Learn24 Newsletter - August 5, 2021

Learn24

Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes

Job Opportunities

Data Analyst - Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education

Program Analyst - Office of the State Superintendent of Education

Program Manager - Office of the State Superintendent of Education

Afterschool Coordinator - District of Columbia Public Schools

Museum Specialist - Smithsonian Institution

Multiple Positions Available - Asian American Lead

Americorps Member - Reading Partners

Professional Development Opportunities

Leveling the Education Playing Field - August 6, 2021 (Webinar)

The Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers is hosting a webinar on policies and investments needed to create an equity learning ecosystem stronger than before. Register here

The Social-Emotional Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on American Schoolchildren - August 18, 2021 (Webinar)

Join this webinar to hear from Panorama Education’s Research Team about new findings from an analysis of our national dataset of over 300 million student survey responses along with district leaders about how to use these insights to support students during the 2021-22 academic year. Read more about this webinar here.  

Building Back Stronger: Using SEL Resources to Enrich Your OST Program - August 26, 2021 (Webinar)

The National AfterSchool Association, Committee for Children, and the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality is hosting a webinar on the importance of social-emotional learning (SEL) in out-of-school time (OST) programs.  This webinar will help OST providers plan for the new school year. Register today

Summer Changes Everything - November 8-10, 2021 (Washington, DC)

The National Summer Learning Association's national conference, brings together the leaders thinkers, funders, education advocates and policymakers committed to ensuring every young person in America can grow, learn and thrive beyond the classroom. Register to attend this upcoming conference here

Note: References to events, workshops, organizations, or activities do not serve as an endorsement or recommendation from the OST Office, Learn24, or the Government of the District of Columbia.

Mayor Bowser Announces New Incentives for DC Youth Who Get Vaccinated Against COVID-19 

Mayor Muriel Bowser announced new incentives for DC youth who receive the COVID-19 vaccine that will begin on Saturday, August 7, 2021.

On-Site Youth COVID-19 Vaccine Prizes
On-site prizes will be available to youth and their parents at three DC Public Schools: Brookland Middle School, Sousa Middle School, and Johnson Middle School. All DC youth can claim their free COVID-19 vaccine at these sites regardless of which school they attend. At these three schools, youth who receive their first dose can receive a $51 VISA gift card. Additionally, the first 400 youth to get vaccinated at each site will have the option to forgo their gift card and instead receive a pair of AirPods. The AirPods will be available to District youth ages 12 to 17 as well as students ages 18 to 21 and currently enrolled in a DC school seeking a high school diploma.

Youth COVID-19 Vaccine Raffles
All students in DC who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine will also be eligible to win an iPad or a $25,000 college scholarship. Each week, for four weeks, 10 names will be drawn from a database of students between the ages of 12 and 17. Eight names will be drawn to win an iPad and two names will be drawn for a $25,000 college scholarship that can be used at any college.

Microgrants for Schools
In addition to the on-site prizes and raffles, all 135 public schools that serve students between the ages of 12 and 17 will also receive microgrants to fund their own events and prizes for students who get vaccinated. The microgrants will be distributed based on how many vaccine-eligible students are enrolled at the school – $750 for schools with 1-99 eligible students; $1,500 for schools with 100-250 eligible students; and $3,000 for schools with 250+ eligible students.

Read more here

The OST Office is Hiring! 

The OST Office is currently accepting applications for a Data Analyst. Applications must be received by Monday, August 16  2021 to be considered. For more information or to apply, please click here

Prepare Your Team for the Upcoming School Year

The Institute for Youth Development (The Institute) invites youth serving organizations to improve staff competencies in preparation for the upcoming School Year, by hosting a virtual training to improve the quality of interactions with youth. The Institute offers free virtual on-demand workshops to youth development professionals serving District of Columbia youth. A minimum commitment of 10 participants is required to host the workshop; request a training here. Email questions to learn24@dc.gov.

Please note: Requests should be scheduled at least six weeks in advance.

Promising Practices

In the first newsletter of each month, The Institute for Youth Development will highlight a specific indicator from the Weikart Center's Youth Program Quality Assessment (PQA) on promising practices in the field.

PQA

Providing a Supportive Environment

 In last month’s edition, Safe Environment domain was presented sharing how important it is to meet youth’s basic need. In this month’s issue, Supportive Environment domain is featured.

The components of the Supportive Environment and some strategies to apply to programming are described below.

  • Encouragement - Staff inspires and promotes positive youth behavior through verbal and nonverbal acknowledgements. Staff uses non-evaluative language and asks open-ended questions.
  • Skill Building - The program includes intentional learning activities that build skills. Staff encourages youth to try new skills, staff model skills for youth, staff breaks down complicated skills into smaller tasks, and staff provides individualized support when youth struggle.
  • Active Engagement - Active learning occurs when youth can process, rather than only receiving information. With active engagement, youth engage with the materials or ideas, discuss the activity, and make connections to their lives.
  • Reframing Conflict - Staff uses youth-centered approaches to reframe conflict. Staff approach conflicts or negative behavior calmly, seek input from youth in order to determine both the cause and solution, help youth understand and resolve conflicts, and follow-up with those involved.
  • Session Flow - A quality program is well planned. That means the program starts and ends on time, the materials are ready and easily accessible, and there are sufficient materials for all participants. In addition, staff clearly explains the activities and provides the appropriate amount of time to complete the activity.

A supportive environment is essential to help youth feel welcome and included. Youth that are safe and supported will be empowered to learn and lead in the program. The September edition of the newsletter will focus on how to create an Interactive Environment for youth.

Explore additional resources about the David P. Weikart Youth Program Quality model for Program Quality at this link.

Resources from the Field

Navigating Social and Emotional Learning from the Inside Out

The Wallace Foundation has updated and expanded guidance provided to practitioners from schools,  and out-of-school time (OST) providers can use this resource to better understand program content and assess program fit with their district or community needs. Learn about key features and attributes of programming at various SEL programs throughout the country that help schools and OST providers make informed decisions. Additionally, work sheets and summary tables are included to help  understand and apply SEL program data to programming. Read more here.

Making Fitness Fun in After-School Programs

BOOST CAFE recently posted an article dissecting the reasons that exercise is so critical for healthy childhood development and provide different methods to make exercise fun in After-School programs. Read the complete blog posting here

 

Funding Opportunities

School Year 2021-2022 Safe Passage Safe Block Grants

The Bowser Administration, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), and the Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes (OST Office) is now accepting applications from eligible entities to  design, build, and implement Safe Passage Safe Block (SPSB) programs in designated Safe Passage Priority Areas. The SPSB programs will provide students safe routes to and afterschool and provide an afterschool program that allows students to develop skills to reduce aggression. The SPSB programs will also allow schools, school staff, students, and SPSB staff to build and strengthen relationships in the surrounding communities. The deadline to apply is Monday, August 23, 2021 at 5:00 pm. View the full RFA here.

The Wallace Foundation $53 Million Initiative for Arts Organizations of Color

This new initiative of the Wallace Foundation is designed to help foster equitable improvements in the arts, recognizing that leaders of arts organizations of color report their contributions and are often overlooked and underfunded. Funding for this opportunity will support grantees work and help develop insights that can be shared with other organizations of color. The following genres will be considered: performing arts, media arts, literary arts, artists, community-based organizations founded by and centering artists, and artistic practice. Awarded organizations will receive five years of funding totaling approximately $2 to $ 3 million. Letters of intent are due by Friday, August 13, 2021. To read more about this opportunity, click here

CREATE ACTION grants

CREATE ACTION is seeking grant applicants committed to serving their local communities in areas such as STEAM/academic enrichment, workforce development, and non-profit services for underserved and under-represented groups. Selected organizations will receive a grant of $50,000, Sony Electronics products, and a custom-created promotional film, as well as other opportunities for collaboration, partnership, and marketing support. Applications must be submitted no later than Monday, August 30, 2021 to be considered. For more information, please click here.

2021 Fund for Children, Youth, and Families

The Fund for Children, Youth, and Families offered by the Greater Washington Community Foundation invests in the betterment of underserved children, youth, and families across the Greater Washington region. Applicants can apply for up to $100,000. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at 4:00 pm. For more information regarding criteria, program focus areas, guidelines, and more, please click here.

Ben and Jerry's Foundation Grant

The Ben and Jerry's Foundation is currently accepting applications from grassroots organizations throughout the United States that are working to help themselves and their communities create broad systems change through community organizing and movement-building efforts.  The maximum grant amount is $30,000.  Applications must be received by Friday, October  1, 2021 by 4:00 pm to be considered. View the complete application and guidelines here

Serve DC - The Mayor's Office on Volunteerism and Partnerships Funding Alert

Weekly newsletter of funding opportunities.

Learn24 rule

For resources and additional information on the District of Columbia Government’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19), please visit coronavirus.dc.gov.

Questions or feedback, contact Learn24 at Learn24@dc.gov, or visit us at Learn24.dc.gov.

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