The submission deadline is September 4th, 2026. The Connecticut Network for Children and Youth is seeking nominations for the 5th Annual Recognition Awards. The nomination form is open! Do you know an individual or program who goes above and beyond for the youth in their community? We want to recognize them! The Best of CT […]
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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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The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) held a bidders conference May 14th, 2025 to release the 2025-2027 Request for Proposals for the State Funded After School Grant program. The purpose of this funding is to create programs that provide students with academic, enrichment and recreational opportunities designed to complement their regular school day, and […]
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Are you struggling to keep students engaged during program time? Finding activities, a little dry, even for you? Have you ever thought about developing activities based on your interests? Shawna created a worksheet for you to explore just that. In this month’s PD Bite, Shawna linked the worksheet so you can print it and use […]
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Now that the weather is cold, that means more program time is spent inside. It can be hard to keep kids engaged while they are all cooped up. I’ve explored the Mizzen App to find some activities that are great for the colder months. One of my favorite activities I tested while doing the Mizzen […]
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The Network is celebrating 35 years of after school excellence…and more! In 1989, the Network was founded as the Connecticut School Age Child Care Alliance (CSACCA) at the first After School Conference. Since then, we changed names (2x), moved to several locations and employed over 20 people. In addition to our after school work, we […]
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The Connecticut Science Center and CT Network for Children and Youth (CTNCY) are thrilled to offer a brand-new series of workshops centered around developing skills, expertise, and programming to assist afterschool providers in creating meaningful, fun STEM experiences and engagement opportunities for students. We know your time is very valuable, stipends will be offered to […]
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Welcome to this month’s Simply STEM activity! Today, we are making snow dough! This snow dough is supposed to mimic the look of real snow. Your students will be able to play around with it and mold it because of its unique texture! Experience all the fun of snow without having to go outside. Check […]
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Welcome to this month’s Simply STEM activity! Today, we are going to test how different liquids react with marshmallows! This fun and easy activity is perfect for your students to practice their observation skills while using the scientific method. A bonus to this experiment is that you can eat any marshmallows that are leftover! This […]
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Welcome to this month’s Simply STEM activity! Today, we are creating our own spiderweb! This activity is a fun and creative way to teach your students about how spiders catch their prey. Your students will design and create their own spider web that is able to hold at least 3 small items. How will they […]
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