TASC eNews: August 2009

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	Upcoming Events: September 12 Boys & Girls Clubs Day for Kids National Boys & Girls Clubs National September 22 – 24 Session I of the Afterschool Leadership Development Series SEDL & Learning Point Associates Austin, TX September 26 Mid–Atlantic Girls Collaborative (MAGiC) Kick–Off Conference MAGiC Rockville, MD October 2 – 3 Charting a Course for the Arts & 21st Century Learning Arts Education Partnership Cambridge, MA October 5 – 7 Grantmakers for Education Annual Conference Grantmakers for Education Chicago, IL October 5 – 11 The Learn & Serve Challenge National Service–Learning Partnership National October 7 – 8 Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth Conference Center for Safe Schools & the Pennsylvania Department of Education Gettysburg, PA October 7 – 9 6th Annual Youth Service Institute Youth Service America Washington, DC October 11 – 13 2009 National Summit on Your City's Families National League of Cities Boston, MA October 14 – 16 Alliance for Children & Families National Conference Alliance for Children & Families Houston, TX October 19 – 20 The Bridge from School to Afterschool & Back Conference School's Out Washington Vancouver, WA October 19 – 20 10th Annual Minnesota Mentoring Conference Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota St. Paul, MN October 22 Lights On Afterschool 2009 Afterschool Alliance National October 23 – 24 Western New York Service Learning Coalition's (WNYSLC) Fall Conference WNYSLC Buffalo, NY October 27 – 28 2009 Youth Interention Conference Minnesota Youth Intervention Programs Association St. Paul, MN November 5 – 7 2009 Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth Conference Search Institute Cincinnati, OH November 13 & 14 NJSACC's Annual After-School Conference New Jersey School-Age Care Coalition Princeton, NJ November 14 Connecticut After School Network Annual Fall Conference Connecticut After School Network Farmington, CT			FEATURE Expand Learning Time Now TASC kicks off year two of the Expanded Learning Time / New York City pilot with a call to action. We're calling for more schools to expand the learning day, for policymakers to support more time for enrichments as well as academics, and for Congress to pass the TIME (Time for Innovation Matters in Education) Act of 2009 to help kids whose learning is limited by outdated school schedules. These recommendations are contained in a newly published policy brief, "ELT: Expanding and Enriching Learning Time for All," from TASC. In it we share lessons for educators and community organizations from the pilot's first year. TASC's partners in the initiative to expand learning time by at least 30 percent in 10 schools are the New York City Department of Education and the Department of Youth and Community Development. LEGISLATIVE WATCH Comments are due by August 28 on the draft application for the federal Race to the Top Fund, a competition that will award a total of $4.35 billion to states that show evidence of education reform and innovation. President Obama and the US Department of Education (USDOE) announced the release of the draft application in July, and interested parties were given 30 days to comment. At the end of the comment period, the Department will issue final rules and begin to accept grant proposals from states. Race to the Top grants will be awarded in two phases, at the end of this year and in the spring of 2010. TASC is encouraged by USDOE's commitment to a comprehensive approach to education that includes expanded learning time, after–school and summer opportunities. In our comments on the draft application, we're suggesting that the guidelines should contain even stronger language regarding the integration between community partners and schools. We believe "extended learning time" should be defined to include school – community partnerships. We're also suggesting that after–school and summer program information should be captured in data systems. 21CCLC Update When Congress returns from recess in September, the House and Senate will continue to work on education appropriations, including the major federal funding source for after–school programs, 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC). The House of Representatives has voted for a $50 million increase to the program, for an appropriation of $1.18 billion. The Senate has yet to complete its vote on the bill; however the current Senate proposal includes level funding of $1.13 billion. We urge Congress to support the increases included in the House version of the legislation, which would expand after–school access to 50,000 more kids. FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES NYC Venture Philanthropy Fund Deadline: September 7 VPF supports emerging projects or programs that embody an entrepreneurial spirit and that aim to directly address poverty in New York City. Applicant organizations must have annual operating budgets of $500,000 or less. For more information, visit the Youth Funders Database. Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy Grants Program Deadline: September 4 To be eligible for these grants, programs must have been in existence for at least two years and work in one or more of the following areas: pre–literacy or literacy instruction for children in Pre–K to grade 3, literacy for adults, parent education or intergenerational literacy activities. For more information, visit the Youth Funders Database. Home Depot Foundation Building Healthy Communities Grant Program Deadline: September 15 The Home Depot Corporation seeks to improve the physical health of communities by supporting groups that are planting trees, developing green spaces or updating school facilities and community centers. For more information, visit the Youth Funders Database. Youth Service Improvement Grants Deadline: September 16 These grants are intended to improve the quality of programs that serve youth, including after–school and youth–service organizations, in the New York City metropolitan area. For more information, visit the Youth Funders Database. Great American Bake Sale Deadline: September 30 Nonprofit organizations that work to increase the number of children receiving nutritious after–school and summer meals may be eligible to apply for funds through this grant program. Share Our Strength, the sponsoring organization, is specifically interested in funding meal programs that utilize USDA reimbursement. For more information, visit the Youth Funders Database. For the most up–to–date funding opportunities, be sure to visit the Youth Funders Database. RESOURCES Staff Your New York City After–School Program Are you looking for trained, qualified staff to work in your New York City after–school or youth program? At no cost, organizations that operate after–school and youth programs can advertise all job openings – from entry level to leadership positions – through the TASC Job Bank. Organizations can also advertise unpaid internships and volunteer opportunities. To post openings, go to the TASC Job Bank. After–school job–seekers are also encouraged to post their resumes to the TASC Job Bank. Structuring Out–of–School–Time to Improve Academic Achievement The What Works Clearinghouse's most recent practice guide contains recommendations and tips for designing and developing academically focused out–of–school–time programs. To download the report, visit the What Works Clearinghouse Web site. Why Teens Are Not Involved in Out–of–School Time Programs: The Youth Perspective This report, released last month by Child Trends, summarizes feedback gathered during a roundtable discussion with teenagers who were not currently involved in out–of–school time programs. The teenagers identified barriers to participation and offered strategies for getting more kids to participate. To download the report, visit Child Trends' Youth Development resources page. PD@your.desktop The Center for Afterschool Education provides free professional development webinars for after–school educators. Archived Webinars include: "Connecting to Kids," "Homework Time Afterschool Style," and "Talking it Up – ELL Basics." Each session lasts approximately 20 minutes. For more information, visit the Center for Afterschool Education Web site. Make the Case: Tools for Telling Your Service–Learning Story The Learn and Serve America Web site has free online tools to help service–learning organizations get the word out about their work. The site contains materials for reaching out to funders and partners, volunteers, traditional media sources and online communities. For more information, visit the Learn and Serve Web site. Free Online Training in Child Abuse Identification and Reporting The NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) now offers a free two–hour online training for professionals who are required to report child abuse and maltreatment. Mandated reporters of child abuse include educators, administrators, social workers, medical professionals, counselors and therapists. For more information, visit the Mandated Reporter Resource Center Web site. JOB OPPORTUNITIES Program Director, Program Data Management Location: New York, NY The After–School Corporation Policy Coordinator Location: New York, NY The After–School Corporation Program Director, Youth & Education Division Location: Brooklyn, NY St. Nicholas Neighborhood Preservation Corp. Educational Director Location: New York, NY Union Settlement Association Childcare Services After–School Program Director Location: Woodside, New York Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation Have a job to advertise in our eNewsletter? Email info@tascorp.org. Please visit the TASC Web site for all of TASC's job opportunities.
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