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Afterschool Focus: Community Partnerships >
Afterschool Focus: Community PartnershipsCommunity partnerships are much more than a name or a program requirement. They are associated with high-quality afterschool programming. They also provide opportunities for students to learn outside the classroom and connect their learning with the real world. Program Profile: Chicago Public Schools’ 21st CCLC at Dawes ElementaryHow do you develop thriving partnerships that benefit your 21st CCLC program, your school, and the community? Ask the team at the 21st CCLC site at Dawes Elementary School. News from the Field: Cooking from Scratch at Springfield Urban League’s 21st CCLCNot many high school students can prepare a home-cooked meal from scratch, but it’s a regular occurrence at Springfield Urban League’s 21st CCLC program at Springfield High School. Thanks to a partnership with St. John’s Hospital, students are getting hands-on experience with cooking skills and an introduction to the possibilities of culinary education. Recommended ResourcesFunders’ Guide to Quality in Out-of-School TimeGrantmakers for Education has just released a new resource that provides recommendations to grantmakers about how they can increase quality in out-of-school time through local, regional, statewide, and national grantmaking and other strategies. While written for funders, this resource provides useful insights for afterschool practitioners who want to work with foundations and similar organizations. Afterschool in Rural CommunitiesThe Afterschool Alliance has just released their 2016 America After 3PM special report, The Growing Importance of Afterschool in Rural Communities. As the report notes, 8 in 10 consistently poor communities are rural. Afterschool and summer learning programs hold enormous potential to fill the gaps in rural communities while also helping these communities prosper. Keeping Schools Healthy from Cafeterias to FundraisersMany schools—and afterschool programs—rely on food-based fundraisers to meet annual budgets. Unfortunately, the foods used in school fundraisers are traditionally high in fat, sodium, and sugar, working against schools’ goals of keeping students healthy. The Alliance for a Healthier Generation has tools and resources about the USDA’s Smart Snacks standards and champions healthier fundraising strategies that can help your program raise money and support healthy eating.
Information for GranteesImportant Dates and Events
ISBE Student Advisory CouncilThe Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) seeks high school students to share their input on state education issues as part of its Student Advisory Council. Students who will start the upcoming school year as a sophomore, junior, or senior in an Illinois public high school are eligible to apply for 1 of 12 open spots. Interested candidates must submit the application and essays by 5 p.m. May 27. If you have questions, please contact Vince Camille at (217) 782-5396 or vcamille@isbe.net. Illinois School Wellness ConferenceRegistration is open for Illinois Action for Healthy Kids’ ninth annual Illinois School Wellness Conference. This year’s conference will be held on April 28 at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield. The event is intended for school administrators, educators, physical education teachers, school food personnel, school nurses, school health/wellness team members, board members and other leaders of health organizations, students, and community advocates. For more information, contact Illinois State Coordinator Ryan Monroe at rmonroe@actionforhealthykids.org. Grants and Other OpportunitiesGetEdFunding. GetEdFunding is a free grant-finding resource dedicated to helping educators and institutions identify the funding they need. The resource hosts a collection of thousands of grants and opportunities available from federal, state, regional, and community sources. It is available to public and private preK–12 schools, school districts, and educators; higher education institutions; and nonprofit organizations that work with them. For more information, visit the GetEdFunding website. CarMax Foundation.The CarMax Foundation supports high-quality programs in the areas of education, youth leadership, and children’s healthy living. Learn more on the CarMax Foundation’s website. Fruit Tree 101 Grants. Fruit Tree 101 is a program that brings fruit tree orchards to schoolyards. Orchard donations involve, on average, about 20–25 trees minimum (the foundation does not currently offer single trees) to public schools. The trees, materials, orchard installation design work, and onsite environmental curriculum with students are all donated, free of charge for the benefit of the school and its students. Learn more on the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation website. Join Us OnlineDo you have a question for your afterschool colleagues? Would you like to know what’s going on in other Illinois 21st CCLC programs? Join the Illinois Quality Afterschool Facebook Group. Would you like to receive the Illinois Quality Afterschool newsletter and resource brief? Fill out our online subscription form. |
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