The Wallace Foundation has introduced two new resources to help districts and community based organizations create high-quality summer programs. A newly updated report by the RAND Corporation Getting to Work on Summer Learning, Second Edition explains the elements of successful summer programs, offering school districts advice on staffing, recruitment, creating a positive climate, and so much more. The accompanying online Summer Learning Toolkit, mapped to RAND’s findings, features more than 50 practical tools and planning resources to help school districts and their partners design and deliver high-quality summer programs.

Community IT Innovators is hosting a Technology Trends Round Table 2019 webinar on January 16, 2019 from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EST. The webinar will focus on technology trends that grew over 2018 and what to expect in nonprofit technology in 2019. The discussion will also touch on IT security at nonprofits, and will address up and coming technologies to watch, innovations to embrace, and continuing technology basics that nonprofits can upgrade in 2019. This webinar is appropriate for nonprofit executives, managers and nonprofit IT personnel. Register to participate.

The Network for Youth Success has prioritized a state policy ask for an increase in the per-student rate for the Advantage After School grants in this year's state budget. The rate is set currently at $1,375 per student and the Network for Youth Success Policy Committee has recommended an ask of $2,320 per student based on raising minimum wage levels and feedback from providers. Information from program providers will help the Network for Youth Success better understand the landscape in the field to support this ask. Complete the survey, primarily focused on your program's staffing, by the end of the business day December 20, 2018.

Students Learn More with Afterschool STEM is a one-page document from the Afterschool Alliance that makes the case for afterschool STEM using the latest research. According to the document, helping kids learn science, technology, engineering, and math is key to building a prosperous economy for all. By fully utilizing the hours outside of school and taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to maximize collective impact, the field can ensure that kids are prepared to tackle the challenges of the future. The document outlines the unique benefits of afterschool STEM which include extra exposure, the ability to practice STEM skills in an informal space, cultivation of interests, and equitable access to engaging learning programs for a diverse range of students.

In celebration of CSEdWeek 2018, Tech Kids Unlimited is hosting workshops for teens and parents on December 9, 2018 from 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm. At the TKU Codes event, students and families will engage in a variety of coding and tech activities. Teens and young adults, ages 14 - 21, will create digital drawings using Python Trinket and parents will get a crash course in Photoshop and create digital winter cards in an inter-generational workshop featuring TKU Creative Tech Interns as tech counselors. There is a registration fee. Download the flyer to learn more.

Cooper Hewitt’s Design Scholars is a free after school program that features hands-on workshops with professional designers, design studio visits, and college tours during the school year. In Spring 2019, the program will feature fashion, graphic, product, and interaction design. Interested high school students must submit an application for the Design Scholars program. Accepted students must commit to weekly after-school sessions from 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm on Tuesdays during the spring 2019 semester. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Contact Meagan Mahaffy for more information at chyouthprograms@si.edu or (212) 849-8353.

The Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness is raising awareness about the importance of counting all children experiencing homelessness through a series of daily releases to mark Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Homeless children and their families need more than a safe place to sleep. They need educational supports, food security, and resources for health and well-being. Learn more about children experiencing homelessness and food insecurity in your community.

Applications are now being accepted for the Verizon 5G EdTech Challenge, a $1M challenge for nonprofit and university innovators. Verizon and NYC Media Lab are searching for cutting-edge educational technologies that can transform middle schools nationwide. 10 Challenge winners will each receive a $100,000 grant to build upon their research and missions in a 5G-enabled environment. Apply online by Friday, November 30, 2018.

The Department for Youth and Community Development (DYCD) is offering Spring 2019 Scholarships for both the Family Development Credential (FDC) Program for frontline staff and the Family Development Credential Program for Leaders for supervisors, managers and directors. These intensive professional development training opportunities emphasize empowerment and family support as a way of delivering human services, education, and health to individuals, youth and families. Classes begin on Friday, February 22, 2019. Online Scholarship Applications are due by December 19, 2018. For further program information, please contact Rhodesia Humphrey at 646-343-6224, CB-FDC@dycd.nyc.gov.

Network for Youth Success 2019 Advocacy Day will take place on Wednesday, January 23, 2019. Program providers, students, parents, and other supporters of afterschool, summer, and expanded learning programs are encouraged to join the Network for Youth Success in Albany, NY to meet with New York’s Assemblymembers and Senators for New York’s children and families. Register now to join them.