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The Rural Community Resource Hub provides resources for the unique needs of rural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Information is organized into resources for families and students, including issues around limited access to technology; schools, educators, and districts; community spotlights; and health information and resources. The hub was created by rural subject matter experts from Bates College and the Harvard Education Redesign Lab with input from rural school administrators.

Over the last few years, e-cigarette use—commonly known as vaping—among youth has skyrocketed. Afterschool and summer learning programs have long been identified as valuable spaces to build protective factors and decrease risk factors among youth. This blog post from the Afterschool Alliance outlines ways that afterschool programs can develop protective factors that discourage youth from vaping and engaging in other unhealthy habits.

Positive youth development (PYD) emphasizes building on youths’ strengths and providing supports and opportunities to help them achieve goals and transition to adulthood healthily. This brief from Child Trends explores how PYD programs can embed a racial equity perspective so that they can more effectively engage, support, and meet the needs of youth of color.

In the United States, involvement with the juvenile justice system can have a long-lasting negative impact on a person’s life. Afterschool and summer learning programs can mitigate risk and support the development of protective factors that help keep young people out of the juvenile justice system. These programs can also serve as an alternative to detention. This archived webinar from the Afterschool Alliance spotlights afterschool programs that leveraged programming opportunities and partnerships, coordinated efforts to keep young people safe and supported, and helped build protective factors and positive social relationships that led to bright futures.

The recent national dialogue and policy landscape has exposed children of all ages to complex discussions about immigration, religion, diversity, safety, and community. In a climate of uncertainty, students can end up feeling frustrated, hurt, alienated, or confused if these often-taboo subjects are not confronted thoughtfully by adults. The Afterschool Alliance and a broad range of partners have developed “Tools to Build On,” a webinar series of expert testimony, discussions, resources, and firsthand accounts on how to bring out and build up supportive climates during out-of-school time.

The National Afterschool Association (NAA) has started an initiative to close the racial leadership gap among afterschool programs and the youth they serve and to advance equity in the afterschool field. With its broader strategy to close the leadership gap, NAA is working to build the capacity of leaders of color. One part of this effort is a new report by NAA and Policy Studies Associates. The report identifies a racial leadership gap across the nonprofit sector, including afterschool, and provides recommendations for supporting emerging leaders of color.

Illinois Classrooms in Action has compiled a list of resources to help educators promote diversity, equity, and inclusion through literacy. Resources include professional learning materials, classroom support tools, and text collections.

The federal Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs’ youth.gov site has created a three-part guide series that covers a family’s unique journey through the stages of a loved one’s involvement in the criminal justice system. The guides are divided into three stages: (1) arrest, jail time/detention, trial/hearing, and sentencing; (2) incarceration; and (3) reentry. Each guide describes what happens in that phase and has strategies for communicating with and supporting students who have family members involved in the criminal justice system.

To promote equity and inclusion in expanded learning time, it is vital to ensure afterschool professionals are not intentionally or unintentionally perpetuating stereotypes and inequities that hold young people back from being successful. “Do the Work: What Every Afterschool Professional Can Do to Promote Equity” discusses the importance of equity in expanded learning and provides strategies for implementation.

For youth living in low-income communities, summertime can mean a lack of access to quality programs, food insecurity, and exposure to unsafe and dangerous conditions. A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine outlines the challenges and opportunities the summer months present for healthy development and well-being among children and youth. It also provides recommendations to address obstacles that children from disadvantaged communities can face during the summer.