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, 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 will address the state of youth in northeastern Pennsylvania, discuss 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.
For information about this event, please click here.
Registration for this event is now closed.
Community Schools Summit: Catching the Vision
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Allentown-Lehigh Valley, PA
Plan now to join key national, state and local leaders at this policy and practice summit in Allentown-Lehigh Valley, PA at the Holiday Inn-Lehigh Valley on June 10, 2009. The Community Schools Summit: Catching the Vision will examine the success of local initiatives, as well as focus on the development of statewide and regional strategies to build local support for the implementation of community schools.
Click here for more information or to register online.
Center for Afterschool Education at Foundations, Inc. Partners with Arcadia University for Institute in Out-of-School Time Education
Institute provides graduate and undergraduate credit-bearing course in teaching in out-of-school settings.
Moorestown, NJ., April 6, 2009 ─ The Center for Afterschool Education at Foundations, Inc. and Arcadia University are partnering to offer a three-credit Institute, Teaching and Learning in Out-of-School Time. The Institute will be held July 24-26, 2009, at Arcadia University in Glenside, PA.
The Institute responds to the growing demand to maximize educational opportunities outside of the school day by preparing students and in-service professionals to teach and lead in afterschool and summer settings. Bringing together afterschool, summer, and experiential educators from around the country, the Institute teaches research-based methods and practical strategies to leverage out-of-school time for children's academic, social, and emotional development. For graduate students, the Institute is the first course toward earning a 15-credit online Graduate Certificate in Out-of-School Education. Read full press release.
The 9th Annual Lights On Afterschool Celebration
On October 16th, more than one million afterschool supporters across the county joined PSAYDN to celebrate the 9th Annual Lights on Afterschool. Supporters and providers were encouraged to engage community leaders, policymakers, parents, children and youth and the media to get the word out—afterschool programs: keep kids safe, inspire learning, and help working families!
Pennsylvania celebrated LOA with over 200 statewide events. Some of the events included Lancaster’s Boys and Girls Clubs, who came together for entertaining carnival games and festivities, and the Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative with support from Sunrise of Philadelphia, who held their second annual IDOL CONTEST at a local High School.
The Thursday, October 16th event in Philadelphia, held by the Southeast Philadelphia Collaborative with the direct support from Sunrise of Philadelphia, welcomed its second annual Lights On AfterSchool by having their IDOL CONTEST II. The contest was held at the Bok Technical High School of Philadelphia. They included music instructors from all of the neighboring schools come in to act as judges. The performances were said to be wonderful, and the children had a great time. All of the neighborhood community groups came out with support for Philadelphia youth including the seniors in the community, who played a big part in the evening. Prizes, trophies, t-shirts and dinner were supplied for all who attended.
Also participating in the Nationwide LOA, were afterschool providers of Adams County who collaborated with 21st Century program and a site in Franklin County to show their support. LOA participants joined in the festivities by decorating pumpkins donated by Wilson college students. A final open house of the season was also held Thursday evening at the Opportunity Center.
As for the four event locations at the participating Lancaster Boys and Girls Clubs, a carnival atmosphere was sure to delight youth and families. Participants challenged each other in a strategic game of bean bag toss, an entertaining pie eating contest, basketball quick-shots, or took their chance at a yummy lollipop tree. For the bravest of all, there was even a daring game inspired by Fear Factor. All events at the numerous Clubs were free.
Keeping Students Full and Focused Afterschool
As a part of the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), the At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program provides meals to children participating in eligible programs after the regular school day is completed. The United States Department of Agriculture (USAD) established the At-Risk Afterschool Program as a federal reimbursement program for snacks and suppers served to school-age children after school. To qualify for reimbursement, childcare and related programs must meet meal pattern requirements that offer school-age children specific amounts of food from two of their four food components. The Pennsylvania Department of Education teams up with afterschool programs to ensure students are cared for once the bell rings.
In order for a site to participate, your school district must run the NSLP and sponsor or operate the afterschool care program. Additionally the school district must sponsor or operate an afterschool care program that provides children with regularly scheduled educational or enrichment activities in a supervised environment. Contact your State education agency for further information regarding program eligibility.
In order to be reimbursed, the snacks must contain at least two different components of the following four: a serving of fluid milk; a serving of meat or meat alternate; a serving of vegetable(s) or fruit(s) or full strength vegetable or fruit juice; a serving of whole grain or enriched bread or cereal. To find out if your child care or related program qualifies, click here.
The Importance of Afterschool
On Tuesday, August 5, 2008, the Pennsylvania House Children and Youth Committee held a public hearing on the Importance of
Afterschool. 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:
- Kisha Bird, PSAYDN (Former Director)
- Michael Carroll, Chief of Police, West Goshen Township, Chester County and Fight Crime: Invest In Kids
- Nancy Dischinat, Lehigh Valley Workforce Investment Board
- Philip Jackson, Pennsylvania Area Council of Boys and Girls Clubs
- Barry Martin, PA State Alliance of YMCAs
- Carmen Medina, PA Department of Education
- Jeanne Miller, Carbon and Schuylkill County Educational Services & SHINE After-School Program Lehigh Carbon Community College
- David Shelly, Sarah Heinz House Boys & Girls Club
Planning a Lights On! Event: How to Engage your Policymaker and the Media
On Wednesday, August 20, the Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) and the Afterschool Alliance offered a one-hour online session. The session was offered to assist incelebrating the 9th Annual Lights On Afterschool! This online training provided participants with tips and tools to develop events that attract media attention, policymaker support, and ultimately highlight the importance of afterschool programs in the community.
Session Slides (PDF format)
View the recorded online presentation
In order to view these recorded presentations, you must have the Elluminate Live! Java application downloaded to your personal computer. There is no cost to download the software. To configure your computer, visit the Elluminate support page at: http://www.elluminate.com/support/
Resolution Calls for Study of Afterschool Needs of Children
A Progress Report to the Community
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. To read click here.
Sounding a Voice for Pennsylvania Afterschool and Youth Development Programs: Tools and Resources to Continue Your Advocacy Efforts
- Three fact sheets focused on Pennsylvania advocacy information, Pennsylvania after 3 PM and afterschool/youth development strategies
- Federal and state advocacy budget timelines
- Media outreach and tips to help effectively advocate for your program
Download your copy of the afterschool toolkit now.
Download a copy of the sample letters. (word format)
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. To view or download a copy of this report, click here.
Mott Releases, 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. To view a copy of this report, please click here. For additional content, including a cover story from Edutopia Magazine and documentary film segments on afterschool programs, please visit www.edutopia.org.
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.
The student rights manual text is on the ACLU website or as a pdf. Schools and organizations may also order up to 50 hard copies of the manual by completing this order form. Order forms may be faxed to: 215.592.1343. To learn more about ACLU of PA, please visit: www.aclu.org.
Evidence-Based After-School Programs Create Real Benefits for Youth
New York, New York, January 8, 2007—In a new 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. Read more...
View complete Executive Summary of this report.
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. Read more...
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Follow the links for past PSAYDN News:
Archived Online Presentations...
Congress passes the Tom Osborne Federal Youth Coordination Act, October 17, 2006
Lights on Afterschool! October 12, 2006
PSAYDN Newsletter Debut, May, 30, 2006
Afterschool-for-All Challenge, May 24, 2006
The Governor's Summit, March 1, 2006
Extra Learning Opportunities in Pennsylvania, March 1-2, 2006
Spring 2005 Summit in Philadelphia, May 19, 2005
Fall 2005 Summit in State College, November 15, 2005
Take Ten!
May/June Edition
A monthly bulletin designed to keep you informed. We invite you to take 10 minutes a month to update yourself with what’s going on in the network and the afterschool/youth development field.
