September 30, 2016

Y4Y Showcase Webinar: College and Career Readiness
Thursday, October 13 from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET

How does college and career readiness fit with 21st CCLC programs? Learn more through this Showcase event highlighting You for Youth's new course, College and Career Readiness. During the Showcase you will discover resources and real life 21st CCLC program examples to help you design enriching activities, develop key partnerships and engage families in college and career readiness. Our guest expert, Jennifer Kobrin, Director of myPLACE & Digital Initiatives for the Mayor's Commission on Literacy in Philadelphia and former content specialist for the You for Youth website, will be joining the discussion. Jennifer will share her expertise on effective college and career readiness programming and building partnerships with families and communities.

Get Registered here!

Project-Based Learning
Wednesdays from 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
October 19 through November 9

Engaging students through exciting activities, aligning with school-day standards and training inexperienced staff can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, project-based learning can help you plan for success.

This free, four-part learning experience, featuring Y4Y Education Specialists Monique McDowell-Russell and Allyson Zalewski, combines online webinars and discussions with offline activities and explorations.

We encourage 21st CCLC program directors, site coordinators, academic liaisons and instructional directors to attend. Registrants will commit to attend all four webinars and to participate in online discussions and other activities. For participating in at least three of the four webinars, you can earn a certificate of participation to provide to your district, state or employing organization.

Don't miss this opportunity to build a strong instructional foundation for your program. 

Register Now!

September 19, 2016

What were your favorite books as a child? Did you stay up late imagining the fantastical worlds of A Wrinkle in Time or Bridge to Terabithia? Did you scare yourself silly courtesy of Stephen King or Edgar Allen Poe? Maybe you laughed your head off at The Cat in the Hat, or cried your eyes out at Where the Red Fern Grows.

Whatever books you loved, there’s a good chance your local libraries helped put them in your hands. Libraries make indispensable partners for educators because they provide support as children build literacy skills and develop a love of reading. We hope you’ll participate in the American Library Association’s Library Card Sign-up Month. Help children in your program find their local libraries, and encourage them and their families to get library cards today!

Libraries also support the free Open eBooks program. This piece of the White House ConnectED Initiative starts with educators, program leaders and librarians who work with in-need youth. These adults can register free; then, every child in the program can get a personal access code to download up to 10 eBooks at a time.

September 19, 2016

With the new school year about to swing into high gear, this summer already seems like a distant memory, and next summer feels ages away. But June always comes faster than you expect, so begin laying the groundwork for next year’s summer program today.

Start with the archived Summer Planning With Y4Y webinar, which outlines the importance of summer learning, helps you set program goals and highlights Y4Y resources that can support your summer planning. Next, check out the Y4Y Summer Learning page for ideas to engage students, parents and communities in summer learning. And at the National Summer Learning Association, you’ll find ideas to help you increase access to summer learning in your community and secure funding for your program. To really get ahead, start planning a community event for next year’s Summer Learning Day!

September 15, 2016

The 2016 Summer Institute (July 19-21) offered participants the chance to learn about the U.S. Department of Education’s current focus areas for 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) programs. Practitioners found plenty of sessions to help them develop important skills and ideas to take home to colleagues and students.

If you couldn’t make it, it’s not too late to attend some sessions virtually. Y4Y’s Summer Institute page has video recordings of the plenary sessions that you can view anytime.

In the Opening Plenary, you’ll hear about the Every Student Succeeds Act and what it means for 21st CCLC programs in 2016 and beyond. Plenary 2 focuses on expanding learning beyond the classroom, with stories of successful strategic community partnerships from schools and state departments of education around the nation.

If you’re looking for information on innovative and ongoing professional learning opportunities for 21st CCLC practitioners, head over to Plenary 3. And, in Plenary 4, you’ll hear about how and why using data can help you plan and implement programming that aligns with the school day.

For more information from the Summer Institute, including PowerPoint slides and handouts from breakout sessions, visit the 2016 Summer Institute website.

August 16, 2016

It may still feel like the dog days of summer, but fall will be here any minute— and you’ll want to be ready! So before you get caught up in the new school year, take some time to reflect on the strategic partnerships you’ve developed. 

•    What worked well last year? What didn’t? 
•    Where can partnerships be strengthened or expanded? 
•    How can your program be a good partner to the community?

These are big questions that demand big answers, and Y4Y has tools to help.

Structure discussions with your staff using the Strengthening Partnerships Implementation Planner. This guide can help you assess which areas of your program need improvement, identify community resources that may help you meet those needs and consider how to bring your community and your program together. Once you’ve found willing partners, the Memorandum of Understanding Template and this example Memorandum of Understanding can help you draft effective partnership agreements.

Building and maintaining strong community partnerships are important ways to keep your program effective. Get started now, and keep working at it all year long!