CAN Newsletter – Celebrating All the Things!
May 15, 2025

CAN Newsletter
NAMI social media promo

Hello May! As the days grow warmer and longer, and summer sunsets draw near, we at CAN are excited to welcome May with well wishes for everyone. We also celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month—a time to honor and uplift the rich, diverse histories and contributions of AANHPI communities. Explore free learning resources from Common Sense Education to deepen your understanding and appreciation this month.

May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. This year, NAMIs 2025 theme is “In Every Story, There Is Strength,” encouraging us all to raise our voices, share our stories, and help shift the conversation around mental health. Whether advocating for change, spreading awareness, or simply listening, every action breaks the stigma and builds a more supportive world. Stay tuned for the next edition of our Health & Wellness Newsletter, coming soon—it will focus on mental health and include helpful information and resources.

Finally, as the 2024–25 academic year comes to a close for many, we want to take a moment to acknowledge the hard work of children, youth, families, and educators across California. May this be a time to reflect on the year’s successes, celebrate the “glows,” and look ahead with intention toward growth and opportunity in the coming year.

In This Newsletter:

Post
Resources available from the Spring ELO-P Academy

Access Resources from the Spring 2025 ELO-P Academy!

The California AfterSchool Network, in partnership with the California Department of Education’s Expanded Learning Division,  co-hosted the Spring 2025 Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) Academy. This multi-day virtual convening of workshops is provided to support our District, School, and Community Partner practitioners with the design and continued implementation of the CA Expanded Learning Opportunities Program.

Each day was focused on one specific topic related to Expanded Learning:

Post

The Ecosystem Plan Update: Welcome the Ecosystem Plan Design Team!
April/May 2025

An ocean-themed graphic with the text: "“Uno Resuena” Quote  (means “one resonates” in Spanish. It suggests a feeling of strong connection, mutual understanding or a feeling of shared identity)  “Liberated relationships are one of the ways we actually create abundant justice, the understanding that there is enough attention, care, resources and connection for all of us to access belonging, to be in our dignity and to be safe in community.” -adrienne maree brown"We’re excited to welcome the Ecosystem Plan Design Team! This dynamic and diverse group of designers will help co-create the process and strategies we center to develop Strategic Plan 3.0  also known as the “Ecosystem Plan.” 

But this is more than a strategic plan, it is a collective impact strategy for the Expanded Learning field. Together, we aim to position Expanded Learning as an essential part of California’s education, health, and human services ecosystem. We are so honored to collaborate with this incredible dream team as we join forces to shape the future of Expanded Learning in California.

Post
Family engaging in a STEM activity

Free Engineering Activities for Families

EiE (Engineering in Elementary) Families, from the Museum of Science, Boston, has released several new activities and interactive introductions to at-home engineering and computer science activities. These brief online experiences introduce families to the engineering design process and important ideas in computer science, so they are ready to try out hands-on activities with confidence. 

All resources, including the online guides and activities, are available for free in English and Spanish

Post
Meet the CAN Team graphic

Meet the CAN Team!
Social Media Campaign

The CAN team has grown over the last year and we want to highlight all of our amazing new (and existing) team members! We have started a campaign to showcase our team where you can learn a little more about our paths that have led us to CAN!

Check out the posts on our social media pages:

Post

Check Out Our Other Newsletters!

Access the CAN newsletter archives to view past newsletters today! You may be interested in some of our other newsletters as well:

CAN Health and Wellness Newsletters

  • Get informed on the connections between afterschool and Whole Child Health and Wellness.
  • Subscribe today!

CAN STEAM Newsletters​

  • Get informed about the Million Girl Moonshot project and access other STEAM resources.
  • Subscribe today!

CAN Policy Newsletter

  • Get informed about policy-related content, including national, state, and local updates, that supports our Expanded Learning programs.
  • Subscribe today!