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In this Newsletter:

Sandbox Party

The Sandbox Party was formed for Michigan's Youngest Learners on concerns that a key component of Michigan's economic turnaround may be lost amid election-year politics. This nonpartisan, nonpolitical party represents the interests of Michigan's youngest residents. A growing body of research has identified this age group as vital to developing competent citizens and workers.

The Sandbox Party will be holding a convention on August 26, 2010 from 1-4pm at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Learn why the November 2010 election is so important for the future of Michigan’s economy. Enjoy exciting entertainment for the whole family! Bring your children, bring your friends! Come learn why investing in early childhood is Michigan’s best hope for economic recovery and stability. Come add your voice and see why your vote is so important in the 2010 election. Please save the date and register!

Lights On Afterschool

Registration is now open for the 11th annual Lights On Afterschool on October 21, 2010. Last year over 185 registered Lights On events were held across the state of Michigan.

Check out Afterschool Alliance's Event Planning Kit, which makes it easy for you to take part, and help show the important role after-school programs play in our communities, and in our nation.

New Resources

Afterschool and Summer Learning Programs Make Learning Stick!
High-quality after-school and summer learning programs have long demonstrated that when academics are connected to the real world, learning becomes relevant and it sticks! The Mott Foundation is proud to announce the launch of the Make It Stick campaign which showcases after-school and summer learning programs across the country that are already making a difference.

Leaders in after-school and summer learning are critical to building robust content that can help your colleagues across the country make the case that high-quality after-school and summer learning programs provide:

  • More collaboration between schools and communities
  • More young people with engaging learning opportunities tied to academics
  • More structure at the state level supporting innovation and improvement
  • More research on what works
  • More of what makes learning stick!

Visit MakeItStick.org today to sign up for updates, share your stories, use the toolkit to spread the word and much more!

Webinar on Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) hosted a special webinar in June on the development and writing of the common core state standards in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics. Hundreds of individuals had an opportunity to participate in this informative presentation and discussion with the writers of the standards. You can access the recording with slide presentation at http://www.corestandards.org/. After you complete the process to access the webinar, the audio playback will begin 45-seconds into the recording.

If you have any questions about the webinar or the common core state standards, please send an email to info@corestandards.org.

Task Force on Childhood Obesity Report
First Lady Michelle Obama launched the Let's Move! campaign in February to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation. As part of this effort, President Barack Obama established the Task Force on Childhood Obesity to develop and implement an interagency plan that details a coordinated strategy, identifies key benchmarks, and outlines an action plan to end the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. In total, the report presents a series of 70 specific recommendations, many of which can be implemented right away. Many of these recommendations can be implemented as part of service or service-learning projects. Download the report at: www.letsmove.gov/taskforce_childhoodobesityrpt.html

Every Child Matters Video Contest

While the environment, jobs, and consumer protection are the hot button issues at the center of the 2010 midterm elections, Every Child Matters believes that children and families ought to be made a priority during this year's campaign season. That's why we are sponsoring a contest that challenges child advocates to create a non-partisan video illustrating why children should be a political priority in the upcoming elections.

The videos should be between 30 seconds and two minutes in length.

  • Videos will be judged based on creativity, strength of message and accuracy of information.
  • All videos should address the question: Why should the government invest in kids?
  • First place: $750; Second place: $500; Third place: $250.
  • Deadline for submissions is August 16, 2010

For more information about the Invest in Kids Video Contest, click here.

Trainings and Conferences


An updated list of upcoming trainings and conferences are listed on the MASP Training and Events Calendar. A few upcoming ones to highlight:

 


Save the Date for the Michigan AfterSchool Collaborative Conference
October 14-15, Sterling Heights, MI
The MAC Conference is a professional development event for the Michigan out-of-school time community, including teachers, on-site staff, administrators, child care providers, and parents. The MAC Planning Team is currently looking for workshop proposals. If you are interested in being considered as a presenter, please complete and return the Presenter and Presentation Proposal Form by August 10, 2010. Download a flyer with more information on submitting a workshop proposal.

 

 


Register for the Step Up High School Summit: Early Bird Registration Closes August 15th!
The Step Up High School Summit will take place November 2-4, 2010 in San Diego, CA. Program administrators, high school after school practitioners and high school principals are encouraged to attend. The Summit will focus on successful strategies for high school after school programs. Last year's summit was attended by over 400 statewide and national high school after school practitioners and stakeholders. The Network has worked hard to keep registration costs as low as possible for participants. Register today to make sure your high school team is part of this exciting event.

For more information, view keynote and workshop selections, and to register, click the link below: http://www.afterschoolnetwork.org/step-up

 


2010 National Conference for Science and Technology in Out-of-School
With more resources being cut from our nations' schools and the need for STEM jobs rising, out-of-school STEM education is more important than ever. Join us at the 2010 National Conference for Science and Technology in Out of School Time in Universal City, CA (Los Angeles) from September 22nd-24th and be a part of the national movement to preserve and improve science and technology out-of-school programs.

This year's Conference features presentations from community leaders, educators, researchers, and other professionals in the field. Sessions and presentations will focus on bringing together a national network of stakeholders to share ideas about community partnerships, funding opportunities, professional development, and much more.

You can register online here. Participants who register on or before August 23rd will receive a registration discount.

Funding News

Strong Communities Competition
This competition seeks innovative projects and ideas that engage citizens to steer change and build strong communities. Three winners will receive $5,000, and eight finalists will get to attend the Community Matters 2010 Conference. CommunityMatters is interested in solutions from a variety of disciplines including (but not limited to) conservation, planning, economics, politics, education, deliberative democracy and the arts, and especially encourages submission of interdisciplinary approaches. CommunityMatters has a special interest in receiving submissions from young people.

Eligibility:All types of individuals and organizations (charitable and non-profit organizations, private companies, or public entities)
Deadline:August 11, 2010


Open Meadows Foundation Grants
Open Meadows Foundation makes grants for projects that are led by and benefit women and girls, particularly those from vulnerable communities. Grants of up to $2,000 are available for projects that: are designed and implemented by women and girls; promote building community power; promote gender, racial, social, economic and/or environmental justice; reflect the diversity of the community served; and have limited financial access. All applicants must provide evidence of nonprofit registration.

Deadline: August 14, 2010


DoSomething.org Get Well Soon Grants
DoSomething.org has teamed up with the Dunkin' Donuts & Baskin-Robbins Community Foundation to award project grants to individuals who are taking action to help children in hospitals. From creating a safe space while elementary and middle school aged kids stay in hospitals, to creating care packages for hospital bound or recovering kids, there are many ways to get involved with or start your own projects. Whether you have an established organization that helps youth in hospitals, or if you have a new idea to help kids in hospitals, apply for a Get Well Soon Grant to help your project grow! Fifteen projects will receive $500 grants, and 5 grand prize winners will receive $1,000 grants for their projects or organizations. All of the winners will be featured on DoSomething.org and celebrated through various marketing platforms.

Deadline: August 17, 2010


STEMester of Service Grants
We know most teachers and administrators are on summer vacation, so Youth Service America has extended its deadline for the STEMester of Service program to late August to allow time for educators to get back to school and apply. Funded by Learn and Serve America, a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service, STEMester of Service incorporates YSA's semester-long service-learning framework to engage educators and students in addressing critical environmental and disaster preparedness needs and connecting them to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) curricula. YSA is seeking middle schools with large populations of disadvantaged youth; STEM schools must be located in one of the states with highest dropout rates, which includes Michigan. The $5,000 grant (that includes travel and training at YSA's Youth Service Institute in Detroit in October) supports teachers as they engage local partners and guide students in addressing local needs through planning and implementing sustainable service projects that launch on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service (January 17, 2011) and culminate on Global Youth Service Day (April 15-17, 2011).

Deadline: August 20, 2010

INVITE YOUR MAYOR:
Michigan Mayoral Summit: Helping Our Youth Succeed in the Workforce

Tuesday, September 21, 2010
10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Dearborn Hyatt, Dearborn, MI

The first Michigan Mayoral Summit on Helping Our Youth Succeed in the Workforce will be held in Dearborn on September 21, 2010, prior to the Michigan Municipal League (MML) Convention. The Summit is a collaborative effort between the Michigan After-School Partnership, Michigan Municipal League, and National League of Cities Youth, Education and Families Institute and is made possible by a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. We encourage you to reach out to you own mayor and any others in surrounding communities you work with to encourage their attendance at the event. Below are some talking points you can use. Please make these contacts prior to September 10th.

Talking points for inviting your mayor:

  • As a member of your community, I encourage you to attend the Michigan Mayoral Summit focused on helping our youth succeed in the workforce on September 21, 2010 in Dearborn, MI, prior to the MML Convention.
  • The Summit is a collaborative effort between the Michigan After-School Partnership, Michigan Municipal League, and National League of Cities Youth, Education and Families Institute and is made possible by a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
  • At the summit, you’ll learn about state and national resources to assist you in taking critical steps to ensuring the vitality of our community. You’ll hear the experiences of local leaders from Michigan who have developed opportunities and reaped the rewards from creating youth focused systems in their cities.
  • The reinvention of a strong and vibrant economic force requires our attention to ensure our youngest citizens develop the skills they need to compete in a global economy. We need to keep our students engaged and supported to stay in school and graduate. Research indicates that students who attend high-quality out-of-school time programs have better peer relations, emotional adjustment, conflict resolution skills, grades and conduct in school compared to their peers who are not in after-school programs.

Learn more here.

STEM

New Resource on STEM Learning After School: The CBASS Frontiers in Urban Science Exploration Resource Guide

The Frontiers in Urban Science Exploration Resource Guide, produced by the Collaborative for Building After-School Systems (CBASS), promotes informal science education after-school. The Resource Guide describes Frontiers in Urban Science Exploration (FUSE), created by The After-School Corporation (TASC) to stimulate a culture shift that leads to greater opportunities for kids to experience informal science education after school, as well as in school and during summers. The guide, part of a national initiative to promote FUSE, presents promising STEM models from around the country and provides links and information about STEM research reports, curricula and evaluation resources. FUSE and this resource guide were developed with support from Noyce Foundation.

The resource guide is available through the CBASS website.

Advocate

From the National Summer Learning Association:
The August 2 TIME magazine cover story, "The Case Against Summer Vacation," presents a unique opportunity for summer learning advocates to elevate the issue of summer learning in the national education reform debate. We must take full advantage of this significant moment.

Congress is currently working on the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA, also recently known as "No Child Left Behind"). This is the broadest and most important statement of federal education policy. It includes Title I funding for schools with high proportions of students from low-income families as well as 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Supplemental Education Services, and other resources that could provide expanded federal support for summer learning. Congress revises it periodically through the reauthorization process and, though it likely won't complete the process before the fall election, Congressional staff members are working now on drafting the new language.

Please take a moment this week (or, if you are on vacation, as soon as possible!) to send an email to your Senator and member of the House of Representatives, including a link to the TIME article (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2005654,00.html), and urge them to support inclusion of summer learning in the reauthorization of ESEA. Grassroots mobilization is essential to communicating this important message. Your representative needs to hear from you personally, in addition to hearing from national organizations like ours.

Here are some message ideas when contacting your members of Congress.
Make your message as personal as possible. Explain in a few sentences who you are, a little bit about your summer learning program, the young people it serves, and its impact in your community. Then, in your own words, you might write something like the following:

  • Research as reported in the August 2 TIME magazine cover story, shows that 2/3 of the 9th grade achievement gap across socioeconomic groups is due to differences in summer learning opportunities in the elementary school years. Most students fall behind two months in math, and low-income youth fall behind 2-3 months in reading each summer. This hurts the competitiveness of the U.S. as well as the students themselves.
  • There are many effective summer programs across the country, including [NAME OF YOUR PROGRAM], but scarce resources are threatening them, as well as hindering the start up of innovative, new programs.
  • Much of the funding for summer learning programs is currently local, and often from public/private partnerships, but much more could be leveraged by relatively modest federal investments or simply by encouraging the use of existing federal funds for summer programs.
  • There is much that Congress can do to demonstrate leadership to close the achievement gap without spending money we don't have, through the upcoming ESEA reauthorization. Key ESEA recommendations from the National Summer Learning Association include:
    1. Ensure that Title I and other ESEA programs include language that explicitly feature summer learning programs as an allowable and recommended use of funds to help states and districts close the achievement gap.
    2. Ensure that summer learning programs are an essential component of all expanded learning approaches under any revisions to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.
    3. Encourage alignment and coordination of federal, state, and local funding streams that can be used to support comprehensive summer learning programs, including Title I, Workforce Investment Act/Summer Jobs, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, AmeriCorps, and state and local funding for summer school, parks and recreation, libraries, and juvenile justice.