Send a letter or at least good thoughts - In Washington, H.R. 3036, the No Child Left Inside Act has made great progress in Congress. On June 18, the House Committee on Education and Labor voted 37-8 to pass the legislation out of Committee, clearing the way for the bill to be debated on the floor of the House of Representatives. H.R. 3036 could be debated on the House floor shortly.
Sponsored by Representative John Sarbanes (MD), this act would offer states incentives to develop Environmental Literacy Plans and integrate environmental education across their K-12 curriculums. It would also increase funding for teacher training to ensure that teachers have the skills and knowledge necessary to deliver high quality environmental education. Such curricula would use the local environment as an extension of the classroom. Passage of the No Child Left Inside Act would ensure that schools have the resources and training necessary to help the next generation understand and address the challenges of protecting the environment. (Thanks to the American Society of Landscape Architects for the update.)
AfterSchool Professional Network welcomes the members of the Arizona Center for AfterSchool Excellence. Membership in AfterSchoolPRO is a new member benefit for those belonging to the Arizona Center for AfterSchool Excellence, serving providers, programs and agencies throughout Arizona.
From Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation -
Special Projects Program helps after-school music programs ($500 - $8000 in instruments). For afterschool music programs that are at least three years old OR have a music-related umbrella organization that is at least three years old to apply.
To build on the momentum of Summer Learning Day, please contact your Congressional delegation and urge them to support the STEP UP Act. Click here for a quick and easy way to show your support for summer learning programs. "Research shows that 65 percent of the ninth-grade achievement gap between poor and more advantaged youths is due to unequal summer learning experiences during the elementary school years," said Ron Fairchild, executive director of the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University. "When low-income children aren't learning in the summer, they lose more than two months of reading skills. Research also shows that kids gain weight two to three times faster during the summer as they do during the entire school year." STEP UP would fund a pilot program in 5 states. (Thanks to the National Center for Summer Learning.)
Running programs this summer? Its a wonderful opportunity to take photographs to use throughout the year to communicate who you are and what you do. The light, colors and activities can yield great photos. Just don't forget to get release forms!
For those of us with a lot on our minds: the generic access for the Members Only pages is username - apn and password - afterschool.
One of the benefits is to purchase at a discount from the DK Essential Manager Series. Titles purchased for you include: Learning to Lead, Communicate Clearly, and Thinking Creatively. The "buy 3, shipping included" option for $20 was the most popular choice, shown in the survey. Each volume is about 70 pages and virtually every page has an idea or tip you can incorporate into your thinking and practice almost immediately. View all titles available for purchase.
