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Saturday, February 4th, 2012
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News

Lights On Afterschool 2011! An Amazing Success!

To date, the Afterschool Alliance has registered over 7,585 Lights On Afterschool! events across the country with more than one million parents, students, educators and policy makers participating. In Pennsylvania, PSAYDN helped increase the number of registered events from last year to 326, nearly reaching our goal of 330.

PSAYDN staff attended several different events in Pennsylvania during Lights On week, starting Monday, October 18 with a Kickoff Symposium hosted by Allegheny Partners for Out of School Time (APOST), which featured speaker, Dr. Holly Kreider, who is currently editing a book on “Family Engagement in Afterschool.”

On Thursday October 21 visits included New Oxford Middle School in Adams County (picture: students, parents and youth leaders celebrate Lights On Afterschool at New Oxford Middle School in Adams County), Newport Elementary School in Perry County, and Wickersham Elementary School and La Academia Charter School in Lancaster County. We witnessed terrific acts of dancing, singing and karate, along with crafts, prizes, a parent discussion café, and special words spoken about the importance of afterschool. Thank you to all of our program providers, teachers, administrators, parents and youth for putting together such diverse and entertaining programs.

To read about events across Pennsylvania, click here.

 

Pennsylvania Celebrates 10th Annual Lights On Event

Over 260 afterschool programs in Pennsylvania participated in the 10th Annual Lights On Afterschool Celebration on Thursday, October 22, 2009. Lights On Afterschool celebrates the remarkable work being done by students who attend our afterschool programs. It is a powerful reminder that afterschool programs keep children safe, inspire them to learn, and relieve working parents of worries about how their children spend their afternoons.

Activities across the Commonwealth included student art and science displays; instrumental, singing and dance performances; and remarks by legislators, community leaders and educators.

Lights On Afterschool Proclamations affirm that afterschool programs are key to children’s success and that they keep kids safe, help working families and improve students' academic achievement.

 

The Importance of Afterschool

On Tuesday, August 5, 2008, the Pennsylvania House Children and Youth Committee held a public hearing on the Importance ofAfterschool.  The hearing provided the General Assembly with valuable information on why every child in Pennsylvania deserves access to a high-quality afterschool program. Several PSAYDN partners and members gave informative and excellent testimonies.

This hearing was open to the public and was held at Pennsylvania State Capital. To view a copy of the testimonies, please follow these links:

 

Events

In order to view the recorded session, you must have the Blackboard Collaborate Java application downloaded to your personal computer. There is no cost to download the software. To configure your computer, visit the Blackboard Collaborate Configuration Page. 

 

PSAYDN Virtual Quarterly Meeting

This online virtual meeting was originally held on January 12, 2012

This meeting was offered to share PSAYDN's current work and accomplishments in core areas of policy, sustainability and quality; to get members input on and involvement in upcoming projects and events; and to increase PSAYDN’s members’ knowledge about Engagement of Out-of-School Time (OST) in Career and Workforce.

Presentation slides (PDF format)
End of Meeting Discussion (PDF format)


Handouts:

Recorded Meeting - Online Playback

 

Planning a Lights On! Event: How to Engage your Policymaker and the Media

This online session provided participants with tips and tools to develop events that attract media attention, policymaker support, as well as parent, school and business stakeholder engagement and ultimately highlight the importance of afterschool programs in the community.

Presentation Slides (PDF format)

Recorded Session/Online Playback

 

Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Summit on AfterschoolOut-of-School Time (OST): The K-12 Connection of Out-of-School Time to College, Career and Workforce Development

September 27, 2010
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) and the Southwest Regional Summit Committee hosted the Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Summit on Out-of-School Time (OST). Speakers and panelists represent OST time experts, advocates, and youth from the region and across the state. Participants will have the opportunity to network and examine the state of OST in Pittsburgh and surrounding counties.

 

Winter Quarterly Meeting (Online) - Recording

On December 16, 2009, The Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network, in collaboration with the Center for Schools and Communities, held a Virtual Winter Quarterly Meeting. Speakers for the session included: PSAYDN Director Kathleen (Kacy) Conley, and Diane Barber and Bill Bartle with the Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children. 

View the recorded online meeting

Listen to the online meeting audio file (MP3 format)

 

A Continuum of Learning: PA Supports the Power of Afterschool

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Afterschool Regional Summit, A Continuum of Learning: Pennsylvania Supports the Power of Afterschool, was held at the Boys and Girls Club of Northeastern PA on May 28, 2009.The Summit is one of many Afterschool Summits sponsored by the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) across the state to connect community leaders and raise awareness on the importance of afterschool and youth development programs for Pennsylvania’s children, youth and families.

This Summit addressed the state of youth in northeastern Pennsylvania, discussed the needs of the community and present promising strategies to support the community in developing an effective plan to help children and youth reach their education goals and prepare for the workforce.

 

PSAYDN Summer 2011 Virtual Quarterly Meeting Recording

On June 23, 2011, The Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) held its Virtual Summer Quarterly Meeting.” The goals of the meeting were:

  • To share PSAYDN's current work andaccomplishments in ourcore areas of policy, sustainability and quality
  • To get members input on and involvementin upcoming projects andevents
  • To increase PSAYDN’s members knowledge of national and state efforts for Out of School Time to support STEM education.

To view the recording, click here.

 

PSAYDN Winter 2010/2011 Virtual Quarterly Meeting Recording

On January 6, 2011 PSAYDN hosted a Virtual Winter Quarterly Meeting via Elluminate. The virtual meeting features updates in PSAYDN’s core areas of work: Sustainability, Policy and Communications, and Quality by Thierry Malley, State Director of the Pennsylvania Area Council of Boys and Girls Clubs, Bill Bartle, Youth Policy Director at Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children, and Kacy Conley, PSAYDN Director, respectively.

To view the recording, click here.

Important resources and messages discussed in the meeting are below for you to download:

Reducing Chronic Absenteeism Resources:

 

10th Annual Lights On Afterschool Celebration

Over 260 afterschool programs in Pennsylvania participated in the 10th Annual Lights On Afterschool Celebration on Thursday, October 22, 2009. Lights On Afterschool celebrates the remarkable work being done by students who attend our afterschool programs. It is a powerful reminder that afterschool programs keep children safe, inspire them to learn, and relieve working parents of worries about how their children spend their afternoons.

To read about Lights On Afterschool events from Central PA click here.

To read about Lights On Afterschool events from Eastern PA click here.

To read about Lights On Afterschool events from Western PA click here.

 

Local Summits to Target Dropout Prevention and Re-engagement

Eight local groups were awarded mini-grants by the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) to conduct local dropout prevention and re-engagement summits through a grant made possible from State Farm® to the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit.

Click here to view a full list of PSAYDN Dropout Prevention and Re-engagement Summits 2010.

 

Research and Evaluation

 

Report Validates the Importance of PA Afterschool Programs

In July, The Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) said they agree with the findings and recommendations in the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee's (LBFC) Afterschool Report, which assessed the availability and affordability of afterschool programs in Pennsylvania. Read full press release.

 

Policy and Advocacy

Pennsylvania Latchkey Kids from Working Families Vastly Outnumber Those in Afterschool Programs

More than one-quarter of Pennsylvania children of working families are unsupervised in the afternoons, according to data by the Afterschool Alliance. The data are from the second wave of detailed analysis of the Alliance’s groundbreaking household survey, America After 3 PM, funded by the J.C. Penney Co., Inc. The data focus on working families – those in which both parents or the single parent holds a job. Read More...

 

2010 Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Candidates Address Afterschool Issues

In 2010, the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development (PSAYDN) invited the gubernatorial candidates to share their thoughts on afterschool programming in Pennsylvania and its potential direction under their leadership. To read Governor Tom Corbett’s responses recorded during his candidacy, click here.

 

Resources

After-School Programs for Children: Policy Brief in Family and Youth Resiliency

A report from the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Cooperative Extension The convergences of a variety of interests in the after-school care area make it a critical time for policy makers to design programs that will meet the needs of children, families, and communities that they intend to serve. Given the widespread attention focused on these issues, it is important to build a system of high quality after-school programs that will sustain, improve, and endure through social change.

 

Beyond Safe Havens: A Synthesis of 20 Years of Research on the Boys & Girls Clubs

At the request of BGCA’s national office, Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) has undertaken a multiyear study to understand the benefits that the Clubs may have for the lives and outcomes of early adolescents. As a prelude to this larger study and to help hone its methodological focus, P/PV has reviewed the range of studies that have been conducted on Boys & Girls Clubs over the past 20 years, all of which are covered in more detail in the full report. This document is the executive summary.

 

Evidence-Based After-School Programs Create Real Benefits for Youth

New York, New York, January 8, 2007—In a report from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), researchers Joseph Durlak of the University of Chicago and Roger Weissberg of the University of Illinois, Chicago, show that youth who participate in after-school programs, that use evidence-based approaches to enhance personal and social skills, show significant improvement when compared to their peers.

 

Getting It Right: Strategies for After-School Success

This report draws from the lessons P/PV has learned from well over 100 after-school programs and youth-serving initiatives. The report is designed to help policymakers and program directors run effective programs and avoid problems highlighted by evaluations. It synthesizes the last 10 years of findings form Public/Private Ventures and other researchers' work on selected afterschool programs.

 

Know Your Rights: A Manual for Public School Students in Pennsylvania

The American Civil Liberty Union (ACLU) of Pennsylvania have updated a valuable resource called Know Your Rights: A Manual for Public School Students in Pennsylvania. The new manual is available free to individuals, schools, and organizations across the state.

Know Your Rights: A Manual for Public School Students in Pennsylvania will enable people to better understand and protect the rights of students in our public schools. As PA residents educate themselves and each other about student rights and responsibilities, we can expect stronger schools and more civic-minded young people.

To learn more about ACLU of PA, please visit: www.aclu.org.

 

A New Day for Learning – A Report of the Time, Learning and Afterschool Task Force

The report is intended as the first step towards catalyzing conversations and initiating the development of actions among key decision makers across the country.  On January 17 in Washington, DC, the Task Force will discuss what it takes to implement a new day that maximizes children's learning opportunities.

 A New Day for Learning, a report from the Time, Learning, and Afterschool Task Force was funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.  Task Force members include researchers, foundation leaders, afterschool experts, education leaders, municipal officials, business, and school reform experts.

For additional content, including a cover story from Edutopia Magazine and documentary film segments on afterschool programs, click here.

 

The Power of Afterschool Programs: Why every child in Pennsylvania should have access to an affordable, high-quality afterschool program

This paper highlights the importance of afterschool and youth development programs, summarizes the state of afterschool in Pennsylvania, and recommends general policy strategies to further improve afterschool in the Commonwealth.

 

A Progress Report to the Community

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PSAYDN recently published A Progress Report to the Community which highlights the work that PSAYDN and its partners have done in the past 3 years to build strong state leadership and a policy agenda to increase the awareness, sustainability and quality of afterschool programs in Pennsylvania. The report contains information about the power of afterschool programs and how PSAYDN connects people, creates opportunities and changes lives. Click here to read the report.

 

Public Support for Afterschool

Specific information on public support for Afterschool in Pennsylvania.

 

A Summary of Pennsylvania Data from the Uncertain Times: Funding Insecurity Puts Afterschool Programs at Risk Web-based Survey

Today a minority of Pennsylvania students benefit from afterschool programs while many youth in the state are unable to enroll because space is limited and funding is not keeping pace with demand. Afterschool programs provide a critical support that helps children do better in school and reassures parents that their children are safe and well cared for after the school day ends.