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Engineering Mindsets – FREE Training

PSAYDN has the opportunity through the STEM Next Opportunity Fund to provide free training and curriculum to interested afterschool programs.

Families, Music and Fun

Hear the sounds, sing a song, move to the beat or hum along. These are just few activities parents and children can do together every day. Music is a powerful tool that can promote and strengthen parent-child interactions, communication and much more. Typically, families listen to music for entertainment purposes; however, as parents and caregivers further explore and integrate music in their daily lives, music provides an opportunity to enhance child development skills and family well-being.

Pennsylvania’s Afterschool Network Welcomes New Associate Director

Center for Schools and Communities expanded learning initiative announces new leadership.

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 5, 2021 — Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) today announced Steven Williams as its new associate director. In this position, Williams will work to promote high-quality afterschool and summer youth development programs through advocacy and capacity building. Williams has more than eight years’ experience in various committee and legislative support positions with the commonwealth. Prior to joining PSAYDN, he was Pennsylvania House of Representatives executive director for the Allegheny County House Democratic Delegation and a research analyst for the House Democratic Policy Committee.

Williams replaces Laura Saccente, who now leads strategic initiatives for Center for Schools and Communities, the network’s managing organization. “Steven’s extensive experience in policy and involvement in the state’s afterschool caucus make him the perfect fit for continuing the call to expand program availability for under-served children and youth. His expertise and leadership will be imperative as PSAYDN evolves and grows to reach all corners of the state to provide support,” Saccente added.

Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool/Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) Announces 2021 Pennsylvania STEM Ambassadors

Program helps develop science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) policy leaders in Pennsylvania and recognizes 35 members of the fourth cohort.

HARRISBURG, Pa., March 3, 2021 — PSAYDN announced the fourth cohort of the Pennsylvania STEM Ambassadors Program, which aims to shape the future of STEM education in the commonwealth by targeting vital policy conversations to legislative leadership in the areas of STEM Learning ecosystems, computer science, apprenticeships, state and federal policy for formal and informal education, and workforce needs.

Press Release | Meet the 2021 Pennsylvania STEM Ambassadors

Nurturing Vitality

For me, February always brings the winter doldrums. By now I have settled into (or perhaps shed) my New Year’s resolutions and am anxious for spring, but warmer weather is still months away, and the months of the year seem to stretch before me. A mentor once told me that winter should be a time of rest and hibernation — a time to nurture ideas and projects that will come to fruition in the future.

Math Is All Around Us

We love reading about child development. Extensive scientific research has revealed the benefits of talking and reading with young children. In addition to encouraging bonding, these interactions promote vocabulary and content knowledge building. These exchanges can be effective in developing literacy and numeracy.

Center for Schools and Communities Staff Named 2020 Awardee of Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children’s Professional Development Scholarship

Pennsylvania Partnerships for Children’s Joan Benso Professional Development Fund supports nonprofit leaders in Pennsylvania’s child-serving fields to enhance their management and leadership skills. This year, Karen Lehman was among six individuals to receive the award. Karen is the Youth Development Program Manager at the Center.

Sixteen Charts That Changed the Way We Thought About America’s Schools This Year

Never before has the American education system been put under a microscope — sometimes literally — the way it was in 2020. It was education’s worst year. But as the months crawled by, researchers kept collecting data and putting surveys in the field. They gave us a picture of which kids were most at risk of falling behind, how fast they might catch up with a dose of high-intensity tutoring, and why local leaders were deciding to reopen schools to in-person learning. Beyond the studies looking specifically at the effects of the pandemic, we continued to learn about the ways in which the nation’s 130,000 elementary and secondary schools make an impact on the lives of children.

Growing Pains

An educator, mentor and mother shares her reflection, discovery and surprise about her own bias.

I think of myself as a good person. I am reflective, kind, and generous. I feel I am well-informed, progressive, and tolerant. I have spent my life mentoring other people, teaching others new skills and trying to help them as much as I could. I grew up traveling, living in different cultures. I majored in Latinx Studies and researched multicultural education. I have taught my child to be her best, most compassionate self.

While Pennsylvania Parents Give Afterschool Programs High Marks, New Household Survey Finds Huge Unmet Demand for Afterschool in the State

Many more Pennsylvania parents want afterschool programs for their children than are able to access them, according to a household survey commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance and released today. It finds that, by overwhelming margins, parents express strong, broad-based support for afterschool programs. But unmet demand – the percentage of children in Pennsylvania not currently in an afterschool program whose parents say they would be enrolled if an afterschool program were available to them – has remained high over the past six years, with low-income families in particular citing cost as a barrier to enrolling their children. As a result, for every child in an afterschool program in Pennsylvania today, four more are waiting to get into a program.

Families on the Move

At this time of year, I set self-care intentions to guide my winter habits. I make sure to spend time relaxing on the couch with a good book, a warm blanket, and a steaming cup of tea. I also think about ways to keep my body moving every day. I find that unlike relaxing on the couch, I need to plan my movement to make sure it happens.

We All Need Help Sometimes

The COVID-19 pandemic has created the opportunity for us to recognize the truth in that statement: “We all need help sometimes.” The indefinite nature of the pandemic — its length, its pervasiveness, its capacity to infect people — has caused mental and physical stress for many individuals. They wonder: What will be impacted today? When will we be “back to normal”? Will we ever return to the way it was or will there be a new normal? If so, what will that look like? Should we postpone this event? When will we be able to hold a place-based gathering safely?