AFTERZONE

 WINTER 2015
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ESEA Act Renewal Would Eliminate 21st CLCC Funding

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)is up for reauthorization this year. The draft bill put forth by Senate HELP Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) last week would replace No Child Left Behind,
and it would eliminate the stand-alone, dedicated 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) funding for afterschool, before-school and summer learning programs that currently reach more than 1.6 million students through school-community partnerships. More on the draft ESEA bill and the impact on 21st CCLC can be found here. General facts and outcomes of 21st CCLC can be accessed here

21st CCLC-funded programs all over the country are offering innovative learning experiences.  With this bill, 21st CLCC funding will disappear from the very communities most keenly in need of support, and those communities will feel the loss in their ability to reach young people. Because 21st CCLC is critical to supporting the success of students during the hours when school is out, the Afterschool Alliance is circulating a letter for review and signature by local, state and national organizations that support maintaining 21st CCLC within ESEA reauthorization. At a time when over half of our nation's students are low-income and we face persistent opportunity and achievement gaps, leaders across the country from Tulsa to Boston are embracing community schools as a vehicle for educational equity and comprehensive school improvement

 

If your organization would like to sign onto the Afterschool Alliance letter (seen here), contact Erik Peterson at  epeterson@afterschoolalliance.org. If you would like more information about 21st CLCC programs in Oregon, please contact Beth Unverzagt at beth.unverzagt@oregonask.org
The Mythos Challenge: Forming the Youth Council

 

Community Partners from the Mythos Challenge Project spoke with a room of young people at the Portland Art Museum (PAM) on January 15th who are interested in participating in the challenge. More specifically, it was the first meeting for teens interested in forming the Youth Council, who will help develop the Challenge itself.

 

The Mythos Project is, in part, a game development challenge which will be included in the upcoming PAM exhibit Gods and Heroes: Masterpieces of the Ecole des-Beaux-Arts, Paris. It will be supported by workshops to help participants develop digital stories, apps, and analog games that may win a place in the exhibition, along with other prizes.

 

The January 15th meeting addressed the possible tasks the Youth Council could set out for itself in the context of the Challenge's exciting objectives. The council, which will be made up of Oregon youth, has the opportunity to judge the work generated by The Mythos Challenge for consideration to win entry into the exhibition and for prizes. They will also have the option of creating criteria for the judging, planning the exhibition itself and the gala event celebrating the opening, deciding the rules of governance of the council itself, establishing bylaws for the challenge, and seeing to any other aspect of the Challenge that they find relevant.

 

Phillippa Pitts, another representative community partner from PAM added, "The reason the challenge is kind of broad is because it's not fully formed yet. We are interested in creating something with youth; we want the Youth Council to help us decide what the challenge will look like. What makes a good game? What makes a good digital story? Also, what's the game play challenge going to look like next year?"

 

Interested youth can still enroll and join the Youth Council through February. For more information go to:http://www.gameeducationpdx.com/mythos-challenge/ 

 

Or contact Kristin Bayans, Interpretive Media Specialist, Portland Art Museum: Kristin.Bayans@pam.org

OregonASK Quality Update: School Age Credential Cohort
  
In 2005, The Oregon Center for Career Development (OCCD) began working with state partners and other professionals to develop a state approved credential for folks who work with school-age children. The purpose of the School Age Credential is to recognize professional knowledge, skills, and achievements toward strengthening practice for professionals working
with school age
children. You can read more about the School 
Age Credential 

With the support of the Office of Child Care and the Oregon Registry, OregonASK will be offering a cohort process to help a group of afterschool professionals earn the School Age Credential. Would you be interested in participating?

The cohort process will include meetings (in-person and via webinar), peer review and support, networking and training opportunities, and technical assistance. This opportunity is available statewide and is free! Space is limited in the cohort so please email Susan Hamann (susan.hamann@oregonask.org) right away with your interest.
Oregon Girls Collaborative Project Update
   
Oregon Girls Collaborative Project is excited to head out on the road as we host forums around the state to help build awareness and access to resources for girls in STEM. Our first Forum on Exemplary Practices for Engaging Girls in STEM will be in Springfield on February 23rd. You can click here to register now. Keep your eye out for the forum happening near you - March 6th in Newport, April 4th in La Grande, May 15th in Bend, and other location dates pending. Can't wait to see you at one of our forums this spring!
 
And a big thank you to all who submitted project proposals for our mini-grants in December, there were many great projects and innovative ideas we are excited to see come alive this year! We will be announcing grant recipients on February 18th and look forward to sharing more about these programs with you in the future. 

Upcoming Events

OregonASK Training: Behavior Management in Afterschool
Feb 7, 2015 9:00am-4:00pm

Cost: $89, includes lunch

Location: 9140 SW Pioneer Ct, Wilsonville

 

In this workshop, participants will learn techniques for managing behavior in the context of afterschool. The training will include transition and time filler activities, designed to reduce waiting time, keep students busy, and reduce behavior problems. More details to come soon! Participants will receive Set 2 professional development credit from the Oregon Registry.

 

Register HERE

OregonASK Roadshow: OGCP Exemplary Practices Forum

Feb 23, 2015 1:00pm - 4:00pm
Cost:$10
Location: SpringfieldOR

This forum in Eugene will provide: an introduction to the National Girls Collaborative Project, information about what exemplary practices can help us do, and strategies for implementing them in your program. We will present examples of quality STEM curriculum and engagement techniques (such as The SciGirls Seven and Why So Few?) that can be utilized by participants, while also providing time for networking, to ensure that participants have a chance to start building the relationships that support successful collaboration.  

The event will include an overview of some exemplary practices, a short panel, and time to discuss different ideas, questions and implementation strategies with one another.


 

Read more and register HERE

Attend a Training and Host Your Own Mother/Daughter TEA Event

Training hosted by Engineering Education Service Center

A Mother Daughter TEA (Technology Engineering Aptitude) event  is one of the best approaches to getting middle school girls interested in engineering and technical careers. In surveys from previous events, 95% of girls said they are now interested in learning more about engineering!

On February 21, you'll have the opportunity to attend a  Train-the-Trainer workshop for holding your own Mother/Daughter TEA events. This is an opportunity to become a certified TEA trainer and use TEA materials, resources and marketing connections to host an unlimited number of TEAs in your community. After the training, you'll walk into a room of 40 girls (and Moms or Dads too) with everything needed to smoothly facilitate an engaging event that will help prepare the girls for high wage opportunities in the engineering and technology industries.

Read more about the training here.

Date: February 21, 2015
Location: Springfield, OR

 

If you are planning to attend this training, register right away to reserve your spot.  Space is limited.
NCCE Conference: Aloha Instructors!
March 18-20 in Portland
 




NCCE is a professional learning organization for educators and hosts the largest education conference in the Northwest. Join them for their annual conference in March for keynote speakers, workshops, and an exhibition hall!

For more information, click here
Resources & Opportunities
Better Together: A Resource Directory for Afterschool System Builders
 
The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) has created a helpful tool to support afterschool system building efforts. "Better Together: A Resource Directory for Afterschool System Builders," is a comprehensive directory that identifies over 50 organizations that offer resources and tools on afterschool system building. Staying on top of the ever-evolving list of national organizations and their work can be daunting, and this directory is a one-stop shop for information on the leading afterschool tools, information, and resources.

Download the Directory HERE
DHS Subsidies to Child Care Programs
 
DHS helps eligible low-income working families pay for child care. To do this, they work with providers and other child care partners across the state to help families find and keep good child care, improve the availability of quality child care in Oregon, and to develop resources for parents and child care providers. For more information about how your program can become a DHS listed provider, download the flyer here
Funding Opportunities
Supports the arts, education, the environment and health.
Due March 1, 2015