The Y4Y Insider - May 2021 |
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Some of the best ideas are born of diffuse thinking — that magical cognitive process that takes place on your brain’s back burner. In contrast with the very focused kind of thinking we believe most learning requires, especially in a virtual environment, this summer is the perfect time to simmer. Your English learners spend so much focused energy during their school day that offering them more passive support in your program can be both productive and restorative. With the right approach, your efforts to ensure equity can be built to such a high concentration that your students are absorbing that equitable culture by osmosis. Consider the critical role of diffuse thinking in the design thinking aspect of STEAM education, and how your program can make the most of summer with an innovation project to help students experience how necessity is the mother of invention. No doubt you’ll do your own simmering this summer, reflecting on your greatest successes during virtual learning. One of the most popular “keepers” involves that literal back burner. Many programs look forward to keeping and building on their successes in 21st CCLC cooking lessons. Be sure to check out The Y4Y Insider new feature, “Feel-Good Forum” and be simmering about your feel-good stories to share with the community.
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The U.S. Department of Education (the Department) is pleased to announce that registration for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Grant Program 2021 Summer Symposium is now open! This three-day event provides State education agencies (SEAs) and their grantees with plenary sessions and workshops with successful strategies in implementing and managing all components of the program. It also offers an opportunity for the Department to provide important updates regarding the 21st CCLC program. The Symposium’s sessions are a combination of large-group presentations with nationally recognized speakers and smaller interactive workshops where attendees have the chance to work closely with education experts. This year’s Symposium will be held virtually on July 20-22, 2021.
You can go to https://cvent.me/ZbK8mO to register for the Symposium. Feel free to forward this link to your colleagues.
We look forward to seeing you at the 2021 Summer Symposium!
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Webinars
Tuesday, May 18, and Thursday, May 20, 1-3 p.m. ET
Pull together all the resources your community has to offer to build a great program for your students through powerful partnerships. Y4Y will help you identify your partnership needs and locate assets of all types within the community, approach new partners and convince them to join you by developing an exciting elevator pitch, and execute your partnerships through comprehensive goal setting and effective partnership policies. Most important: Discover how to maintain great partnerships for years to come.
Tuesday, May 25, 1-3 p.m. ET
While each state and local education agency (LEA) will disburse funds differently, there are a variety of ways in which 21st CCLC programs can engage in and support recovery efforts. In this webinar, Y4Y will provide a primer on the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER III) Fund, share how one LEA is leveraging 21st CCLC programs, and discuss logistical and operations details — such as blending and braiding funds — that programs can consider.
Thursday, May 27, 1-3 p.m. ET
Join Y4Y and explore many of the hundreds of federal resources available to your 21st CCLC program. With representatives from federal agencies on hand to discuss high-quality, free lesson plans, activities and other materials available across subjects and content areas, you'll discover how best to find and leverage a wealth of new, cost-free assets. The National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are just a few of the partners you’ll hear from.
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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Gathering STEAM
Powering Your STEM/STEAM Initiatives
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Mission to Mars Student Challenge for Summer Camps – Training Series
Take your students to Mars for summer camp! Special training from NASA equips camp leaders to guide hands-on activities on the science, art and engineering of the @NASAPersevere robotic mission. Includes a midsummer check-in and chats with NASA experts. Register today!
STEM Careers With Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) Experts
Join NASA for six live webinars and learn directly from JPL scientists and engineers discussing their STEM careers. Register for each session below!
Deadline Extended: NASA – Send a Pledge to the Moon!
NASA is going to land the first woman and next man on the moon, and they need YOU to help with a Pledge of the Artemis Generation to Explore. By June 4, 2021, send NASA a recorded video pledge and they will send it to the moon aboard the Artemis I Mission.
New York Hall of Science (NySci) at-home Flower Exploration
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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.
In this two-part webinar series, the U.S. Department of Education’s Youth for Youth (Y4Y) Technical Assistance Team supports you in planning successful CLE activities.
Support social and emotional learning through Y4Y's two-part series on planning, designing, implementing and assessing high-quality activities.
Prepare your program to support English learners as diverse as the languages they speak with a better understanding of linguistics and activity ideas offered in this series.
Learn about the evolution of STEM into STEAM with the incorporation of the arts for a comprehensive design approach used by engineers and other innovators.
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Tech Tip
Have you considered taking Y4Y webinars on-the-go? As you make your personal plans for summer, consider pulling up one of Y4Y’s many archived webinars on your personal device, throwing in a pair of earbuds, and letting the content simmer as you pull your weeds, walk in the neighborhood or just soak up some sun.
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State Coordinators Corner
The America Rescue Plan and Staffing
Soft skills in 21st CCLC professionals are an often-overlooked commodity when it comes to recruiting and retaining staff. How do you advise grantees on giving those “back-burner” qualities some front-burner time? What has changed since the shift to virtual learning (and back to in-person again)? The American Rescue Plan likely is giving programs an opportunity to expand their staffing. Consider directing grantees to the archived four-part Y4Y webinar series on human resources, which features many guest speakers and staffing do’s and don’ts. Here are some additional, up-to-the-minute considerations:
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Charisma is a must. When programs were operating fully in person, there were plenty of opportunities for that quieter staff member to connect with more reticent students. But virtual programming may require your staff to “up their game.” Any program operating even part-time virtually needs staff who can project the energy and enthusiasm it takes to engage students through a screen.
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Be a friend of technology. This soft skill might be harder to discover in a candidate than others, but advise grantees to drop stereotypical notions about certain demographic groups. The historic resourcefulness of educators to meet students where they are inspired many to fast-track their own competence and confidence with new virtual platforms.
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Compassion is always on the list. Students completing elementary, middle and high school may be disappointed to end their capstone year without the usual fanfare. There also may be students surfacing after months of isolation from all forms of education. Staff may need extra patience and understanding to guide these students through difficult transitions.
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Candid and honest communicators only. The programs that had the least frustration adapting throughout the last year are those that “kept it real.” Having open and frequent conversations about what works and what doesn’t will be crucial through recovery, just as it was through these other transitions. New staff members need to know this, and to feel comfortable in a culture of open communication.
A Final Note on Student Success
Ensuring that grantees are connecting college-bound seniors with their many deadlines in a timely manner could be that final demonstration of commitment to their students’ success. They can support the school day and families by helping them
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Meet the FAFSA deadline of June 30, 2021.
- Connect with summer work programs in their area.
- Arrange summer college orientation.
- Complete housing applications.
- Explore meal plan options.
- Connect with relevant university departments, including financial aid and the office of students with disabilities if they have any accommodations or chronic medical conditions.
- Tap into the many social media pages where families can ask others about their experiences at a given campus. Be sure grantees are helping families distinguish between these helpful “hive minds” and official campus resources.
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Voices From the Field
Empowering Students Through Disability-Neutral Practices
Y4Y recently caught up with Edie Cusack, Executive Director of the College of Charleston REACH program in South Carolina. An expert in inclusion, Ms. Cusack spoke with Y4Y about the concept of “disability neutrality” and how to approach inclusion with simplicity. Her insights can help out-of-school time professionals support students with disabilities and envision a productive, independent adulthood for every student. Read more here, or listen to the podcast.
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Edie Cusack is an award-winning National Board Certified Teacher who has been advocating for and educating students with intellectual and developmental disabilities for over 30 years. Inclusion and self-determination are the philosophies she incorporates into the REACH Program, a postsecondary certificate program for students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities at the College of Charleston that she created and developed in 2010. As the program’s executive director, Ms. Cusack continues to break down barriers. Check out her TEDxCharleston talk on postsecondary education.
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June 10 is Iced Tea Day. Tea (herbal is a good choice for kids) is a great opportunity to practice patience — especially iced, which must steep then cool. Make iced tea and pair it with a mindfulness activity as those summer wiggles grab hold.
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June 14 marks the 70 th anniversary of the unveiling of the first commercial computer, Univac 1. Take this opportunity to reflect on the history of computers and envision where the past 100 years' trajectory will take us! |
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June 20 is the first day of summer, also known as the summer solstice — the longest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is). Bring out your globe and a bright lamp for a quick STEM lesson.
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As a profession of passion, Y4Y knows that 21st CCLC staff draw and give inspiration through quotes or anecdotes like the one below. Please reach out and share your inspiring stories of how 21st CCLC programs are changing the lives of your students. Tell us your first name and state for inclusion in future issues of The Y4Y Insider.
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Disclaimer: This newsletter may contain links to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. These links and pointers are provided for the user’s convenience. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness or completeness of this outside information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to particular items is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, donation solicitations or products or services offered, on these outside sites, nor any organizations sponsoring the sites, whether financially or by website hosting.
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