Newsletters

In this Newsletter:

Legislative Calls to Action

The President's proposed Fiscal Year 2011 budget effectively cuts funding for 21st CCLC by $13 million by combining it with other programs. Congress is currently reviewing the Administration's proposal, so it is critical to call your Representative today to register your concern.  Read more about these cuts and how you can take action.
 
Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and John Ensign (R-NV) introduced legislation to provide more children with safe, healthy, and academically-focused after-school programs. The Improving 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act of 2010 will improve and expand access to after-school programs for children across the country.  Read a summary of this act and then take action.
 
The MI Legislature is currently working on the 2011 Budget.  It is important that legislators hear about the importance of after-school in student achievement and job preparedness.  If you are interested in testifying or preparing written testimony at an upcoming legislative hearing please contact Mary Sutton.

MASP Annual Meeting

MASP held its Annual Meeting this past February 25. Over 100 participants gathered in Lansing to learn more about successful advocacy efforts, creating effective partnerships, and building quality programming. Participants also explored strategies linking out-of-school time experiences with student success to prepare them for college and work from keynote speaker, Dr. Adrian Haugabrook. MASP honored U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and State Senator George and Representative Hammel for their leadership in support of after-school programs for all Michigan children and youth. View photos from the event.

Committed to Quality

During the Annual Meeting, sixteen after-school programs were awarded a Committed to Quality Recognition Certificate. These programs make a commitment to quality by adhering to research based model standards of quality that have been adopted by the Michigan State Board of Education. The sixteen programs completed an assessment of their program and are dedicated to continuous improvement in providing high-quality experiences in their after-school programs. Committed to Quality Recognition Certificates are awarded annually to after-school programs that testify in writing that they follow a set of practices that are consistent with the Model Standards for Out of-School Time/After-School Programs in Michigan which were adopted by the Michigan State Board of Education in August 2008 and endorsed by the Michigan After-School Partnership and the Michigan AfterSchool Association. If your program is interested in applying for a certificate, please learn more here.

MAC Summer Summit

MASP, in collaboration with state and local agencies, associations, and organizations, sponsors the Michigan After-school Collaborative (MAC) Summer Summit. The Summit is at the Kellogg Center, East Lansing, Michigan, May 21, 2010. The conference planning team is currently looking for both exhibitors and presentation proposals for the the Summit. If you are interested in either please go to the MAA Web site for more information.

Trainings and Conferences


An updated list of upcoming trainings and conferences are listed on the MASP Training and Events Calendar. A few upcoming ones to highlight:

 


Service Learning 101 - The training will provide an interactive session with an overview of service learning and specifics of a four-step model for implementation.



Afterschool for All Challenge and NAA Convention - The 2010 Afterschool for All Challenge will be held in conjunction with Be the Change! NAA's 22nd Annual Convention. The Convention will be held in Washington, D.C., April 19-21, 2010.



Fun in the Sun for School Agers Online Training - This course will cover summer curriculum for any school-age program and will discuss ways to involve children in the planning of activities, field trips and environment. It will also address special health and safety concerns for summer activities.  Course runs April 7-May 5, 2010.

Funding News

The Neutral Zone, Ann Arbor’s Teen Center, is putting a call out to find six to eight youth-serving programs in Michigan that serve older youth, to serve as pilot sites for its Youth Driven Space (YDS) initiative. As part of the outreach, we are scheduling a 40 minute webinar on the following dates. Listed are the WEBINAR Registration information:

The Neutral Zone’s "youth-driven space” is based on two core principles: genuine partnerships between adults and youth, and opportunities for youth to participate in real organizational roles. In programs, staff serve as co-facilitators, alongside teens, whose primary roles are to ensure that teen voice and supported decision-making are honored. Additionally, youth are at the center of Neutral Zone’s governance by making up half of the organization’s Board of Directors and through its Teen Advisory Council (TAC). TAC is a body which approves all new program initiatives, raises funds to provide grants back to other Neutral Zone programs, and conducts the annual program evaluation. This approach has been effective in increasing participation of older youth, helping provide higher quality programs that are exciting for teens and helping them develop a range of important “21st Century skills”.

YDS is a 2-year project, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, in which staff/volunteers AND teens from pilot sites will receive intensive training and coaching/consulting. Through training and coaching/consulting pilot sites will develop and support opportunities for older youth to authentically lead programs and share in their organizational governance.

Applications are due April 5th. Download the flyer for more information and the registration form to apply.

For additional information, please contact:
John Weiss, Executive Director
Neutral Zone - Ann Arbor Teen Center
310 E. Washington
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
734.214.9995
weiss@neutral-zone.org

Curriculum Spotlight: Mixing in Math


This Web site is a free resource for those looking for easy ways to integrate math into out-of-school time. The activities are geared toward K-6 grade and are available in English and Spanish. Educators and parents can use these activities to put math into a variety of topics such as cooking, telling stories, gym exercises, and arts and crafts projects.

STEM

The After-School Corporation (TASC) released a series of short videos that provide rationale for why doing science after school is so important. These videos show kids engaging in hands-on science activities in after- school settings. TASC explains that after school science is not a substitute for in-school math and science learning, but rather it is a way to excite kids about acquiring science knowledge and to engage them in real-world applications.