Accomplishments:
- MAP successfully advocated and maintained funding of the Afterschool and Out-of-School Time (ASOST) Quality Grant, an innovative state grant program which provides afterschool and ELOs to nearly 15,000 children, youth and families.
- MAP and their legislative partners drafted and filed legislation entitled, An Act Creating the Afterschool and Out-of-School Time Coordinating Council, which has received significant support in both the state House and Senate. The legislation was before the Joint Committee on Education in a public hearing in May 2011.
- MAP delivered professional development and technical assistance to over 1,300 out-of-school time (OST) stakeholders. The technical assistance division of MAP emerged out of a growing statewide need for informed, effective technical assistance and professional development in the afterschool and OST field.
- MAP hosted its second annual Connecting Communities conference, which highlighted wraparound services and stressed the importance of partnerships between schools and community-based organizations.
Current Projects and Initiatives:
- Creative Minds Out of School—MAP launched an exciting arts education program in the Spring 2011 to engage children in grades K-five in high-quality art exploration and art-making in OST settings. The Creative Minds Out of School program was successfully piloted at ASOST programs across the state and is now in its second year of programming. For more information on this initiative, please contact: creativeminds@massafterschool.org.
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Middle School Zero Robotics Program—In partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the International Space Station (ISS) and Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation, MAP designed the SPHERES Zero Robotics Competition, a fun and flexible summer STEM curriculum. Over a five-week program students gain hands-on experience working with and coding SPHERES (Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient Experimental Satellites). The program culminates in a tournament where middle school teams race aboard the ISS.
- MAP and its partners continued the SPHERES competition during the summer 2011 to provide students with experiential learning opportunities that connected them personally with prominent scientists and encouraged them to pursue careers in the STEM field.
- MAP continues to effectively utilize social media to mobilize stakeholders, raise awareness around the importance of ELOs in the development of 21st century skills and drive public policy.