Nominations for exemplary afterschool programs serving middle school youth will open Aug. 14, 2013, and close Oct. 14, 2013. 

The winners will be announced in the spring of 2014, in conjunction with our Afterschool for All Challenge.  Each of the five award winners will receive $10,000 for their program and be featured in our 2013-2014 series of issue briefs and our Afterschool in Action Compendium.  See the 2012-2013 Compendium.

We are seeking nominations in the following four categories:

1. Keeping Kids Safe and Supported in the Hours After School – Programs that are providing a positive, encouraging and socio-emotionally supportive environment that helps students feel safe, reduces problem behavior, and keeps kids engaged and excited about learning.
2. The Role of Afterschool and the Common Core State Standards – Programs that are intentionally and successfully offering programming that  supports student learning toward the Common Core standards and promotes the habits of mind (knowledge, skills and dispositions) that are reflected in the Common Core in order to help students become college and career ready.
3. Students with Disabilities and Other Special Needs and Afterschool – Programs that are providing an environment that strengthens the self-confidence, perseverance and emotional wellbeing of children with disabilities and other special needs, giving them the tools to learn, play and succeed side-by-side with children of all abilities. 
4. Why Data Matters: How Afterschool Programs Use Data to Improve Programming – Programs that are successfully improving their programming and ability to serve children in their community based on data collected by the program, data gathered from partners (e.g., schools, other afterschool programs, community-based organizations), and/or program evaluation data prepared by outside entities.

Start thinking about programs you want to nominate and check back here for updates!  To get started, watch a recording of our webinar that provides insight into the selection process and features 2012 MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Award winners.

Be one of the first to know when the nomination form is open to the public by joining our email list and following us on the Afterschool Snack, Twitter and Facebook.  Additionally, if you are interested in becoming a reviewer for the MetLife Foundation Afterschool Innovator Awards, email a letter of interest and resume to nyamashiro@afterschoolalliance.org.

MetLife Foundation and the Afterschool Alliance have been recognizing innovative programs since 2008. Below are previous years’ winners:

2012: Green Energy Technologies in the City (GET City) (Lansing, MI); The Wooden Floor (Santa Ana, CA); Latino Arts Strings & Mariachi Juvenil Program (Milwaukee, WI); Kid Power, Inc.-The VeggieTime Project, (Washington, D.C.); and Parma Learning Center (Parma, ID).

2011:  Kids Rethink New Orleans (New Orleans, LA); Higher Achievement (Washington, D.C.); Urban Arts/Project Phoenix  (Oakland, CA); 21st Century PASOS (Gettysburg, PA); and America SCORES (Chicago, IL).

2010: Cypress Hills/East New York (CHENY) Beacon Program (Brooklyn, NY); Junior ACE (Sacramento, CA);Learning through an Expanded Arts Program - LeAp 22 (Bronx, NY); San Antonio Youth Centers (San Antonio, TX); Science Club for Girls and C.E.L.L.S. - Career Exploration, Leadership and Life Skills (Cambridge, MA); and The Bridge Project (Denver, CO).

2009: Colorado MESA (Denver, CO); the Student Success Jobs Program (Boston, MA); Arizona ICAN (Chandler, AZ); the RiverzEdge Arts Project (Woonsocket, RI); Challenging Horizons Program (Columbia, SC); and the Ann Arbor Teen Center’s Neutral Zone (Ann Arbor, MI).

2008: LA’s BEST (Los Angeles, CA); Lincoln Community Learning Centers (Lincoln, NE); Native Youth Club (Sioux Falls, SD); and The After-School Corporation (New York, NY).