CAN’s Holiday Newsletter – December 19, 2018
2018 Reflections and Looking Ahead
As the father of two young children, I have the unique opportunity to watch a fair amount of Sesame Street. In a recent episode Elmo boils down the spirit of the season with his song, “it’s all about kindness.” At CAN, we are consistently overwhelmed with the kindness in this field. The kindness and generosity you display in your work every day makes all the difference for the children and families of California.
Beyond your daily work, you have taken the time to serve the field as well. Whether it be as CAN Leadership Team member, participating a CQI Guidebook Work Group to create a new resource, informing the content of a new Expanded Learning Program Quality Assessment Tool, or advocating for our field independently or as part of statewide events like the California Afterschool Challenge. Your generous and kind commitment to this field makes all the difference, every day.
As we reflect on 2018 and look ahead to 2019 we at CAN are grateful that we have the opportunity to:
- Support you through our participation in the System of Support for Expanded Learning, and working with CDE’s Expanded Learning Division, statewide County Office of Education Leadership, and the Society for Organizational Learning to continuously improve our support to you.
- Engage you in a variety of field based efforts to inform tool/resource creation or initiative implementation such as a statewide movement to support Site Coordinators, or as members of the CAN Leadership Team to guide our organizational direction.
- Convene you to create space for you to share your challenges, solutions, and resources through forums such as the Site Coordinator Expanded Learning Symposium and Expanded Learning Summits.
- Advocate for you including through our participation with the California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance (CA3).
Next January, CAN will be seeking new members to join our Leadership Team. I hope you will answer the call to be the next generation of CAN Leaders (see more information below), and I look forward to seeing you in February at the second annual Site Coordinator Expanded Learning Symposium in Long Beach CA.
We hope you find the information to follow useful, and thank you for the kindness and generosity you display every day in your work. We wish you lots of love and laughter this holiday season.
With gratitude,
Jeff Davis and the CAN staff
Items to include in this newsletter
Take Three Minutes to Bring More Mindfulness to the Holidays
During the busy holiday season, it is easy to forget to take care of ourselves. It is important to take a couple minutes out of your day for some much-needed self-care, you deserve it! These three-minute mindful practices will bring resilience to the mind and soul during this cheerful time of year and they are super easy! You can do these anywhere, check them out!
Register NOW: New Payment Options for the Site Coordinator Symposium
The CAN Team has outlined guidelines for participants interested in using a pay by check or invoice/purchase order payment option to attend the California Cruz’n: Site Coordinator Expanded Learning Symposium.
CA Afterschool & Summer Challenge
CAN is a proud partner of the annual statewide California Afterschool & Summer Challenge, hosted by CalSAC, which educates and empowers professionals, youth, and families to engage in grassroots advocacy.
In addition to helping advance the out-of-school time field, this
advocacy experience helps show young people and emerging leaders
how to speak out and use their voices to create change.
Assembly Budget Blueprint Recognizes After School Needs!
Earlier this month, Phil Ting, California Assembly Budget Chair released the 2019-20 Blueprint for a Responsible Budget. Page eight of the Blueprint highlights the need to, “expand Early Education and After School Programs.” While this Blueprint does not guarantee additional funding for California’s After School and Summer Learning programs, it is important that after school programs are highlighted as a publicly stated goal for the Assembly.
Implementing SEL Interventions that Meet Local Needs
The Wallace Foundation has created a new guide, Implementing SEL interventions, that provides support and recommendations for educators about ways to integrate social emotional learning interventions into their local schools and communities.
CAN Leadership Team to Seek Applicants in January 2019
CAN lives its organizational motto, “of the field, for the field.” CAN is led by a field-based Leadership Team that created and guides the implementation of CAN’s Theory of Change and Strategic Plan.