Accomplishments:
- NJSACC’s Afterschool CARES initiative helps incorporate service-learning activities into afterschool programming.
- NJSACC held a U.S.—U.K. Symposium discussing lessons learned in school design, summer learning, afterschool and extended learning in England and the U.S.
- NJSACC is New Jersey’s largest provider of professional development opportunities for afterschool providers through frequent workshops and webinars as well as a two-day annual conference.
- NJSACC developed an Afterschool Ambassadors program, which includes representatives from 19 of 21 counties in New Jersey.
Current Projects and Initiatives:
- NJSACC has convened a quality standards committee in an effort to develop New Jersey’s first statewide Quality Standards for Afterschool. An accompanying quality assessment tool will be developed after the standards are completed.
- NJSACC contracts with the New Jersey Department of Education to provide trainings and technical assistance to the state’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers, organizing the annual Soaring to Success conference.
- In 2011, NJSACC launched the Full STEM Ahead initiative, which focuses on providing professional development opportunities in STEM. Components of this initiative include partnerships with Great Science for Girls, National Partnerships for After School Science, National Girls and Science Collaborative and the annual Celebrate Outdoors in the Garden State campaign.
- In 2011, NJSACC organized an At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program Summit featuring representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), the Community FoodBank of New Jersey and the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition.
- NJSACC was recently selected to participate in the third cohort of Supporting Student Success and will be exploring the connections between the Common Core State Standards and afterschool.