Network News - November 25, 2008

Date: 
Tue, 11/25/2008

In this Issue:

Happy Thanksgiving

The staff of the AfterSchool Network wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!
We at the Network would like to join the youth, families, and communities you serve in offering our thanks for all that you do.

CDE Afterschool Program Quality Self Assessment Tool is Available

The California Afterschool Network in Partnership with The California Department of Education's Learning Supports and Partnership Division Announces the California's After School Program Quality Self-Assessment Tool The Quality Self-Assessment Tool is available online and ready to use.

The Network will be engaged in the following activities to support the rollout:

  • The Tool and the User's Guide are available to download. To access the tool and the User's guide, click here.
  • he Network will present regional workshops in partnership with the regional lead offices. The calendar of these trainings will be posted soon.
  • This will be the year that all the users of the tool will have the opportunity to weigh in on the tool. The feedback will be used to modify the tool and prepare the next version of the tool for the 09-10 school year.
  • Each month the Network's Electronic Newsletter will focus on best practices that relate to each of the quality indicators. The Network will be asking programs to share their successful strategies in each of these areas.

Funding Opportunities

21st CCLC Elementary Middle School RFP Available

Funding Name: 21st Century Community Learning Centers - Elementary & Middle Schools

Eligible Applicants: institutions of higher education, local educational agencies, nonprofit organizations, other organizations or agencies

Required Eligibility Criteria: Funds are for schools that meet eligibility requirements for the Title I Schoolwide Program. Federal legislation mandates that competitive priority be given to applications serving Title I Schoolwide Program schools in need of improvement (Section 1116). To meet the competitive priority, applications must be jointly submitted by local educational agencies (LEA) receiving funds under Title I, Part A, and community-based organizations or other public or private, entities.

Funding Description: California's 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Program provides funding to create incentives for establishing before-and after-school enrichment programs that partner schools and communities to provide academic and literacy support and safe, constructive alternatives for youth. Each program must consist of three elements: academic assistance, educational enrichment, and family literacy services. Programs must operate during every regular school day and may operate during summer, intersession, or vacation days.

View at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ fg/fo/profile.asp?id=1462

21st CCLC High School ASSETs RFP Available

Funding Name: 21st Century High School ASSETs

Eligible Applicants: institutions of higher education, local educational agencies, nonprofit organizations, other organizations or agencies

Required Eligibility Criteria: Federal legislation mandates that school eligibility be based on requirements for Title I Schoolwide Programs. Competitive priority is to be given to applications serving schools identified as in need of improvement (Section 1116). To meet the competitive priority, an application must be jointly submitted by local educational agencies (LEAs) receiving funds under Title I, Part A, and community-based organizations or other public or private, entities. State legislation gives priority to high schools whose most recent score on the Academic Performance Index (API) ranks the school in the lowest three deciles.

Funding Description: The 21st Century High School After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens (ASSETs) Program provides incentives for establishing before- and after-school enrichment programs that partner schools and communities to provide academic support; safe, constructive alternatives for high school students; and assistance in passing the California High School Exit Exam. Programs may operate after school only, or after school and any combination of before school, weekends, summer, intersession, and vacation. Each program must consist of three elements: academic assistance, educational enrichment, and family literacy services.

View at http://www.cde.ca.gov/ fg/fo/profile.asp?id=1413

This message has been posted on behalf of the California Department of Education (CDE)

Professional Development Opportunity

Content Literacy Training of the Trainer (ToT)

Elementary, middle and high school training teams, made up of the regional leads for after school, literacy experts from county offices of education, and after school program leaders from counties, districts and community-based agencies supporting after school are welcomed to participate in a statewide initiative intended to strengthen supplemental support services for students in California after school programs. The After School Literacy Project is a partnership of The After School Partnerships Office (ASPO) of the California Department of Education (CDE); San Diego State University Research Foundation; and the Region 9 Technical Assistance Center for After School Programs. This initiative is in alignment with the CCSESA document, System Change for Language Arts: A County Course of Study, in its focus on creating system-wide literacy programs. Most of the strategies were drawn from the handbook, Strategic Teaching and Learning, Standards Based Instruction to Promote Content Literacy in Grades 4-12 (CDE, 2000). California educators gave high ratings to all strategies in the handbook for their helpfulness to students in achieving high standards as set forth in the California English-Language Arts Content Standards and the Reading/Language Arts Framework. Training sessions will be held in December of 2008 in the Los Angeles and Sacramento areas. For more information, and to participate in this free professional development opportunity, click on one of the links below.