Message from Our Director

 

 

 

• The School of the 21ST Century is Making a Difference: Improving Nutrition and Physical Activity in Schools - To assist 21st Century and other schools work on health and nutrition, researchers at 21 Century and the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, both at Yale University, have reviewed resources from many web sites and are presenting a compilation of the best of them for use by 21 Century schools. These resources are designed to provide educators with opportunities to learn about and implement programs that foster healthy lifestyles.
• Measuring Youth Program Quality: A Guide to Assessment Tools - Thanks to growing interest in the subject of youth program quality, many tools are now available to help organizations and systems assess and improve quality. Given the size and diversity of the youth-serving sector, it is unrealistic to expect that any one tool or process will fit all programs or circumstances. This report compares the purpose, history, structure, methodology, content and technical properties of nine different program observation tools.
• Building Quality Improvement Systems: Lessons from Three Emerging Efforts in the Youth-Serving Sector - Quality is fast becoming a policy priority in states and localities around the country. As a result, formal and informal networks of youth organizations are seeking and developing strategies to help them assess and improve performance. This report takes a close look at efforts underway in three networks and provides a preliminary framework for thinking about key questions when planning any kind of program quality improvement work in the youth-serving sector.
•  Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) - HFRP announces two new resources about family involvement in education:
  • Family Involvement in Middle and High School - The third and final brief in our "Family Involvement Makes a Difference" series synthesizes research studies that link family involvement in middle and high school to youth's academic and social outcomes. This brief, entitled, "Family Involvement in Middle and High School Students' Education," profiles evaluated programs to show what works to promote family involvement and student achievement during this critical developmental period. The brief also highlights how you can use this research to promote effective policies and practices.
  • The second brief in the series, "Family Involvement in Elementary School Children's Education," is also available on our website.
  • You can also read the first brief in the series,"Family Involvement in Early Childhood Education".
  • Tomasito's Mother Comes to School/La Madre de Tomasito Visita las Escuela
    This online bilingual storybook about family involvement at school includes a children's story, along with an informational guide for adult family members and discussion questions. The story draws from the real experiences of one Latino boy and his family who are acculturating to the U.S. The storybook is designed to engage children, inform and inspire their families, and help educators build connections with families, all while supporting literacy. Developed from research and fully illustrated, the storybook can be downloaded, viewed, and printed for free on HFRP's Family Involvement Storybook Corner website.
  • Additional resources for engaging Latino and English Language Learner families in their children's learning are also available on the Storybook Corner's Reference Desk.
• The Journal of Youth Development: Bridging Research and Practice, is an online resource for youth development researchers, practitioners and policymakers. The multidisciplinary applied research and practice online journal is published three times a year by the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents and focuses on the development of school-aged youth through the transition to adulthood (ages 6-22). Manuscripts are accepted at anytime. Please visit the website to access submission guidelines and the first three issues of the journal.
• Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL) - Sign up for "After Words"  - An E-Newsletter of the National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning. Featured Resource - Afterschool Training Toolkit for Technology. This free online staff development resource includes video clips, resources, and lesson plans on promising practices in technology.

• Learning Point Associateshas received a grant from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation to collect examples of high-quality complementary learning activities and innovative afterschool programs across the country. High-quality complementary learning activities and innovative programs provide children and youth with nonschool support and opportunities that complement the learning occurring in school. These activities and programs also promote better outcomes for the participants' lives. Learn More

• Improving Attendance and Retention in Out-of-School Time Programs - Regular participation in out-of-school time activities is associated with benefits for children. However,children cannot reap the benefits of program participation if they do not attend programs in the first place. This brief focuses on ways in which out-of-school time programs can improve the attendance and retention of children and youth in their programs during the elementary, middle, and high school years and provides ideas for overcoming common barriers to attendance. The brief also describes an action plan that program practitioners can use to measure attendance and retention in their programs.

• Investigation of April 16, 2007 Critical Incident at Virginia Tech - Prepared by the Office of the Inspector General for Mental Health, Mental Retardation & Substance Abuse Services. The preliminary report includes information on the incident, the investigation process, background information as well as findings and recommendations.

• Hope for Education Grants Provide Technology & Software to Schools
  Samsung's Hope for Education will be partnering with teen music sensations Aly & AJ for its 2007 program designed to minimize the technology gap in the educational system. Through a partnership with Microsoft Corporation, Hope for Education will provide more than $2 million in technology and software to schools in the U.S. that enter an essay competition describing how technology can help improve students' education. Maximum Award: $200,000. Eligibility: legal residents of the United States; minors must obtain parental consent. Participants should nominate a public or state-accredited private school in their community. Deadline: July 22
• NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) has released a number of Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
  • The New Young Adult Internship Program (YAIP). YAIP In conjunction with CEO, DYCD is seeking appropriately qualified non-profit or for-profit vendors to provide young adult internship programs (YAIP) to serve the most job-ready among disconnected youth through short-term paid internships; placements in jobs, education or advanced training; and follow-up services. Learn More Deadline: July 19
  • Service Learning Programs -Through this RFP, the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) is seeking appropriately qualified organizations to provide Service Learning (SL) programs for youth in each of the five boroughs in New York City. The aim of the SL initiative is to enhance youth development services for middle- and high-school youth in some of the City's highest-need neighborhoods and encourage their participation in programs that can help them keep on track at school and develop their life-skills. The goals of the SL programs are to foster engagement in school and community and promote responsible behaviors. Learn More   Deadline: August 1
  • Out-of-School (OST) Programs for Youth - Elementary School Expansion. Through this RFP, the Department of Youth and Community Development seeks appropriately qualified organizations to expand the variety of year-round, comprehensive, and high-quality OST programs for children in elementary school, defined as kindergarten through grade 6. Learn More Deadline: August 8
• Make it Your Own Awards - Do you want to make a difference in your community? We're looking for inspired individuals and passionate teams who are connecting people to discuss what matters, find smart solutions, and take action. And we're awarding grants up to $35,000 to help make it happen. If you're ready to work with others to achieve lasting change, we want to hear from you. Learn more & Apply Today! Deadline: August 8 
• YSA - Disney Minnie Grants - The Walt Disney Company and Youth Service America (YSA) are offering up to $500 to support youth (ages 5 to 14) in creating service projects in their community. Teachers, older youth and youth-serving organizations are also eligible to apply, but they must engage younger youth in the work. To learn more, email MinnieGrant@ysa.org. Deadline: August 30

Beginning in May, The Finance Project introduces a new series of audio conferences for program leaders, intermediaries, policymakers and funders to share their valuable ideas and experiences on financing and sustaining youth initiatives. The dates and topics are listed below. Please SAVE THE DATE and plan to join The Finance Project for these important information sharing sessions. Register early as slots fill up fast. A recording and transcription of the calls become available on The Finance Project's website shortly after the call.