Subject: VPOST November 2020 VPOST News: Free STEM PD with stipend, COVID-19 Activity Guides and more!

We are only eleven days into November, but it’s been quite a month already with President-Elect Biden securing the nomination to serve as our 46^th President. His running mate, Vice-President Elect, Kamala Harris, will be the first woman, first African American woman, and the first Asian-American, to ever hold this office. Witnessing Kamala Harris, daughter of immigrants, secure this role is a historically significant moment for the United States and one that will shape how our children can view opportunity. Visibility and representation matters, especially to young girls, and particularly young girls of color, who will now have a tangible vision of future possibilities for themselves. We hope you take the time to discuss this teachable moment of historic significance with the children in your program.

This pioneering accomplishment was a culmination of efforts and one leader who has been garnering much credit is Stacy Abrams. After her 2018 campaign for Georgia’s Governorship came to an end, Ms. Abrams channeled her energy into becoming one of the nation’s leaders in voting rights. Back in March, Stacy Abrams was the Keynote Speaker at the National Afterschool Association’s Virtual 2020 Convention Reimagined. Listen here to a clip of her speaking on her work and her support for afterschool.

And remember, while the 2020 election may be over, the campaign to make the case for afterschool is not. Look for opportunities to connect afterschool to other priorities of your newly elected officials. Remind them of your expertise and offer to provide information and research to help them better understand your issue. Afterschool Alliance has all you need to get started here.

Free STEM Coaching with Stipend for VA OST Educators

VPOST is proud to partner with ACRES (Afterschool Coaching for Reflective Educators in STEM) to create a special virtual coaching cohort and we want you to join! Over a series of five, live sessions, cohort community members will come together to dive into the skill of Asking Purposeful Questions and Modeling the Engineering Practices. These deep dives will be followed by practical application in your program and coaching, all with connection and reflection at the foundation. Our questions create a path towards discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. Our cohort is aligned with the Million Girls Moonshot, which seeks to engage one million more girls in STEM engineering through afterschool and summer programs over the next 5 years.

This opportunity is free and comes with a $100 Stipend! We have two time slots to work with your schedule, a lunchtime block, and an evening block. Learn the full details, including where to sign up, by clicking the buttons below.

Day Cohort Info

Evening Cohort Info

Learning About COVID-19 Activity Guides Are now Here!

Coronavirus has impacted students and families significantly altering our education systems, including out-of-school time programs. The activities and resources in the Learning About COVID-19 Activity Guides were intentionally designed to engage youth on the science of COVID-19 and to enhance the social skills necessary to process and cope with life during the pandemic.

VPOST's Professional Development and Quality Coordinator, Christine Jones Monaccio, was one of a handful of OST professionals to be on the national review committee for the age 5-9 activities. With over 40 challenges, the lessons are organized by four different age groups (5-9) (10-12) (13-15) (16-18) and are adaptable for in-person and virtual instruction, or a hybrid of both, as well as sent as a take-home packet.

Get the Activity Guides

Nominations are Now Open for NAA's Next Gen Leader

NAA’s Next Generation of Afterschool Leaders identifies young leaders and recognizes and cultivates the talent of rising stars who have the potential to influence the field of afterschool for years to come.

Nomination Information:

For the Next Generation of Afterschool Leaders 2021, NAA is looking to highlight individuals who:

Are age 30 or under as of November 13, 2020
Are active in the broader afterschool community, including, but not limited to membership in NAA and its state affiliates
Demonstrate contributions that have started to influence beyond an individual program to entire organizations and communities
Are actively engaged in efforts to elevate the afterschool field
Have a proven passion for the development of themselves and others, and demonstrate persistence in their work to grow as leaders
Demonstrate the NAA core competencies, specifically Content Area 10: Professional Development and Leadership

Learn more

Rebuild Virginia

The Rebuild VA Grant Fund is a program to help small businesses and non-profits whose normal operations were disrupted by COVID-19. Rebuild VA grantees may receive up to 3 times their average monthly eligible expenses up to a maximum of $10,000. Applications became available on August 10, 2020. Learn more here.

Virginia Humanities Grants for Fall are Open

Virginia Humanities grants support projects that explore the stories of Virginia—its history, people, communities, and cultural traditions—as well as issues and questions that impact the lives of Virginians in the present day.

Any non-profit organization may apply for a Virginia Humanities grant. Projects of interest are those addressing the following themes:

Equity and Democracy
Amplifying Virginia’s Stories
Cultures and Communities in Transition

Learn more here!

COVID-19 Remote Learning Emergency Fund For Educators

National Geographic Society has launched an emergency fund for innovative educators who are designing instructional resources — whether in the classroom, teaching remotely, or a combination of the two. The fund will distribute support ranging from $1,000–$8,000 to individual educators, which includes informal educators, (or to an individual educator working in collaboration with other educators or National Geographic Explorers) to design instructional resources that help educators effectively teach in remote or hybrid learning environments. Applicants may use up to 100 percent of their budget as compensation for the time they devote to the proposed project, as well as the time of any co-creators. Learn more here.

National PTA Grants Now Available

In response to our changing world, National PTA is developing PTA Programs at Home, which will offer engaging, educational, and fun activities for all students and their families—with or without access to technology. Now through November 20, several $1,000 grants are available to PTAs for the following projects:

Learn more here.

REV YOUR BEV DAY IS NOVEMBER 13TH 2020

Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth's, Rev Your Bev Day is an annual statewide day of action to raise awareness about the incredible health benefits you can see by making water your No. 1 beverage of choice. More than 2,500 events have taken place across Virginia since 2013.

Join the movement by signing the support card (which includes an opportunity to win a $50 gift card), creating fun flavored water recipes, and implementing best practices for promoting healthy hydration at your OST program.

Engineering Mindsets Webinars

Engineering Design Challenges Three-Part Webinar Series led by Technovation

Over three hour-long sessions this fall with Technovation, you’ll become an expert in leading engineering design challenges online that help students develop engineering mindsets: 1) use the engineering design process; 2) envision multiple solutions; 3) evaluate and iterate; 4) persist and learn from failure; and 5) work in teams.

Get ready for hands-on building during each session. You’ll be part of a supportive learning community. If you are looking for a way to step up your STEAM game in a fun and active way with your kids, this is for you. Help them think like engineers to build solutions to any sort of problem! These three sessions are for program staff (directors, STEM specialists, and facilitators) working with kids in 4th–8th grades.

Registration Links

Session 2: Thursday, November 19, 12:00-1:00 pm PST/3:00-4:00 EST https://bit.ly/3cLdeeU
Session 3: Thursday, December 10, 12:00-1:00 pm PST/3:00-4:00 EST https://bit.ly/2EUzYwM

Equity and Inclusion Webinars

Equity & Inclusion in Afterschool: Youth-Centric Approaches in STEM Programming

November 17 at 3:00pm-4:00pm EST

Working with the National Collaborative Project, STEM Next developed an Equity and Inclusion Framework to use as a guide for supporting programs as they identify resources and strategies that broaden participation. This webinar dives more deeply into the Youth-Centric concept and the strategies of 1) Positive Youth Development, 2) Peer Support, 3) Supportive Relationships, and 4) Culturally Responsiveness. The webinar highlights research-to-practice as well as resources that can help educators and leaders center youth voice, experience, and leadership within their programs.

Registration Link: https://bit.ly/3dMxRrV

Virginia Autism Council Lunch Webinar Series

This is a series of free webinars hosted by the Virginia Autism Council on the 3rd Wednesday of every Month from 12:00-1:30 PM

November 18, 2020- Helping Police and First Responders Better Communicate with People with autism with Christina Giuliano
December 16, 2020- A review of the 2021 Competencies with Sharon Jones & Daniel Irwin

The new Mizzen by Mott app helps afterschool programs serve kids wherever they are. Activities feature STEM, arts, music, and more. Supported by the Mott Foundation, Mizzen by Mott is free to download from your favorite app store.

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Subject: VPOST November 2020 VPOST News: Free STEM PD with stipend, COVID-19 Activity Guides and more!

COVID-19 Remote Learning Emergency Fund For Educators

REV YOUR BEV DAY IS NOVEMBER 13TH 2020