CAN Newsletter – Spring into Action!
April 13, 2022

CAN Newsletter
Children and adult observing flowers in a garden.

It’s the season of new beginnings! Spring is the season during which the natural world revives and reinvigorates after the colder winter months. During spring, plants begin to grow again, new seedlings sprout out of the ground and hibernating animals awake. In education, it’s also the time of year when we Spring into Action and start preparing for the traditional academic school year to end and continue planning for summer learning experiences. Additionally, things are quite busy as educators spring into all things with the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program to support all CA children, youth and families. 

Though it’s a time for positive change, growth and freshness are in the air, we, unfortunately, are working through global traumatic experiences as we see the turmoil of war in Ukraine and nearby countries. It is important we continue to care for ourselves, our children and youth, and our families during these challenging times. This month’s newsletter is full of resources to support educators including Updates from the CDE, CAN News, Upcoming Events and New Information and Resources.  

In This Newsletter:

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Equity Evolution: CANs Growth Story
Vol. 7

Sensitive Content Warning - Our blog series is an open space for sharing stories and experiences on our equity journey. The following blog post includes the topic of sexual assault, and some might find this topic disturbing or traumatizing. Please care for yourself. 

A Quick Glance in the Mirror

My name is Lupita Perez and I am grateful for this chance to share part of my story with you all. In this blog post, I wanted to explore a topic that is close to my heart, but I do have to warn you that it is not a “light” or openly discussed topic despite the disturbing amount of people whom it resonates with. So let me get right to it, my goal in signing up for April’s post of the CAN teams Equity Blog Series was to bring attention to Sexual Assault Awareness Month while also weaving in my personal experiences and reflections that have influenced my work and relationship with others.

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CA Dept. of Education logo

UPK Planning and Implementation Guidance Release & Office Hours

UPK Planning and Implementation Guidance 

The California Department of Education (CDE) is excited to announce that additional Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) Planning and Implementation guidance has been posted on the California Educators Together website. See below for a list of new sections of guidance. The main web page can be found at Universal PreKindergarten/Preschool to Third Grade (UPK/P-3).

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CDE logo

Supporting Inclusion from Preschool through 3rd Grade Webinar
Thursday, April 21, 2022; 3:30 - 5:00 PM PST

The California Department of Education is pleased to announce the next installment of the Opportunities for All Branch P-3 webinar series, Supporting Inclusion from Preschool through 3rd Grade, will be held on Thursday, April 21, 2022, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.

The webinar is designed to support local educational agencies, community-based organizations, and their partners to understand the importance of inclusive classrooms for young children with and without disabilities, receive information about existing and proposed legislation and funding opportunities to support more preschool and early elementary inclusive classrooms, and learn more about best practices for effective preschool through third grade inclusion. 

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PON 15th Anniversary Logo

New Playbook: Working with Parents of English Learners

The Parent Organization Network (PON) recently published the PON Playbook for Working with Parents of English Learners. This resources provides approaches and strategies for leveraging parent and community leaders as advocates for English learners. It outlines a six-step process to support the capacity building of parents to see themselves as agents of change who can influence decisions for goals and allocations for English learners. 

Explore the resource in English and Spanish!

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HowKidsLearn banner

Meaningful Writing in Afterschool: Poetry, Spoken Word and Journaling
Wednesday, April 13, 2022; 10:00 AM PST

Sign up for HowKidsLearn Foundation and Temescal Associates’s upcoming webinar:  Meaningful Writing in Afterschool: Poetry, Spoken Word and Journaling. Explore opportunities for youth to reflect on and express their thoughts and feelings are critical strategies for any afterschool program.

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

10:00 AM PST

Learn more and register today!

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Education Week logo

SEL and Student Mental Well-Being: Flipping the Script Around Student Supports
Wednesday, April 13, 2022; 11:00 AM PST

Register for EducationWeek’s upcoming webinar on mental health. Explore a framework for a multi-tiered student well-being system (MTSS) to:

  • Build necessary skills ahead of challenges 
  • Identify and target supports to emerging issues 
  • Efficiently lead students of high need to quality services

Wednesday, April 13, 2022

11:00 AM PST

Learn more and register!

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Students and teachers holding papers with lightbulbs on them

Calling All Afterschool Artists! Lights on Afterschool Poster Contest
Deadline: May 16, 2022

The Lights On Afterschool poster contest is officially open, and this year they’re changing the theme to reflect how youth see themselves and their futures because of their afterschool program! The winning submission will be awarded $500 and will have their design printed on more than 50,000 posters and displayed at more than 8,000 Lights on Afterschool events across the nation.

To learn more about the content and how to submit your artwork, visit their website!

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Afterschool Alliance logo

ARP Resources: Funding, Staffing, Trends

Afterschool Alliance has compiled a list of resources that detail how programs are utilizing ARP funds in their programs for staffing, program creation, and other trends in the afterschool sector:

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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!