Resource Database

Mindfulness is the practice of being fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. This practice remains important as our world remains a stressful place. This webinar from Y4Y shares strategies for promoting positivity and awareness among staff and students.

The American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) has created a youth-focused section of the organization’s website. The microsite contains artwork, resources, and tools designed by and geared towards young people with experiences in foster care and juvenile justice systems.

A new report on summer learning programs finds that high-quality summer programming can produce meaningful benefits for students, especially for students who can attend regularly and for consecutive summers. The report also includes implications for policy and implementation, including providing academic supports, program duration, and providing high-quality programming.

Are you looking for ways to make sure virtual programming remains engaging for students, their families, and staff? This two-part webinar series from You for Youth (Y4Y), the U.S. Department of Education’s web portal for 21st CCLC programs, has you covered. The series explores tools and strategies for consistency and student interaction. It also showcases tools like virtual field trips and scavenger hunts that programs can use for family engagement.

Mizzen by Mott is a new free-of-charge app for afterschool professionals. The app provides age-appropriate content in academic and enrichment areas, with activities for large- or small-group in-person settings or at home. Mizzen also provides tools for scheduling, organizing, and communicating with your afterschool team. Finally, the app includes pro tips from experts. Free login is required.

Staff training remains an integral part of a thriving afterschool program. Afterschool Matters Dialogue: Approaches to OST [Out-of-School Time] Staff Training, a new webinar from the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, explores strategies for remote and in-person staff training. The webinar features perspectives from several afterschool leaders, including examples of how they have modified staff training during remote programming.

A new blog post from Achieve the Core, a website to help educators implement Common Core State Standards, has strategies for conducting read alouds during virtual learning. One strategy includes a family “book tasting,” where students and their families collaboratively read or listen to excerpts from several books until they choose one to complete together. The blog post notes that several authors have made audio versions of their books available for free in recent months and provides links to free resources for identifying and selecting stories. 

We know from research that students are more likely to engage in writing activities if the topic interests them. Fan fiction, a type of writing that builds on or takes liberties with existing stories, can help ensure students are writing about a topic of interest. This story from public media station KQED’s MindShift podcast explores how fan fiction can inspire reluctant writers and readers.

Finding out what students are learning remains indispensable to teaching and enrichment. If your 21st CCLC program is offering online programming, this article from Edutopia provides strategies for checking for understanding online. Strategies include quick checks, digital journals and one-pagers, elevator pitches, sharing learning through social media, peer-to-peer evaluations, and virtual exit tickets.

Inquiry skills, or questioning, investigating, reasoning, and taking responsible action, are core concepts informing the Illinois social science standards. To support educators and students with inquiry skills, Illinois Social Science in Action has developed Inquiry-Based Social Science: Instructional Planning and Strategies. This Inquiry Kit provides a collection of resources and ideas to support educators as they create lessons and activities aligned to the Illinois Social Science Standards.