The 2012 MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award Nomination Process Has Begun!

Get excited. 

You can help support your favorite afterschool program by nominating them for a $10,000 award! That’s right – The 2012 MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award nomination process has begun.

If you’re unfamiliar with the MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award, let me explain:

For the fifth year, the Afterschool Alliance and MetLife Foundation are partnering to develop and disseminate a series of issue briefs that highlight promising afterschool programs from across the country. For the third consecutive year, this year’s briefs will focus on programs that address topics related to middle school youth and we need your help to find programs that fit into one of the four issue brief topics listed below:

• Afterschool and Digital Learning - Programs that have demonstrated success with leveraging digital technology to facilitate engaging learning experiences, enhance technical skills and strengthen critical thinking across core subject areas.
• Afterschool and the Arts – Programs that have demonstrated success using the arts as means to strengthen self-confidence and self-expression, to build community, and to improve academic and skills development.
• Afterschool and Parent Involvement/Engagement – Programs that have demonstrated success in creatively engaging parents to help them become more involved in students' learning both in and outside of school.
• Afterschool and School Improvement – Programs that have successfully utilized School Improvement Grant funding to help promote positive change and improved academic outcomes in partnering schools. 

Consider nominating a program for a chance to be highlighted in our issue briefs and for an opportunity to be chosen to receive a MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award.  The award will go to afterschool programs that exemplify promising practices in each of the four areas listed above. Each awardee, as well as several other nominees, will be recognized in the related issue brief and in the final compendium of briefs. Awards will be given out by the Afterschool Alliance in conjunction with the 2010 Lights On Afterschool.  Each recipient will receive an award of $10,000 to be used to continue or improve upon the highlighted program as well as addition supports (up to $1,500) to hold a Lights On celebration and award presentation.

Nominate your program here! If you have any questions, contact me at cdagostino@afterschoolalliance.org or call (202) 347-2030. Nominations must be submitted by Tuesday, May 15, 2012, so make your nomination soon so that your program doesn’t miss out on this wonderful opportunity to increase funding and be featured in a major afterschool publication.