. Even things we feel sure about in one moment can be disproven in the next. Have everyone share an example!
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March 27-April 4 is NanoDays. Explore the endless STEM world happening on a microscopic level.
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- “Yes! All the hard work was worth it!” Heathre, CO
- “Retro graduation attire — a cap and gown, but no mask!” Rebecca, UT
- “The tassel’s on the left, so the ceremony’s over, right?” Irma, ID
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