Afterschool News Fall 2011
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"iDo" Campaign Seeks to Raise Awareness for Afterschool
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 Dallas AfterSchool Network (DASN), with the support of imc2 and DART, has launched an afterschool awareness campaign in Dallas. The campaign kicked off on October 20th, national Lights on Afterschool Day, with a rally at the DASN offices. More than 100 afterschool providers, funders, supporters, and local media joined together to answer the question "Who Cares About Tomorrow?" with their own "I Do!" The campaign will be on display on DART buses and train platforms through the end of the year.
 The goal of the campaign is to inspire individuals to get involved in the local afterschool field. The campaign website gives individuals the opportunity to volunteer, donate or learn more about the importance of afterschool programs. The campaign has the opportunity to get our community talking about the hours of 3PM - 6PM, but it depends on the power of social media to spread its important message. For more information about how you can help DASN tell the afterschool story, please click here.
To hear KERA's coverage of this event and the iDo campaign, click here. |
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Junior Achievement Donates 700 Laptops to DASN!
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Dallas AfterSchool Network was the proud recipient of 700 gently used laptops from Junior Achievement. JA was unable to use all of the computers they received from Alcatel Lucent, so with the donor's permission, they shared the gift with DASN. The laptops, in great condition, arrived in time for the start of the 2011-12 school year. DASN distributed the computers to dozens of different nonprofit afterschool providers. The computers will enable students to access online curriculum and resources while at their afterschool programs.
Most of the 400+ afterschool sites that we support are in need of laptops, school supplies, arts and crafts supplies, rugs and furniture. If you have access to any of these resources, please contact Stephanie Williams. She will ensure that your resources are put to good use for the benefit of the students we support.
Thank you, Junior Achievement and Alcatel Lucent!
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DASN Program Quality Initiative
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 National research proves that only high quality afterschool programs change student lives. Children who attend low or average quality programs show no greater academic, social or emotional improvements than students who attend no program at all. In response to these findings, DASN recently launched its Program Quality Initiative to help local providers achieve national quality standards. The ultimate goal of this program is to help local sites earn a Certificate of Program Quality. The Program Quality Initiative supports providers with DASN's Afterschool Quality Advancement (AQuA) quality improvement tool, staff training opportunities, coaching from DASN Quality Advisors and quality audits from DASN contract Evaluators. Afterschool providers start the quality improvement process by having DASN staff conduct external evaluations of individual sites' safety, relationships, and programming. From there, DASN Quality Advisors work with program staff to design customized improvement plans for each site.
Sites can apply for a DASN Certificate of Quality once they have demonstrated mastery across all ten elements of research-based best practices. DASN expects to have the first sites receive this distinction before the end of the year.
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| Official State-Wide Network, TXPOST, is Launched | |  Texas is the most recent state to receive funding from the Mott Foundation to launch a state-wide network for youth development providers. With this funding, the Texas Partnership for Out-of-School Time becomes the 40th state-wide network in the country.
Dallas Afterschool Network has been an integral part of the formation of this important statewide organization. DASN's co-founder and board chair, Janet Mockovciak, serves as the vice-chair of TXPOST and has been a catalyst in driving this process, working for the past two years to make this dream a reality. Part of her work included raising matching funds to be considered for the Mott Foundation grant.
Others from Dallas who have worked so hard on this are Susan Hoff, Senior Vice President with the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas. Susan serves on the TXPOST board and chairs the advocacy committee. Gail Vessels, formerly with the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, served on the original steering committee to develop the organization.
TXPOST's first priority will be to recruit and select an executive director to work in Austin. Their mission is to increase the quality and availability of out-of-school time programs in the State of Texas. Visit their website www.txpost.org to learn more. |
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Three Generations Join in Supporting DASN
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(L to R) Grant Laughlin, Carina Torres, and Keith Beers
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Keith Beers has been a supporter of DASN since 2009 and is a current member of the DASN finance committee. Last spring, he furthered his commitment to DASN and quality afterschool programs. Keith and his wife, Helen, generously set up a DASN scholarship award through the Keith and Helen Laughlin Beers Family Foundation. Their first scholarship was awarded to Carina Torres, a deserving young woman from Trinity River Mission's afterschool program. Through this award, Carina will receive $8,000 over the next four years to support her college education.
It turns out that supporting DASN runs in the family. Grant Laughlin, Keith's son, is the president of Laughlin Commercial Realty Group. In 2007, DASN moved to the organization's first office in an empty room on the second floor of a Comerica Bank building. Seeing a role that he could fill, Grant helped DASN to secure the office furniture that made DASN operations possible.
Last spring, the third generation got involved. Jack Laughlin, Grant's son and a student at Highland Park High School, contacted DASN to find an afterschool program he could support through his Eagle Scout project. Through DASN, Jack was connected to Services of Hope where he installed a basketball court and benches for students to use afterschool.
Do you want to join this family in supporting DASN and local afterschool programs? Contact Tanya McDonald to find out how you too can make a difference!
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Girls on the Run: Educating and Preparing Girls for a Lifetime of Self-Respect and Healthy Living
| |  No two afterschool sites look the same. Different providers take different approaches to educating and inspiring our students. Regardless of their structure or focus, Dallas AfterSchool Network helps all of them to deliver the highest quality programs for their children.
Girls on the Run of the DFW Metroplex, a member agency of DASN, inspires young girls through a running club that meets twice a week for 10 weeks. In each session, the girls participate in curriculum that teaches them to have high-self esteem, interact respectfully with others, get involved in their community, and lead a healthy lifestyle. While learning these valuable life skills, the girls also participate in physical activities and train for a 5K that is the culminating event of the season. Though GOTR doesn't look like a "traditional" afterschool provider offering homework  help, they are making an important impact on the students they serve.
Christine Andersen, a GOTR coach, shared "I was running with one of our girls yesterday and she told me her mom had quit smoking and started running again because her daughter has inspired her since starting GOTR!" The coaches for GOTR are parents and dedicated members of the community that volunteer their time to mentor girls and leave them with a stronger sense of identity. By doing so, they may just be instilling the confidence and passion a young woman needs to succeed academically and socially.
Girls on the Run demonstrates that all types of programs can make a difference in children's lives. For more information on this organization, visit their website. |
Dallas AfterSchool Network is a 501(c)(3) organization. Our member agencies operate approximately 400 afterschool sites, serving nearly 30,000 students in Dallas, Tarrant, Rockwall, and Collin Counties.
214-306-8400 
Dallas AfterSchool Network makes afterschool better. |
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