Greetings
Wonderful Afterschool Program Providers: Happy New Year! Barack Obama in one of his first declarations of the new year, proclaimed January 2010 as National Mentoring Month. There are many perspectives on the definition of mentoring, simply stated, a mentor is an individual, usually older, always more experienced, who helps and guides another individual's development. This guidance does not have to be between an adult and a child and is not done for personal gain. In many cases it's a high school student mentoring an elementary or middle school student or it can be senior staff in your program mentoring front-line staff. According to mentoring.org, more than 17 million American young people between the ages of 10 and 18 are at risk of not living up to their potential because of circumstances in their lives. As volunteers, coaches, and tutors, mentors commit their time, knowledge, skills to those who need additional attention from a caring person. Specific to students, mentors do things like help them to focus on their studies, provide a positive alternative during free time, and help them self-actualize and develop good healthy relationships with their families, friends and peers. Many of us can remember a teacher, coach or other role model who positively impacted our life by pushing us to succeed or deterred us from making a poor decision. My mentor was a custodial worker named Nick. He was a good-looking blue-eyed Italian who, when I was in elementary school, would consistently deter me from participating in anti-social behavior. When presenting keynote presentations, I would always talk about Nick and how he impacted me. One day while I was walking down a street in my city, I saw Nick. Two things surprised me; he remembered my name and now, he didn't seem that much older than me and indeed was only about 8 years my senior. I told him of all the educators in my life, from elementary to post-graduate, that he, a humble custodian, impacted my life the most. He blushed, hugged me and walked away with tear-filled eyes. Youth development experts agree that mentoring is a critical component in every child's healthy development. During National Mentoring Month, we recognize those who give generously of themselves by mentoring. We salute ALL mentors especially those who change the lives of our local children and youth. You too can take action today. Be the CHANGE: mentor a child.
Shalom, 
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New! NY 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) Mid-Year Report Requirement
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Report is due no later than January 31, 2010!
A new requirement for all New York 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) projects is the Mid-Year Report. Programs will be required to submit a report to the New York State Education Department (SED) two times a year in January and July. The purpose of the report is to collect information regarding compliance with stated goals and objectives, professional development events and needs, evaluation information, fiscal and site updates and for grantees to inform SED if they need further assistance. Program reports will enable SED to become more familiar with each program, to improve assistance it provides to the grantees, to identify effective practices that can be shared with other 21st CCLC programs and to enhance accountability for the use of 21st CCLC funds. Below are survey completion instructions. Only one staff person should be assigned the task of completing the report. If the 21st CCLC project has several sites, the person in charge of completing the report can print the program site information page and have each site coordinator fill it out by hand and return it to be entered into Survey Monkey. Grantees will be able to access the report as long as the " done" button is not pressed. Once the report is completed and the "done" button is pressed, a grantee will not be able to re-enter the report to change responses. Remember to always press the next button at the end of each page to save information. Round 5 grantees should fill out as much of the report as possible. Do not worry if some information cannot be completed due to late start-up in 2009-2010 school year. Follow the appropriate link to begin the mid-year report: One Agency, One Grant: If the lead agency has only one grant, click here to complete the report.
One Agency, Multiple Grants: If the agency has multiple grants, a separate link MUST be used for each grant. Only one report should be filled out for each grant project number. Contact SED for additional survey links. The Mid-Year report is not a monitoring tool but a way for SED to gather important information about what is happening in 21st CCLC programs. It is also an opportunity for grantees to take a broad look at the project as a whole, to reflect on what is going well, and what challenges need to be addressed. Contact SED with specific questions. Next Mid-Year Report due July 2010.
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Resources
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 Leadership in Smart Systems - Leadership has occupied a prominent place on the education agenda; but the issue has taken on a new urgency in the last decade. Studies have found that leadership is second only to teachers in its effect on student achievement, and researchers have identified new conceptions of leadership that more accurately reflect the realities of schools and school systems as organizations. This report suggests the idea that leadership is actually distributed across organizations, and that leadership functions are not necessarily performed by those at the top of an organizational chart. Instead of issuing orders down the chain of command, leaders set the vision and hold people accountable for achieving it.
 Urban Youth: Powerful Reform Partners The voices most often left out of the debates around education policy belong to the very people who are most affected: the parents, young people, and other residents of low-income, high-minority communities with struggling schools. The young men and women who attend high schools in these communities are often the targets of well-meaning but mistaken assumptions about their needs, or of vicious stereotypes about their behavior, attitudes, and intellectual capacity. These preconceptions can lead to policy decisions that are ineffective - and sometimes even harmful.
 Preventing Gang Violence and Building Communities Where Young People Thrive Published by the Youth, Education, and Families (YEF) Institute, the Gang Prevention Toolkit draws upon lessons learned over the past three years from the California Cities Gang Prevention Network to identify strategies for reducing gang violence and victimization. Each of the network cities has developed and is now implementing a comprehensive gang reduction plan that blends prevention, intervention and enforcement techniques.
 Preparing Educators to Engage Families: Case Studies Using an Ecological Systems Framework
This book supports teacher training and professional development in the area of family engagement. This volume helps prepare teachers and other professionals to partner with the families of elementary school children for student success and positive development. Read this book to learn how to problem-solve dilemmas about family-school relationships; apply different 'lenses,' or theoretical perspectives, to analyze family engagement practices; and, consider the shared responsibility of families, schools, and communities in the development of the whole child. Visit Sage Publication to download the first two chapters.
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Funding Opportunities
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The Sprint Foundation - The Sprint Character Education Grant
Program awards grants to school districts and individual schools in
support of resources that facilitate and encourage character education
among K-12 students. The program will accept applications for character
education programs that promote and/or address youth leadership, youth
volunteerism, a positive school culture, and dropout prevention. The
Foundation will award individual school grants between $500 and $5,000
each and school district grants between $10,000 and $25,000 each. Deadline: February 5
Finish Line Youth Foundation - The Finish Line Youth Foundation is accepting applications for its Grants for Youth Programs. The purpose of this program is to support youth athletic and wellness programs that place importance on living a healthy lifestyle, bolstering confidence and leadership skills, and teaching the importance of teamwork. Grant size ranges from $1,000 to $5,000. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations in the areas where Finish Line stores are located, or where donations to the Foundation are raised. Deadline: March 31
The Starbucks Foundation - The Starbucks Shared Planet Youth Action Grants are designed to help young people realize their natural potential to reinvent their local communities. The Starbucks Foundation accepts applications from organizations that provide young people (ages 6-24) with a continuum of service opportunities in social entrepreneurship. Grants will range from $10,000 to $25,000.
Deadline: Rolling
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Upcoming Events
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Beyond School Hours XIII - The Winter InstituteFebruary 17-20Jacksonville, FLA major professional development event in the afterschool world for over a decade. Attention 21st CCLC Grantees: Syvia Lyles, Program Director, Academic Improvement Programs Group, U.S. Department of Education, will be hosting a meeting focused on future education priorities and funding exclusively for 21st CCLC Grantees on Thursday, February 18. Grantees must register for the conference and the 21st CCLC meeting.
Aquafina Pitch, Hit & Run
March 1 - Early May
It's time to find a date to host an Aquafina Major League Baseball (MLB) Pitch, Hit & Run (PHR) Local Competition for the youth in your community! MLB would like to invite you to register for FREE today at PHR to receive a Local Administrator Kit. Local competitions take place from March 1 - early May.
BOOST Conference
April 28 - May 1
Set in a retreat-like atmosphere, this event will rejuvenate your passion and boost your direction for quality programming. The BOOST Collaborative is committed to creating opportunities for change in educational and social services agencies serving youth in the out-of-school time hours. BOOST supports out-of-school time professionals through quality professional development opportunities, program and resource development, building community partnerships, promoting the importance of quality out-of-school time programming and opportunities to share promising practices. For event and registration information visit BOOST Conference.
 SAVE THE DATE!21st CCLC Summer InstituteWashington, DCJune 21 - June 23The U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Office of Elementary and Secondary Education is pleased to announce the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program 2010 Summer institute. This event will showcase the success of the 21st CCLC Program in providing afterschool education through grants.  |
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The New York 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) Statewide Technical Assistance Center is a government coordinating agency and information clearinghouse on issues related to 21st CCLC federally-funded afterschool programming.
Please contact Lorraine Lopez with ideas for types of articles and resources you would like to see in future issues.
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Disclaimer
Any publication included in this newsletter and/or opinions expressed therein do not necessarily reflect the views of the New York 21st CCLC Statewide Technical Assistance Center, but remain solely those of the author(s). Such publications have been included only for ease of reference.
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U.S. Senate Passes National Mentoring Month Resolution
The U.S. Senate has officially recognized January 2010 as National Mentoring Month.
National Mentoring Month is spearheaded by the Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR and the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Visit Mentor
for ideas on becoming a mentor, starting a formal youth mentoring program or simply to access research.
When mentors spend time with children, "these moments can have an enormous, lasting effect on a child's life."
President Obama
Presidential Proclamation
January 4, 2010
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The New York State Education Department Learn and Serve
Community Service / Service Learning Statewide Survey
The New York State Education Department Learn and Serve American Program and Governor's Summit Drop-out Prevention Statewide Organization Group are conducting a statewide survey to learn about how community service and service-learning are impacting education, both in school and out of school. Are service activities part of your afterschool program, character education efforts, academic curricula, developmental disabilities or vocational programs and/or social emotional acitivities? The survey should be completed by 1/29/10.
Click here to enter the survey.
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