Kids and teens everywhere have world-changing ideas that deserve the spotlight! That’s why the Mott Million Dollar Challenge is going all-in on innovation and backing the next generation of genius. Supported by funding from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Mott Million Dollar Challenge is powered by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in collaboration […]
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This October marks the 26th year of the nationwide Lights On Afterschool celebration. Each year thousands of programs and tens of thousands of children take part in events, recognitions, and community engagement. In 2022, along with partners, we started an annual event to kick-off the month, to give programs time to plan and prepare for […]
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You may have already heard that the Federal Government is withholding $6 billion dollars in education funding. Part of this includes the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC), which is the only dedicated federal funding source for afterschool and summer programs. In Connecticut, that equates to thousands of children without a program to go and […]
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The New Program of the Year Award will recognize one afterschool program for quality excellence at our Afterschool Conference “The Power of Afterschool” on November 8th! So, what do you need to do to get recognized? First, you and your program staff take the Drive to Quality Pledge. Once you sign up, there are a […]
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Governor Lamont released his budget last week at the state capitol, in which combining multiple Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) programs into one single line item. One item in particular, the CSDE After School Grants which are currently funded at $5.8 million and provide services to 70 sites statewide, was included in the proposal […]
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Being a leader often means that you are the one that everyone sees as the organizer and planner of events. As we all know, it takes a team to pull off any large scale event or production. I remember when we used to do winter plays and each site would be responsible for something (props, […]
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By now, mid-October afterschool programs are moving along at a good pace. Children and staff know established routines, relationships have been formed, and we are rapidly moving toward the holiday season. This is a time to bring together the community, create connections and opportunities beyond the program, and recognize the place your program has within […]
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When we hear the terms “high-quality”, “impactful programming”, “standards of excellence”, “continuous quality improvement” they often sound like a far-off place we would like our programs to get to. An aspiration, something that takes time, effort, buy-in, and money. In the day-to-day of programming, integrating intentional quality improvement efforts are often challenging due to the […]
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By now, most programming is moving along. There may be some bugs to iron out, schedules to adjust, and supplies to buy for the upcoming season. How are you orchestrating all of the parts of the program? Are there key staff that help make it happen? October is a time to step back and recognize […]
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On Thursday, September 26th, Michelle Doucette Cunninham, Executive Director, spoke to one small part of the changes. Specifically, the Office of Early Childhood has changed the regulation for after school programs to allow 15 students to one teacher (instead of 10:1). Michelle spoke to the benefits this will provide families, children and programs, and thanked […]
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