Resources for out-of-school-time staff to navigate COVID-19
America's Promise Bulletin - April 8, 2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we are sending more frequent email updates featuring news and resources about the health crisis’s effects on young people and ways we can continue to support them. If you’re not interested in receiving these special COVID-19 newsletters, please let us know here.
As schools across the country transition to virtual learning, it’s important to remember learning and growth for young people doesn’t only happen in the classroom. What’s happening with our young people before and after school hours when they’d ordinarily be lacing up their cleats for soccer practice or heading to an arts program?
Out-of-school-time programs and providers play an integral role in young people’s lives. Many families depend on the resources and supports that out-of-school-time programs offer. These programs are as essential to learning as what happens during the school day. They offer distinct learning settings for young people, give children the opportunity to forge relationships with caring adults, offer access to key health resources, and often provide a meal or snack that a child depends on.
We know that COVID-19 and its devastating economic implications has hit the out-of-school time community hard with some providers being forced to let staff go and others scrambling to provide virtual learning opportunities for young people. To do our small part during this uncertain time, we want to point out-of-school time staff to some useful partner resources to help maintain connection with the young people they serve in a time of social distancing.
Coronavirus and Youth Sports: Aspen Institute Sports and Society Program is collecting information on how the outbreak is affecting youth sports and compiling resources, reports, and producing webinars for parents on how coaches and leaders can respond to the situation.
What Happens When Out-of-School Time is All the Time?: Forum for Youth Investment’s President & CEO, Karen Pittman offers her perspective on the COVID-19 outbreak and looks ahead to the future for out-of-school time staff.
For more tools, check out the full list of resources that America’s Promise is updating regularly to help educators, out-of-school-time providers, parents and families, and community leaders support their young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. We invite you to email us at [email protected] or reach out to us on Twitter (@AmericasPromise) if you have additional resources you’d like to share.
News: Covid-19 and Our Children
Here’s what we’re reading and listening to as we consider the implications of this pandemic on our children and young people.
Leaders in Lowell Podcast- a new podcast by one of our Power of Youth winners, Leaders in Lowell where they discuss topics like leadership, running a nonprofit, and community involvement.
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