NYS TARC Newsletter—September 2022
Updated: Sep 7, 2022
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NYSED News/Updates PD/Events Resources NYS Program Spotlight: Geneva CSD NYS Program Spotlight: Ithaca CSD
NYSED News/Updates
Fall 2022 Conference Schedule
All sessions are mandatory for all subgrantees. Sessions are held virtually via Zoom from 10:00-11:30am
September 21st: Site Monitoring Visit Tool
September 28th: Fiscal Requirements
October 12th: NYS Network for Youth Success Quality Self-Assessment (QSA) Tool
October 19th: Fall Kick-Off Conference
Zoom links will be available immediately after registering, and will be sent to you via email the day before and morning of the event. If you do not receive the Zoom link, please contact your Resource Center.
Check out the August 31 session on 'The Evaluability Checklist and Advisory Boards' recording + slides.
October 30, 2022 — Lights On Afterschool
Lights On Afterschool celebration is only a few weeks away! On October 20, join the Network and the Afterschool Alliance for Lights On Afterschool, the only nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families, and communities.
Lights On draws attention to the many ways afterschool programs support students by offering them opportunities to learn new things and discover new skills. Lights On highlights the importance of afterschool and the need for quality afterschool programs for all youth.
Visit the Afterschool Alliance's Lights On Afterschool Planning Kit to learn how you can participate. Register your Lights On event here.
New Round 8 21st CCLC subgrantees:
Your Resource Center will be reaching out to schedule Welcome Visits with your team, to learn more about your program and introduce you to grant expectations and the Site Monitoring Visit Tool. Please be on the lookout for additional information from your Resource Center. (Please note: returning Round 7 subgrantees are eligible for Site Monitoring Visits in the 22-23 school year, and may be contacted by the Resource Center to schedule the visit.)
Important Reminders from the 21st CCLC Timeline:
Convene 1st Advisory Board Meeting/Kick-Off. Invite all stakeholders, including school administration, all program partners, parents, evaluator, age-appropriate students, educational liaisons, and all other community stakeholders. Purposes: Comprehensive Planning, creating/clarifying mutual agreements. Topics might include scheduling, roles, norms/expectations for engagement, communication, collaboration. See Advisory Board memo for more detail.
Engage in 1st Internal Improvement Cycle Session. Use the Quality Self-Assessment (QSA) Tool to guide the process of identifying measurable targets/goals, practical ways of tracking progress, indicators of success to look for. Additional information about the QSA Tool is available at: http://networkforyouthsuccess.org/qsa.
School Age Child Care (SACC) Registrations must be current and sent to NYSED and TARCs before funds are released and programming can begin.
Attend the Local Evaluators’ Network Forum/Kick-Off Meeting. Sept/Oct, TBD. Recommended for Local Evaluators and interested Program Leaders to receive policy updates, to engage in clarifying discussions about evaluation and reporting requirements, and to share/exchange resources, tools, and insights about data collection, progress reporting, and measuring program outcomes/impacts.
Be aware of new COVID guidance for the upcoming school year:
As we enter a new phase of the pandemic, with increased access to COVID-19 information, vaccination, testing, and treatment, New York State, based in part on federal CDC recommendations, is changing COVID-19 guidance to give school districts and schools more flexibility.
We hope these resources will help guide your back-to-school plans as you commence the 2022-2023 academic year. Questions may be directed to the NYSDOH by email at SchoolQuestionsCOVID@health.ny.gov.
PD/Events
Required: Fall '22 Conference
All sessions are Mandatory for all subgrantees. Sessions are held virtually via Zoom from 10:00-11:30am.
Sept 21: Site Monitoring Visit Tool
Sept 28: Fiscal Requirements
Oct 12: NYS Network for Youth Success Quality Self-Assessment (QSA) Tool
Oct 19: Fall Kick-Off Conference
Check out the August 31 session on 'The Evaluability Checklist and Advisory Boards' recording + slides.
Other (non-required) events that may interest you:
Ongoing: Self-Paced Professional Development
As a 21st CCLC subgrantee, you have access to free professional development through Change Up Learning, an online training platform for youth development programs. Relevant topics include Restorative Practice, Equity and Inclusion, Positive Behavior Management, and more! Users can explore content, gain resources, and receive a certificate with SACC credits upon the completion of each course. Gain access to a growing library of courses by creating an account using the custom links below:
If you’re based in NYC, activate your account here.
If you’re based in the rest of NY state, activate your account here.
On-Demand Recordings: Cultivating Equity in Community Schools Using the NYS Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework: A Four Part Regional Conference Series
Through Dec '22: Network for Youth Success Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Training Series
Sept 15: A Walk Through The Family Engagement Core Competencies
Sept 16: Building Successful Partnerships to Support Community School Strategies (Virtual Event)
Sept 20-22: 2022 New York State Suicide Prevention Conference
Sept 22: Virtual Youth Town Hall: How Adults Can Help Address Challenges in the New School Year
Oct 4, Oct 18, & Nov 8: ETAC: Creating a Culture of Care Series
Oct 6, Nov 3, Dec 8, Jan 12, Feb 2, & Mar 2: Mental Health and Well-Being with Communication Pathologist and expert Dr. Caroline Leaf (Registration opening soon. This is an ETAC event.)
Oct 11-15: National Family Engagement Summit
Nov 10, Dec 7, & Jan 18: Fatherhood Initiative: Community of Practice (Registration opening soon. This is an ETAC event.)
Nov 15, Dec 13, Mar 7, & May 3: CS/MTSS Community of Practice with Ali Hearn, LCSW: Holding It All, Together
Resources
Applying for a Full-Service Community Schools Grant? The Network for Youth Success Can Help!
The U.S. Department of Education has released the Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) Grant application for FY 2022 with proposals due September 12th. Expanded and enriched learning time, such as afterschool and summer programs, is one pillar of full-service community schools. If you are submitting a proposal, the Network for Youth Success offers a number of services and professional development opportunities to improve the quality of expanded learning programs.
Learn more about the Network's Services for Prospective Grantees. Read more about the FSCS grants and access recorded webinars from the Coalition for Community Schools here.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Training
The New York State Network for Youth Success is pleased to offer a FREE training series on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) for afterschool and youth professionals.
We encourage every youth professional to participate. The lens of your own experience is just one perspective, but with JEDI training you will be able to see the entire landscape.
Recruit New Staff for Free - post Your Jobs on the NEW Afterschool Pathfinder!
Need support finding staff? The New York State Network for Youth Success recently launched the redeveloped AfterschoolPathfinder.org, the premiere career site for afterschool and youth work. This FREE resource maintains a comprehensive list of jobs available to the dedicated people who work in afterschool, expanded learning, and other youth programs in New York State. The website provides a platform to advertise positions for potential staff and access to browse eligible candidates to work for your organization.
Physical Fitness Resource
Power Up Fitness is teaching us that Movement + Learning = FUN! Add physical activity to your lessons with these fun active ideas from Power up Fitness!
https://www.powerupfitness.net/blog
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
Check out these Suicide Prevention resources: http://www.nysed.gov/news/2022/mental-health-education-and-suicide-prevention-resources-now-available-schools-develop
Affordable Connectivity Program Helping Families Connect to the Internet
The cost of internet services just became more affordable for Head Start families through the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). This $14 billion ACP program replaces the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program to connect families and households to internet services. Eligible households may receive subsidies of up to $30 per month on internet service plans, and up to $75 per month for eligible households on tribal lands. READ MORE.
Training Resource for District Leaders to Provide Mandated Training for Staff as Required by The Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act (Project SAVE)
The Office of Student Support Services has developed a training resource to supplement existing district training on school violence prevention.
This recorded slide deck provides an overview of student mental health, violence prevention, and prompts to guide your school through an overview of your District-Wide School Safety Plan and Building-Level Emergency Response Plan.
The training includes several opportunities for administrators and/or safety team members to lead participants through discussions and review of district and school protocols and safety plans.
Additional information and a link to the recorded training module are available on the Student Support Services SAVE webpage, under News.
Questions should be directed to 518-486-6090 or SafetyPlans@nysed.gov.
The New York State Commission On National and Community Service Request for Proposals
The New York State Commission on National and Community Service has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Student Support Corps (SSC) to address the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on K-12 students in New York State.
Additional information about the SSC program can be found at the following website https://newyorkersvolunteer.ny.gov/.
Information about the RFP (RFP 1099) is available at https://ocfs.ny.gov/main/contracts/funding/
Questions about this RFP must be sent to AmeriCorpsRFP@ocfs.ny.gov no later than noon on September 16, 2022.
A questions and answers summary will be posted on or about September 23, 2022.
All applications must be submitted in eGrants Login (cns.gov) by noon on October 7, 2022.
Funding Opportunities
The U.S. Department of Education will Award more than $6 Million to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) Impacted by Community Violence
Project Prevent grants will expand the capacity of LEAs to implement community- and school-based strategies to help prevent community violence and mitigate the impacts of exposure to community violence. With these funds, LEAs can increase their capacity to identify, assess, and serve students exposed to community violence, helping LEAs to:
increase student access to mental health services;
support conflict management programs; and
implement other community- and school-based strategies to help prevent community violence and to mitigate the impacts of exposure to community violence.
Eligibility: Local educational agencies or consortia of local educational agencies are eligible to apply for these grants. The Department is especially interested in programs that support children and youth from low-income backgrounds.
The notice inviting applications is available on the Federal Register webpage.
Stabilization Grant 2.0 & Webinar
The Office for Children and Family Services is making $343 million in funding available to support a new round of Child Care Stabilization Grants targeting workforce supports and strengthening infrastructure. In an effort to focus on workforce supports, 75% of the funds must be spent on workforce support expenses, while the remaining 25% can be used for eligible expenses.
The application for SACC providers opened on August 30. Programs are eligible if they are OCFS or NYC programs that were licensed, registered, permitted, and enrolled on or before January 1, 2022.
To learn more and apply, visit the Child Care Stabilization Grant Webpage.
**If you are looking for more information about applying for the stabilization grant be sure to review the September 1 webinar.
During this one-hour session OCFS will provide information on the Child Care Stabilization 2.0 Grant for Workforce Supports, including a demonstration of the portal and application walkthrough. For additional information visit the NYSOCFS website at: https://ocfs.ny.gov/main/
Program Spotlights Great things were happening this summer!
Geneva City School District
The Geneva City School District has had the opportunity to provide a SummerSchool 2022 program for students at Geneva’s North Street School and Geneva Middle School. Summer School 2022 program provided our students an opportunity to accelerate learning and begin closing academic gaps. Collaboration with the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva provided a full day of academic, social/emotional and recreational enrichment activities. Students experienced authentic and meaningful learning activities. Some of the activities included ice cream making, nature walks, art expression, vacation planning, science of cooking & baking, grocery shopping, school enterprise, gardening, blueberry picking and Reading Theater.
Students focused on building soft skills through activities that required team
building, communication, problem-solving, and regulating emotions. Field trips in
the community provided additional opportunities for students to increase career/work readiness skills as well as an awareness of their own vocational interests and strengths.
Another partner, Geneva Reads, scheduled a Book Fair allowing each student to
pick out free books (pictures included) promoting literacy with students and their
families.
Staff and students enjoyed the relaxed, positive learning communities where
creativity and risk-taking were supported and encouraged. All involved are in a
better position for a strong start to the new school year.
Ithaca City School District
Project Innovation: Cultivating Connections is an expansion of the Ithaca CSD’s successful 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, serving over 300 elementary and middle school students who qualify for one or more of the following: free and reduced lunch, special education services, and English as a New Language (ENL) services.
Project Innovation: Cultivating Connections aims to create an unparalleled learning experience for students and empowers them to be leaders in creating the programming and curriculum they need to succeed.
"[...]The summer program centers students as partners in designing project-based units of studies where students grow their identities as scientists, readers, writers, artists, and much more. Multi-age classrooms with a focus on outdoor learning experiences in collaboration with The Learning Farm, Circus Culture, and Ithaca Children’s Garden allow for students to have literacy experiences that reflect our commitment to a historically responsive literacy program,” shares Assistant Superintendent of Inclusion Mary Grover.
The program adds valuable hands-on experiences with gardening, food, and service learning that complement students’ academics and connects them to their community. The efforts fall in alignment with the district’s Learning Forward initiative: a three-year approach to academic and social-emotional learning, as well as its commitment to reverse the legacy of racism and establish communities built on love and joy.