Call for Presenters

We are seeking presenters who are able to present a workshop in one of three categories:  STEAM in Program PracticesSTEAM in Program DesignSTEAM in Partnerships. Workshops should be appropriate for staff working with K – 8th grades.  Each workshop will be presented in all three sessions; participants will rotate through the workshops. The tentative schedule […]

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Creating Culture in a Cafeteria Classroom

The Allegory of the Oxygen Mask I have been flying on airplanes since I was a very young child.  Spending my mid-80s childhood-summers in Kansas, I would often fly alone to and from the Midwest; armed with a chapter book, a stuffed animal, and a super-secret safety word to ward off questionable strangers. I witnessed […]

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SEL Series – What is SEL?

AHA! I recently had an aha moment – I have written several blogs about Social Emotional Learning (SEL), but I have not clearly defined what it is. So just what is social-emotional learning and why do we need it? In the next few blogs, I will provide you with a crash course of the five […]

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The Art of Storytelling

Let me tell you a story. You have heard that, seen that, said that, now let me really tell you the story behind that! I am a storyteller, really! Storytelling can be an art, an avocation or a full time job. I’m not talking about the story of last weekend’s party or your bad date […]

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SEL Series: 55 Positive Things to Say to your Children

“Opportunities don’t happen; you create them.” –Chris Grosser Here are positive things to say to your children to create opportunities to help them feel confident and loved! As parents, most of us speak to our children, in the ways, our parents talked to us during childhood. Our parents did the best, but we can so […]

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SEL Series: SEL at Home, Tips for Parents

5 Awesome tips that will improve trips to the grocery store with your children Many of us have dropped our jaws while witnessing distressed parents address their tearful kid(s) screaming their brains out in the grocery store. I never wanted to be that parent with “that kid.”  To my surprise, my daughter taught me no […]

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SEL Series: Words are Powerful

Your words are powerful use them wisely- Over the Christmas holiday, I received a lesson in how much words can hurt. My dear old granny had some not-so-nice-comments about my weight. Yep, her words felt like a surprise punch to the gut. It may be silly, but her words cut me like me a knife. […]

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Advocacy After School Task Force

Want to ensure that afterschool programs are funded? Want to expand funding for summer programs? Have ideas about state laws that impact afterschool and summer programs for kids? Join the Connecticut After School Network for its first Advocacy Task Force conference call of 2019. Learn about what we have planned for the upcoming state legislative […]

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SEL Series: Sorry

Apologies When you ask a young person to apologize, they often scowl at you with an attitude. They may glare at you and roughly say,” Why should I apologize, I didn’t do anything wrong”. We all know that owning our mistakes is not only a challenge for children but for adults as well. Apprehension to […]

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Video Games Aren’t All Bad

We all understand that video games can cause problems, we hear that every day.  I won’t even go into the many ways that some of these games can create antisocial and apathetic behaviors.  I want to talk about the video games that teach empathy, better human connection and understanding. Like a good storyteller, a video […]

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