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In This Issue
  • New ACT Now Team Member
  • ACT Now's Advocacy Toolkit
  • Math Hoops Training!
ACT Now is Hiring! 
We are hiring for a summer intern! Check out our job board for more information. (Applications are due April 15th)!
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ACT Now's New Team Member!

We’d like to welcome Naomi Oster (they/them) who is joining ACT Now as our Membership Coordinator! They are a former middle school educator and nonprofit manager who envisions a world that cherishes youth, families, care workers, and public servants. Welcome, Naomi! If you are interested in connecting with Naomi, please email ostern@actnowillinois.org.
Policy Updates
State Updates 
Week 3 Advocacy Actions: Our Advocacy Toolkit!

ACT Now will be highlighting different advocacy actions our members can participate in for the next few weeks! This week we are sharing our 2024 ACT Now Advocacy Toolkit! 

What's in the toolkit?
  • Learn how your program’s advocacy efforts align with ACT Now’s FY24 budgetary asks.
  • Gain insight into best practices for engaging with legislators in person and remotely!
  • Quickly customize advocacy letters and program templates to share with your policymakers.
  • Spread the word about the importance of afterschool by interacting and tagging legislators on social media platforms.

Please feel free to share this toolkit with your young people, colleagues, and community members and help amplify our advocacy efforts! For any policy questions, please reach out to Emma Giambedino (formerly Spencer) at spencere@actnowillinois.org.
Access the Toolkit!
Events
To register for all upcoming ACT Now trainings and events please sign up for ACT Now Center for Afterschool Learning (ANCAL). ANCAL (hosted through Collabornation) is an online learning and training platform that is FREE for all Illinois afterschool and OST professionals. 
Register for ANCAL here!
ACT Now Events
  April 18, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Evaluating Your STEM Program
April 23, 2024, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

21st CCLC TA: Capacity Building and Team
April 24, 2024, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

Illinois Community Schools: A Community in Practice
April 30, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
External Events​
 
Resources for Providers

Administration

How Youth-Led Research Makes a Difference

A youth research leader reflects on her experience studying out-of-school time programs and the importance of this work in an article by the Wallace Foundation. There are recommendations for elevating youth leadership in programming!

Youth Development 

DNA Day April 25th

This resource from Illumina has several resources and supplies to help educators celebrate DNA Day (April 25, 2024)!

Safety, Health, and Nutrition 

CDC and IDPH Updated COVID-19 Guidance

The Illinois Department of Public Health has adopted new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that streamlines and simplifies recommendations for dealing with the range of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, flu, and RSV.

Family and Community Partnerships

Announcing the Introductory Guide to City Services

Discover the services and resources that the city of Chicago offers with its new Introductory Guide to City Services! The guide includes steps to host a community event, get immigration, find your elected officials, and engage with various city departments. 
Opportunities for Providers

Youth Development 

Free Summer Programming

NBA Math Hoops training for summer programming is now available for educators to register! NBA Math Hoops uses basketball to build math and social-emotional skills. Once the training is completed, games will be sent straight to the shipping address provided free of cost. 
Youth Opportunities
Science Curiosity Kits

Explore Science at home or in a classroom with the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) Science Curiosity Kit. Science Curiosity Kits cost $25 each. Each kit includes four observational activity guides (in English and Spanish) with related materials.
Funding Opportunities

Youth Development

Deadline Extended: FY 2025 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections Grant

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) extended the FY 2025 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections Grant Program RFP deadline to April 12, 2024. The program's purpose is to support high-need Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in their efforts to prevent violence and to establish safe, healthy, inclusive, and supportive teaching and learning opportunities. 
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NOTE: We sort our trainings and resources by the Core Areas in the Illinois Statewide Afterschool Quality Standards to promote better understanding and implementation of the Standards. Headings denote a Core Area. To learn more about the Quality Standards, click here.
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