Resources
Other Websites
Roots and Shoots
Children and youth in your program may enjoy exploring volunteer and community service opportunities available through Roots and Shoots, the Jane Goodall Institute's international environmental and humanitarian program for youth of all ages.
Founded by 16 Tanzanian students and Dr. Jane Goodall in 1991, all projects are focused on improving the lives of people, animals and the environment.
Roots and Shoots groups do a variety of projects such as helping out at senior citizen centers, planting butterfly gardens and educating others about endangered species.
The Web site details campaigns that are under way, has a search function to join groups that have been established and a guide to starting your own group.
In addition, the site includes a curriculum guide for service learning atwww.rootsandshoots.org/campaigns/servicelearning.
WatchKnowLearn has catalogued more than 20,000 videos. The videos are organized by category, such as language arts, math, science, the arts, life skills and philosophy.
WatchKnowLearn
The nonprofit Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi has created WatchKnowLearn, a free service that provides educational videos organized by category.
WatchKnowLearn has catalogued more than 20,000 videos. The videos are organized by category, such as language arts, math, science, the arts, life skills and philosophy.
Wallace Foundation: Knowledge Center
The conventional six-hour, 180-day school year may not be enough for students in many urban public schools. Wallace is seeking to address that through supporting nonprofits and school districts that are trying out ways to expand learning time during the summer and regular school day or year.
Resources On Afterschool
The online tool Resources On Afterschool was created by the Collaborative Communications Group and funded by the C.S. Mott Foundation that features selected resources.
Resources are available in the areas of research and evaluation, promising practices, professional development, public awareness and communications, policy, and financing in after school.
This online tool, which can be accessed at www.afterschoolresources.org/directory/about_this_web_site.html, can be useful for after-school practitioners and statewide after-school networks. Statewide network members should contact their network coordinator for login information needed to access that section of the site.
Common Sense Media
After-school professionals can work with parents to educate children on becoming savvy viewers with some tips from Common Sense Media available at www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents/junk-food-ads-tips.
Kaboose
Kaboose teaches children how make ice cream using simple ingredients.
Lets Move It
The Cleveland Clinic has created a Web site -www.letsmoveit.org - that offers tips for getting active and eating right. Tips suggested for getting active include walking 15 minutes twice each week; if waiting in line, do calf raises; and taking the stairs instead of an elevator.
Learning In Afterschool (LIA)
Learning In Afterschool (LIA) objectives are to: (1) Define the role of California afterschool programs (2) Enlist afterschool leaders and stakeholders (3) Provide compelling evidence and guidance
American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
The AAHPERD site (www.aahperd.org/naspe/publications/teachingTools) provides a link to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Teacher Toolbox.
Each month, the Teacher Toolbox is updated with physical activities, brain games and other resources. To access the Toolbox, go to www.aahperd.org/naspe/publications/teachingTools/toolbox/index.cfm.
NASPE also provides a link to its guidance documents at www.aahperd.org/naspe/publications/teachingTools/guidance.cfm, which are available to download.
Other resources from NASPE are available at www.aahperd.org/naspe/publications/teachingTools/observepe.cfm.
Discipline Help Website
Are you seeking assistance on how to address behaviors in your program such as bullying, disruption, fighting, gossiping, swearing, arrogance, immaturity and others?
Free online assistance is available from the Discipline Help Web site, http://www.disciplinehelp.com/, created by The Master Teacher.
Every Monday Matters
Every Monday Matters is about ordinary people doing extraordinary good. Ever wondered how to make a difference but didn't know where to start? Start here.
Attendance Counts
Attendance Counts is a national and state level initiative that promotes awareness of the important role that school attendance plays in achieving academic success. It aims to ensure that every school in every state not only tracks chronic absence data for its individual students but also intervenes to help those children and schools.
Nevada Association of School Boards
The Nevada Association of School Boards is dedicated to strengthening public schools through local citizen control. Established in 1963, the organization observed its 45th birthday in 2008.
The SPARK Grant-Finder Tool
The SPARK Grant-Finder Tool is your best resource for locating national and state-specific grants for your Physical Education, After school, Early childhood or Coordinated School Health program. Grants can be used for curriculum, teacher training, or equipment.
Mixing in Math (MiM)
Mixing in Math (MiM) consists of several projects, all based at TERC, a non-profit center for math and science education in Cambridge MA. About 60,000 informal educators (after-school educators, librarians, parents and others) use MiM with over 800,000 children in every state in the US.
Afterschool News Online!
Afterschool News Online! Hungry for the latest news in afterschool? Be sure to check out Afterschool Snack, the Afterschool Alliance's up to the minute blog on afterschool news, trends and information from across the country.
A new report by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids finds that California leads the nation in investment in afterschool programs. The state's afterschool programs serve more than 400,000 students, and California invests more than three times more in afterschool programs than the 49 states combined.
The Youth Development Institute (YDI)
The Youth Development Institute (YDI) supports the growth and development of young people by strengthening the quality and increasing the availability of experiences offered by the organizations that serve them. We partner with community organizations, schools, colleges, policy makers, funders, and others to create programs, train staff, and develop policies that encourage and enable young people to transition successfully to adulthood.
The After-school Corporation
TASC works to ensure every child will have access to free, quality, after-school programs by 2010
Afterschool Alliance
A non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of afterschool programs, advocating for quality afterschool programs.
National Afterschool Association
The National AfterSchool Association is the leading voice of the afterschool profession dedicated to development, education, and care of children and youth during their out of school hours.
Finance Project
Is a specialized non-profit research, consulting, technical assistance and training firm for public and private sector leaders nationwide. We help leaders make smart investment decisions, develop sound financing strategies, and build solid partnerships that benefit children, families and communities.
National Governors Association
The National Governors Association (NGA)—the bipartisan organization of the nation's governors—promotes visionary state leadership, shares best practices and speaks with a unified voice on national policy.
National League of Cities
The National League of Cities is the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments throughout the United States. Its mission is to strengthen and promote cities as centers of opportunity, leadership, and governance.
Who's My Legislator? What's My District?
Nevada Legislature offers a state map that connects you to your district and state representatives.
Nevada AEYC
The Nevada Association for the Education of Young Children (NevAEYC) is an affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and is dedicated to improving the well-being of all young children, with particular focus on the quality of educational and developmental services for all children from birth through age 8.<
Founded in 1926, NAEYC is the world's largest organization working on behalf of young children with nearly 100,000 members, a national network of over 300 local, state, and regional Affiliates, and a growing global alliance of like-minded organizations. Membership is open to all individuals who share a desire to serve and act on behalf of the needs and rights of all young children.
Harvard Family Research Project
Since 1983, we have helped stakeholders develop and evaluate strategies to promote the well being of children, youth, families, and their communities. We work primarily within three areas that support children’s learning and development—early childhood education, out-of-school time programming, and family and community support in education.
Free Online Maps
Rand McNally, which has been making maps for more than 100 years, has created a Web site for educators that features free downloadable maps, activities and teaching tips that help incorporate social studies, geography and history lessons.
A selection of free online maps can be downloaded at http://education.randmcnally.com/education/resources/free_maps.jsp.
The geography briefs link features a selection of PDFs that encourage discussion about the continents, country names, the European Union and other geographic topics.
On the teaching tips and activities link, a number of lessons plans are available, divided by geography and social studies; math; reading and language; and science.
The Nevada Children's DataCenter
The Nevada Children's DataCenter provides a centralized location for research, data, and analysis for individuals and organizations who impact the lives of Nevada's children, including educators, practitioners, policy makers, researchers, media, and other stakeholders.
21st Century Afterschool Science Project (21st CASP)
The Children & Nature Network has created an online toolkit to help with the planning.
The Children & Nature Network
The Children & Nature Network has created an online toolkit to help with the planning.
The five-page PDF features a list of natural service ideas and links to organizations and agencies that might want to partner with after-school programs.
Also available in the toolkit is a list of 10 steps for programs to follow for planning, sharing and documenting an event.
To access the free toolkit, go to www.childrenandnature.org/pdfs/NSN_ToolKit.pdf.
The Character Education Partnership (CEP)
The Character Education Partnership (CEP) has available on its Web site nearly 50 lesson plans that promote character education. Categorized by grade level, each lesson plan outlines what core values are taught, the time needed for the activity, lesson objectives and connections to the CEP's 11 principles. The principles can be viewed at www.character.org/elevenprinciples.
To access the lesson plans, submitted by National Schools (or Districts) of Character, go to www.character.org/lessonplans.
While intended for classrooms, the activities can be adapted for after-school use.
LearningPort
LearningPort is a national professional development library conceived by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP)and developed by the IDEA Partnership. The intent of the library is to support the use of ARRA funds for the
provision of professional development in school districts.
Every Child Matters Nevada
The Every Child Matters Education Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan organization working to make children, youth, and families a national political priority. We promote the adoption of smart policies for children and youth, including:
- Ensuring that children have access to affordable, comprehensive health care services
- Expanding early-care and learning opportunities and after-school programs
- Preventing violence against children in their homes and communities
- Alleviating child poverty, and
- Addressing the special needs of children with parents in prison.
The National Children and Nature Network (C&NN)
The national Children and Nature Network (C&NN) was created to encourage and support the people and organizations working nationally and internationally to reconnect children with nature. The network provides a critical link between researchers and individuals, educators and organizations dedicated to children's health and well-being. C&NN also promotes fundamental institutional change and provides resources for sharing information, strategic initiatives and success stories.
Kid Activities
Kid Activities is dedicated to school-age care professionals—as well as being a resource for pre-school thru high school educators, parents, and program directors--in short anyone who loves engaging children. This service-based website is a rich supply for curriculum planning. It has more than 265 categories loaded with activities to enrich your school-age care experience-- along with tips, articles, training topics, inspiration and valuable reader input. The best thing about this site??? Categories change and grow each week. You'll find current content is frequently updated with a variety of activities and ideas--usually 30 to 60 a week! Be sure to check your favorites --they just may not be the same today--as they were yesterday!
Jack Prelutsky
At poet Jack Prelutsky's site, visitors can enjoy his poems, check out letters that children have written to him and learn about the author.
Shel Silverstein
On the site of the late Shel Silverstein, visitors can play games, write poems, print out free bookmarks and poetry kits and download screensavers, audio tracks and wallpaper.
Young-adult author Margaret Peterson Haddix
Young-adult author Margaret Peterson Haddix features discussion guides for nine of her titles, plus bonus information for two books and a suggested reading list by grade level.
National Conference of State Legislators
Provides information about state governing bodies, current legislation and reports, surveys, and policies. Certain portions are password-protected
Statewide Afterschool Networks.
Statewide Afterschool Networks
The national network of statewide afterschool networks brings together established statewide afterschool networks in their collective mission to build partnerships and policies that are committed to the development and sustainability of quality afterschool programs.
Council of Chief State School Officers
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nonpartisan, nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues.
Learning Point Associates
For more than 25 years, Learning Point Associates has worked to improve teaching and boost learning in schools across the country. We impact the education system by offering research findings and direct experiences that inform funding, policy, and programming decisions.
US Department of Education
ED was created in 1980 by combining offices from several federal agencies. ED's mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.
School Age Notes
School-Age Notes is a publisher and retailer of books, videos, DVDs, music CDs and other resources for after-school professionals and after-school programs and summer programs geared to school-age children. Science and math enrichment, literacy, curriculum planning, staff training, discipline, summer programs, arts and crafts, fitness, games, cooking, drama, multicultural activities and many more topics are covered in resources available for order from School-Age Notes.
Nevada PIRC
The Nevada State Parent Information & Resource Center at the Education Alliance of Washoe County is a federally funded program through the United States Department of Education, Office of Innovation & Improvement.
Southwest Education Development Laboratories (SEDL)
SEDL is a private, nonprofit education research, development, and dissemination (RD&D) corporation based in Austin, Texas. Improving teaching and learning has been at the heart of SEDL’s work for more than 40 years.
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
The American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation joined forces in May of 2005 to create a healthier generation by addressing one of the nation's leading public health threats -- childhood obesity. Along with our co-leader Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, the Alliance works to positively affect the places that can make a difference to a child's health: homes, schools, restaurants, doctor's offices and communities.
Other Poetry Sites
Seussville
Fancy Nancy Boooks
R.L. Stein
Hank Zipper
Free Writing Tips
For some tips on free writing visit this site.
Foundations, Inc
Foundations, Inc. is a nonprofit organization committed to improving educational experiences for America's children and youth—throughout the day, everywhere they learn. Partnering with education and community leaders, Foundations supports those who enhance the lives and prospects of our most vulnerable children.