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- August Membership Exchange
- Mental Health Resources for Youth
- After School Programs Grant!
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August Membership Exchange: PD Made Free and Easy!
The ACT Now Membership Exchange is a place for afterschool educators and providers to connect, network, and source ideas. This month, we are sharing some exciting updates to our online learning management system, ANCAL. These updates will make it easier for you and your team to access high-quality professional development (PD) on a variety of out-of-school time (OST) topics.
Join us on Wednesday, August 30, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. via Zoom to learn, discuss, and ask questions about ANCAL and your broader OST PD needs!
*To register for all upcoming ACT Now trainings and events please sign up for the ACT Now Center for Afterschool Learning (ANCAL). ANCAL is an online learning and training platform that is FREE for all Illinois afterschool and OST professionals.
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Grant Program for Students Majoring in Technology Fields
Governor JB Pritzker signed House Bill 1378, which will create the Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) Tech Act to establish a new program that allows students majoring in technology fields to receive tuition grants. The iGROW program will be administered by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and will be open to students enrolled in associate or bachelor’s degree programs at public or private colleges and universities.
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ACT Now Events
FY24 Teen REACH Quarterly Meeting #1
August 16, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
August Membership Exchange
August 30, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Sharing Your STEM Story: How to Talk About Science
September 26, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
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Administration
Community Schools Blog Series
The Learning Policy Institute is launching a new blog series, Community Schools: A Path to Transformation. They will highlight examples of promising and innovative practices, elevate the research and practitioner experience that point to best practices, and more.
Invite a Legislator to your Program!
Inviting a lawmaker to tour your afterschool program is one of the best ways to show him or her firsthand the impact of afterschool programming on students and families in their district and/or state. This toolkit from the Afterschool Alliance helps program providers make sure the site visit is a success!
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Administration
FY24 Community Schools Convenings
This year, ACT Now is Together in Community with our community schools (CS) partners across the state. Each quarter, we will host a variety of professional development and networking opportunities for CS providers on topics suggested by you:
- Family Engagement and Supports for CS (Q1)
- Advocacy and Awareness for CS (Q2)
- Building Community Partnerships (Q3)
- Statewide CS Full-Day Convening (Q4)
- Wednesday, May 1, 2023. Full-day of in-person networking and learning sessions, more details TBA.
Building Sustainable STEM Programming in OST: A Webinar Series
This webinar series will provide a high-level overview of how to create and sustain science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programming in afterschool. We will provide tools, knowledge, and resources to support administrators in implementing and embedding high-quality STEM curricula. Build your sustainable STEM program with us! All webinars will be from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. via Zoom.
- Sharing Your STEM Story: How to Talk about Science on Tuesday, September 26, 2023
- Increasing Student Engagement in STEM on Tuesday, November 14, 2023
- STEAM and How to Plan Cross-Curricula Activities on Tuesday, February 6, 2024
- Evaluating Your STEM Program on Tuesday, April 23, 2024
NBA Math Hoops Training
Bring the fun of mathematics to your program through NBA Math Hoops on September 25, 2023, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. NBA Math Hoops leverages the game of basketball and the NBA/WNBA brands to build fundamental math and social-emotional skills through a physical and digital basketball-themed board game, a curriculum, and a community program experience. Designed for students in grades 4-8, this free program develops students’ algebra readiness prior to entering high school, while strengthening important skills including self-regulation and executive function. The NBA Math Hoops program is implemented in in-school, out-of-school, and home learning environments.
This training will allow OST programs to learn first-hand how to implement the game and curriculum into their program. All participating programs will receive all materials free of charge. This training is recommended for front-line staff that will be overseeing the program on a day-to-day basis.
Elementary & Middle School Math Club Ideas And Activities!
This blog from Third Space Learning discusses how to set up a math club, and what kind of math club activities program providers could use. Within the blog, there are tips and tricks from a teacher with over 20 years of experience!
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Mental Health Awareness and Resources For Youth
The Public Health Working Group of the Mayor’s Youth Commission and the Chicago Department of Public Health developed videos on what it means to ask for help and what resources are available to Chicago’s young people for support.
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Safety, Health, and Nutrition
Pritzker Administration Announces $10M in Grants to Strengthen Mental Health Services
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced that Illinois is accepting grant applications from schools and agencies that support child and adolescent health for a share of $10 million in federal funding intended to strengthen mental health services for students across Illinois. IDPH will be accepting applications from school districts and agencies that support adolescent mental health through September 8, 2023.
Administration
After School Programs Grant
The Illinois Board of Education is accepting applications for the After School Programs Grant. School district grant allocations total $21.250 million out of the $25 million appropriated. Another $3.75 million is competitive grant allocations for non-school district applicants. Proposals can be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. on September 20, 2023.
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