Follow Up Resources and Information

Funding

During the Town Hall, Dr. Lane explained that under the CARES Act, school divisions may use ESSER (Elementary Secondary School Emergency Relief) formula funds for any program under ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act ), including 21st CCLC grant programs. Funding applies to both virtual and in-person instruction. Here is the press release from July 17, 2020, announcing the application window of those funds. School Divisions must submit them by August 14th.

Working with Local School Divisions

The grant applications for ESSER funds, along with the structure of the operation of the school day in the fall and numerous other details are being made on a local school division level, rather than at the state level. Therefore, as Dr. Lane emphasized in the Town Hall, OST programs being included in the local school division planning is critical.

On August 4, 2020, VPOST will be presenting a live interactive webinar to the Virginia School Board Association members to inform them on how they can partner with OST programs during school reopening.

Out-of-School Time Educators and advocates can also reach out to their local school boards to encourage partnership and planning. On our Resource Exchange Site, we have a template outreach letter for those wishing to reach out to school administrators and board members.

National Resources

Afterschool Alliance: For a plethora of pandemic response resources please start here.

State Resources and Contact

• VPOST: Our Resource Exchange website is dedicated to sharing resources for the Virginia OST community. Our Pandemic Response page also contains curated content relative to Virginia. VPOST sends regular updates to the field on the pandemic response and all other aspects of OST related news. Sign up here. Contact: Blaire Denson, Executive Director, blaire.denson@v-post.org, Christine Jones Monaccio, Professional Development and Quality Coordinator, Christine.jones-monaccio@v-post.org

• Virginia Department of Education: The COVID-19 page with FAQ's and the Recover, Redesign and Restart Plan can be found here. Contact: Dr. James Lane, superintendent@doe.virginia.gov

  • Jenna Conway, Chief School Readiness Officer, works jointly with the Virginia Department of Education and the Governor’s Cabinet. In this role she coordinates policies and resources to best serve Virginia’s families and economy. Contact: jenna.conway@governor.virginia.gov 

Richmond-Area Resources and Contact

OST Organizations Serving Richmond Public Schools Youth 

• Please share your contact information with the Richmond OST Alliance to join the conversation about how best to serve Richmond Public School students.

  • Shanelle Ebanks, Out-of-School Time System Coordinator, Richmond OST Alliance, ostcoordinator@cfrichmond.org

Professional Development 

• The Toolbox: https://community.vcu.edu/mfyc/toolbox/ Contact: myfctoolbox@vcu.edu

• Youth Program Quality Intervention (YPQI): https://www.yourunitedway.org/what-we-do/initiatives/richmond-ypqi/ Contact: Frank Cardella, Director, Community Impact United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg, cardellaf@yourunitedway.org

Extra Resources 

• Virtual volunteers: Connect with Hands on Richmond if you have virtual volunteer opportunities to support your OST program. 

• Face Masks: If your organization could use face masks for staff and/or volunteers, please complete this short form.