Recent Afterschool Snacks
MAY
28
STEM
By Melissa Ballard
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Sherry Comer is the director of afterschool services in Camdenton, Missouri, and a former Afterschool Ambassador. Her school’s FIRST Robotics team went to the FIRST Robotics World Championships in St. Louis, Missouri, this year. |
Every day in Camdenton, Missouri, R-III afterschool programs, change is happening. Students are developing 21stcentury skills that will carry them into the future to be successful in an ever-changing global economy.
Through FIRSTRobotics, 4th through 12th grade students in our rural community have gotten excited and engaged in what is often referred to as “the hardest fun ever!” Our teachers and technical mentors push them to use science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to go over, under, around and through walls that society says they can’t penetrate. FIRST is designed to create an atmosphere where students combine the excitement of sports with the rigors of STEM. Under strict rules and with limited resources and tight time limits, teams of students are challenged to raise funds, design a team "brand," hone teamwork skills, and build and program robots to perform prescribed tasks against a field of competitors. It’s as close to "real-world engineering" as a student can get.
Below, watch the Camdenton 4-H LASER team's winning robot in action!
Not only are our FIRST students in Camdenton introduced to STEM concepts, they are able to see the connection between what they're learning in the classroom and the real world beyond. FIRST gives students answers to questions that sometimes stop them from getting started: “Why do I need to learn science, technology, engineering or math?" and "Why do I need to understand this concept?
The Camdenton 4-H LASER (Laker Afterschool Science Engineering & Robotics) team works closely with technical mentors—expert engineers, fabricators, graphic artists, Web designers and computer programmers. They work with local business leaders who help them understand all aspects of a business and what it is like to work for a company. The only way the team can succeed is if everyone works together toward one common goal. If one team member fails to do his or her job it impacts the success of the team as a whole, just like the real world.
The core values of "gracious professionalism®" and "coopertition®" interwoven in FIRST are what the coaches and I, as well as the Camdenton R-III school district, value most. It is part of the ethos of FIRST; a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others and respects individuals and the community. With gracious professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Coopertition, or displaying unqualified kindness and respect in the face of fierce competition, is built on the idea that teams can and should help and cooperate with each other, even as they compete. Both of these values become a way of life that carries over into students' daily lives.
The Challenges of Rural Afterschool Programs
Camdenton is a decidedly rural community, but with a few unique aspects. The population of the town is 3,200, but we have 4,200 K-12 students on campus between the hours of 8:00 am and 3:00 pm daily, because the school district covers 372 square miles. There is little industry and no big corporations to support the robotics teams. FIRST was implemented at Camdenton in 2009 with 21 high school members and three adult mentors. In the four short years since, the program has grown to include an additional 250 students in grades 4-12 and will expand next year with the addition of the Junior FIRST LEGO League program for students in grades 1-3. The growth is extraordinary, testimony to what the program means to our students, our school and our community. In fact, the elementary teams are formed using a lottery system, because demand surpasses the school's resources of space, staffing and financing. With respect to the latter—money—we face a particular challenge rooted in our rural setting: We have to travel to Kansas City or St. Louis to compete (three hours one-way.)
We're fortunate that the Camdenton R-III School District and community have embraced FIRST. Camdenton Optimist member and STEM Alliance organizer John Albright says that “FIRST has been life-changing for many of the youth that participate in Camdenton’s afterschool program. One hundred percent of the graduating seniors have gone on to universities and are majoring in STEM-related fields for the last four years! What an incredible testament to the community, school, mentors and coaches. Our students are being accepted at some of the most prestigious colleges in the United States because of their involvement with FIRST robotics.”
The Camdenton 4-H LASER teams have to be creative to operate. With no large corporate sponsorship, the students and mentors rely heavily on 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC) funding to support their STEM efforts. The team also wrote successful NASA and Boeing grant proposals to help pay competition fees. Other sponsorship includes local business such as Sakelaris Ford, which sponsors the team’s largest fundraising effort. Numerous other businesses provide funding, meals, mentors, materials and support.
In an effort to repay the community for its incredible support of the afterschool program, the FIRST LASER teams from elementary to high school levels give back with service projects each year. They've raised money for the Joplin Tornado Relief Fund to help Joplin High School form a robotics class after the 2011 F5 tornado destroyed their schools and community; they've also raised money for breast cancer research and to support a Citizens Against Domestic Violence children’s play room. FIRST encourages teams to become involved with their community and always to leave the world a better place.
Providing opportunities that our students might not otherwise have in a rural area is what FIRST and our other afterschool programs are all about. We want our youth to have options and the same opportunities that students from urban and metropolitan areas have in regard to STEM careers and exploration. I want the fifth-grader who said she wants to be an astronaut to still be saying that when she's a high school senior.
MAY
20
POLICY
By Erik Peterson
While Congress is currently engaged in debate over immigration policy and the 2013 farm bill, two other policy issues are waiting patiently in the wings for their chance in the spotlight. There is a possibility that the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the House Education and the Workforce Committee will mark up their own versions of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization bills in June. At the same time, progress is slowly being made by the Appropriations Committee staff in both the House and the Senate on FY2014 spending bills. Now is a great time to weigh in on both of these issues:
- Contact your senators and representative to encourage them to support afterschool and summer learning as part of ESEA by co-sponsoring the Afterschool for America’s Children Act, S. 326. This bipartisan bill will enhance the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative by strengthening school-community partnerships among other improvements.
- Funding for 21st CCLC and the Child Care Development Fund remain critical. Contact your senators and representative to express how sequestration and the economy have impacted access to afterschool programs in your community. Call on them to support funding for afterschool and summer learning programs in the FY2014 appropriations process.
Thank you for taking action on behalf of the 18 million children who would be engaged in afterschool programs this afternoon if a program were accessible to them.
MAY
6
STEM
By Anita Krishnamurthi
As you've probably heard by now, we've partnered with the Noyce Foundation to offer the Afterschool STEM Impact Awards. We are inviting applications for two $10,000 awards to recognize afterschool STEM programs that are showing great youth outcomes. We have started to receive applications and I hope that we get a lot more! It's a terrific opportunity to showcase your great program, help us highlight why afterschool must be an integral partner in STEM education, AND win $10,000 for your program.
Eligible programs must have been running for two years and working with students in grades 4 through 8. We invite applications in two categories:
- Afterschool programs that are a strong partnership between an afterschool provider and a STEM-rich institution(s), which include science centers or museums, nature centers, universities, government labs, STEM-related businesses, or other similar institutions. Programs may focus on any STEM topic.
- Afterschool programs that have a strong computing and/or engineering component.
We recently held a webinar to answer questions and go over the review criteria we will utilize for the STEM Impact Awards. You may also be interested in taking a look at the slides from our prior webinar on “Defining youth outcomes for afterschool STEM programs” available on the same "Archived Webinars" page.
Additional details are available on the award website, along with a link to the online application. Applications are due by May 15, so don’t delay! We encourage all applicants to review the questions and generate their responses prior to beginning the online application. Once you begin filling out the online application, you must finish. Answers cannot be saved or returned to at a later date.
We look forward to receiving your applications and learning more about the terrific programs engaging our young people in innovative STEM learning experiences all across the country.
APR
29
FUNDING
By Erik Peterson
Afterschool and summer learning programs are uniquely suited to offer physical activity, nutrition education and healthy meals to participating young people. Two potential funding opportunities can assist providers in offering evidence-based and innovative programming that can lead to healthier lifestyles for students:
- The Safeway Foundation is partnering with Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland to develop community- and clinic-based programs designed to reduce the burden of childhood obesity. The program seeks to fund nonprofit organizations with innovative programs to address childhood obesity. The goals of the program are to empower innovative programs to expand and enhance services, increase capacity, and/or incorporate new strategies to support healthy body weights among children and/or adolescents; evaluate the impact of existing programs; and identify promising approaches that could be replicated, adapted, and implemented in diverse communities nationwide. Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, or have a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The applicant does not have to be affiliated with a healthcare facility or clinic. Applicants must be based within 10 miles of a Safeway store (with some flexibility for regions with low-density stores). Proposed programs must use an inter-disciplinary model that includes at least one partnership with a community, clinic, business, and/or school. Initially, the Safeway Foundation is committing $2 million to support about 15 one-year awards. The amounts awarded may range from $3,000 to a maximum of $100,000 depending on the specific needs of the project. The majority of awards will be within the range of $40,000 to $75,000. The complete Request for Proposals and the online application form are available at the Safeway Foundation website. Applications are due May 15, 2013.
- Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) recently extended the deadline to May 3, 2013, for their School Grants for Healthy Kids for the 2013-2014 school year. Around 400 schools will be awarded funds that will range from $1,000 to $5,000 with significant in-kind contributions from AFHK in the form of people, programs, and school breakfast and physical activity expertise. AFHK will also provide schools with management expertise and support to develop strong alternative and universal breakfast or physical activity programs. Award amounts will be based on building enrollment, project type, potential impact, and a school's ability to mobilize parents and students around school wellness initiatives. Grants are available in select states. Note only schools are eligible to apply. The Physical Activity grants provide funding for facilities and equipment for recess, playgrounds/play-spaces, classroom energizers, physical education, intramural and/or before- and afterschool programs that introduce underserved youth populations to the value of an active lifestyle. Learn more through Action For Healthy Kids.
APR
24
NEWS ROUNDUP
By Molly Tomlinson
Mayors and city council members from across the country co-authored a piece on the importance of afterschool programs in Education Week. It said: “For our cities to remain beacons of hope, it is our responsibility as municipal leaders to help young people develop the skills and talents they need to find gainful employment and become successful adults in a knowledge-based economy. City leaders must work together with schools, parents, and others to help young people thrive, with a shared understanding that their success will determine the success of our cities. Maximizing the after-school hours is one important way in which city governments can improve educational outcomes for children and teenagers and reinforce what they learn in the classroom.” The op-ed was signed by Mayors Christopher Coleman (St. Paul, Minn.), Karl Dean (Nashville, Tenn.), and Betsy Price (Fort Worth, Texas) and City Council Members James Mitchell Jr. (Charlotte, N.C.) and Ronnie Steine (Nashville, Tenn.).
Using data from a survey of young people, associate director of the Center for Education Policy Research Angelo Gonzales and his colleagues at the University of New Mexico, “have identified a strong relationship between students who are involved in activities outside of school and those who engage in less risky behaviors,” the Albuquerque Journal reports. “Specifically, students who said they were involved in extracurricular activities reported lower levels of attempts to commit suicide, smoking, binge drinking, drug use and sexual activity…and significantly higher rates of daily physical activity.” The New Mexico-specific data is from the 2011 state Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey of middle and high school students.
Students from the Whitney Community Center afterschool program are walking around the playground with Boise City Council member TJ Thomson as part of a local initiative to encourage physical fitness, the Idaho Statesman reports. Boise Mayor David H. Bieter has pledged to walk 150 miles in honor of the city’s sesquicentennial.
The the Worcester Technical High School Robotics and Automation Technology Team, one of 420 teams from 23 countries, won the 2013 VEX Robotics World Championships trophy over the weekend. Worcester Polytechnic Institute President and CEO Dennis Berkey told the Telegram & Gazette, “Their world championship award reinforces the power of STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] education, specifically as it applies in robotics, and especially the highly effective curriculum and dedication of the faculty and staff at ‘the other’ Worcester Tech.”
APR
23
IN THE FIELD
By Alexis Steines
This week is National Volunteer Week, a special time to recognize the extraordinary contributions of volunteers across the country.
Afterschool professionals understand the importance of volunteers. These dedicated individuals are key to ensuring all children have access to high quality afterschool programs. Volunteers fulfill a number of different roles, from serving as tutors and mentors to educating students on specific subjects. They also fundraise for these programs and can manage certain aspects of program operations Without volunteers, many afterschool programs would not be able to serve the 8.4 million students they reach.
Community volunteers are not the only people afterschool programs rely upon. Volunteers from the major national service programs, including AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA, also play important roles in many afterschool programs. During their year-long service commitments, AmeriCorps and AmeriCorps VISTA members manage volunteers, fundraise, promote program sustainability and work directly with enrolled students. These volunteers are critical to the day-to-day operations of many afterschool programs.
If you are an afterschool program volunteer, thank you for all that you do! If you manager or work for an afterschool program, be sure to take some time this week to thank your volunteers.
APR
10
NEWS ROUNDUP
By Molly Tomlinson
Children at Risk president and CEO Dr. Robert Sanborn wrote a column in the El Paso Times urging legislators to expand learning opportunities for students. He writes, “Expanded learning opportunities are nationally recognized as a key strategy to improve academic achievement and the overall success of youth. Texas has the opportunity during this 83rd legislative session to continue the dialogue on expanded learning opportunities for our students, following Lt. Gov. Dewhurst's interim charge from last session to study after-school and extended learning time programs.”
Agricultural Corporation Monsanto has donated $500,000 to the National 4-H Council to expand the group’s National 4-H Volunteer Initiative, which provides the organization’s 540,000 volunteers with training, and will fund pilot volunteer-related programs in Illinois and Iowa, the St. Louis Business Journal reports.
This week the York Daily Record profiled the Mighty Dantz Team, an afterschool program that offers dance and life lessons to girls in fifth to eighth grade in York. The program was started after New Hope won a GoGirlGo! Pennsylvania Grant from the Women's Sport Foundation and The Hershey Co. in December. Three days a week, in addition to dance training, the girls get to talk about a range of issues from body image to family issues to peer pressure. Organizers are hoping to enroll about 20 more students before the end of the school year.
Afterschool students attending Modesto City School’s After School Education & Safety (ASES) programs are staying “on track and out of trouble, with statistics showing fewer juvenile crimes committed in afternoon hours where the programs are in place,” the Modesto Bee reports. Mark Twain Junior High Principal Mike Berhorst said he sees the afterschool program making a difference for students. “I do see a difference in the culture. Higher expectations, more support. This is something they cherish.”
APR
3
NEWS ROUNDUP
By Molly Tomlinson
Students in Anderson’s Park Place Community Center’s After School Fun program are using photos and videos to capture their lives. The students then write stories to go with their photos. “Amrutha Pulikottil, operations manager of Fireside, said they want the students to leave with better communication skills crucial to doing well not only in the classroom and future workplace, but life,” and promote students’ self-discovery and self-confidence,
The Herald Bulletin reports. At the end of the program, students will post their photos and videos in a blog for the public to view at
www.storytellersofanderson.tumblr.com.
Afterschool students in J.J. Jones Intermediate School’s 21st Century Community Learning Center program use the Iditarod to learn how to work together as a team and hosted their own mini-Iditarod on the school’s walking trail. Students followed news of the race online using GPS trackers and hosted their own version of races—Simon Says with musher commands, warm clothes relay race, checkpoints to monitor the dogs’ health, and more.
To raise awareness and money for the Sussex Family, YMCA 61-year-old Jack Vassalotti walked the width of Delaware last week. Vassalotti is a board member of the YMCA and heads its Strong Kids campaign, which raises more than $100,000 annually to provide financial assistance for underprivileged children to participate in the nonprofit’s youth activities.
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