Resources
Afterschool Vendors
21st Century Community Learning Centers
Sponsored by the US Department of Education, they support the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children from high-poverty and low-performing schools. The program helps students meet state and local student standards; offers a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.
www.ade.state.az.us/21stcentury/
Afterschool.gov
Afterschool.gov is a website that connects afterschool providers to Federal resources that support children and youth during out-of-school hours. It includes information about how to begin your own afterschool program and where to find federal funding for such programs.
www.afterschool.gov
Community Learning
Community Learning is the developer of interactive curriculum "Course Kits," created around high interest, thematic topics that engage students in learning through hands-on activities and projects. Community Learning's Course Kits have helped teachers and administrators in over 40 states enhance their programs and promote them to community leaders and funders.
Creativity Institute
The Creativity Institute is an online store with tools and supplies for teachers and care providers. “Our goal is not to necessarily have the most advertised toys of the moment, but a selection of educational toys that encourage pretend play and that present children with creative options, laying a foundation for creative thought that will follow a child through life.”
www.creativityinstitute.com
Ear Candy
Ear Candy is a Phoenix based non-profit devoted to providing kids access to music education. They believe that all the children of this world deserve the opportunity to be exposed to music’s powerful influence and have created a sustainable solution to address the growing epidemic of music being eliminated from schools.
www.earcandycharity.org
Empower Pack
Empower Pack program empowers children to make good choices about nutrition, physical activity, and tobacco using age-appropriate vehicles including costumed characters and a coloring book. In addition to reduced licensing fees, participating child care providers, or Empower Centers, receive an Empower Pack. The guidelines and tools included in this Empower Pack can be easily incorporated into the everyday routine of child care to instill healthy life choices.
www.theempowerpack.org
National Summer Learning Association
The vision of the National Summer Learning Association is for every child to be safe, healthy, and engaged in learning during the summer. It serves as a network hub for thousands of summer learning program providers and stakeholders across the country, providing tools, resources, and expertise to improve program quality, generate support, and increase youth access and participation. They offer professional development, quality assessment and evaluation, best practices dissemination and collaboration, and strategic consulting to states, school districts, community organizations, and funders.
www.summerlearning.org
Scholastic
The Scholastic websie offers fabulous teaching resources and activities for students, as well as information about their services & products.
www.scholastic.com
STEMfinity
STEMfinity offers hundreds of inexpensive hands-on academic enrichment kits with curriculum to teach PreK-12 Students Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM), Robotics, Electronics, Alternative Energy, RC, Rockets and Beyond! Whether you are just starting STEM in your after-school program, or looking to improve the effectiveness of STEM Education, we have a solution for your program. www.stemfinity.com
Steve Spangler Science
A great site for inexpensive science supplies, easy science experiments, hands-on science workshops for teachers, science toys, or eye-catching science fair projects, Steve Spangler Science offers hundreds of science experiments and science demos that inspire the imagination and make learning fun.
www.stevespanglerscience.com
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Teaching Artist Roster
The Arizona Commission on the Arts Teaching Artist Roster identifies and promotes high quality artists who maintain active careers as teaching and professional artists, and have particular expertise in collaborating with communities and schools to engage individuals in learning experiences in, through, and about the arts. This is a list of artists available to provide arts learning programs to students and teachers in preK-12 and afterschool settings.
http://roster.azarts.gov/
Things That Fly
Children aged 5-13 can learn to create paper planes, six-foot high hot air balloons, insect gliders, copters, catapult airplane gliders, kites, rubber powered airplanes, rocketry and much more.
Contact: Gary Alpert, (602) 397- 4403, http://www.theflyguyaz.com/