The Public School Forum seeks a Part-Time Development Manager

The Public School Forum of NC is seeking a flexible, part-time Development Manager to support the development and fundraising initiatives at the Forum. The Development Manager will manage and maintain the donor database, manage grant proposal/application process, manage prospect tracking by Center/Program areas and keep organized records of funder meeting notes.

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to jobs@ncforum.org. Please include “Development Manager” in the subject line. Application deadline is March 10, 2023.

Engineering has become a staple of STEM programming for youth. How can we confidently bring engineering into our programming and support youth as they engage in problem-solving?

In this module, you’ll gain first-hand experience with engineering by solving a design problem. As a participant, you’ll examine the components of the engineering design process and discuss ways to model the process with youth.

Asking Purposeful Questions is a prerequisite to this skill. (Which you can learn more about on their website)

*The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort

Thursdays: 3/16/2023, 3/30/2023, and 4/13/2023 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM EST

Developed by PEAR, the Dimensions of Success (DoS), is a research-based observation tool that measures the quality of students’ STEM learning experiences. The DoS training and certification process involves a two-day live webinar training, completion of video calibration exercises, a one-hour live calibration session, and successful completion of two practice observations in the field. Certification is provided at no cost Network and program leads affiliated with the Moonshot.

(Registration deadline is April 6th)

The NC Gravity Games will be returning for the 10th time on Saturday, April 29th!

Upper elementary, middle, and high-school teams from across the state design, build, and race their gravity-powered cars through the streets of Lenoir. Plus the STEM-themed street festival with hands-on activities, games, food trucks, and more gives spectators and teams a chance to have even more fun on race-day. Gravity Games is brought to you by Google, App State, the NC Science Festival, and the City of Lenoir.

There are multiple divisions so teams with any level of experience can participate, and Google provides some amazing prizes for podium finishers!

Visit ncgravitygames.com for the full event information and to register.

Thanks to support from Google, the NC Science Festival team is able to offer sponsorships of $1000 to help offset the costs of materials and travel for teams from diverse parts of the state to compete.

The Ivy Community Service Foundation of Cary (ICSFC) is a 501(c)3 organization with a mission to enhance the quality of life for communities through program development and financial support in the areas of arts, education, economics, family, and health.

ICSFC will award mini-grants to non-profit organizations that provide or expand access to the arts for underserved or low-resource communities and families. Organizations that received this grant in 2022 are not eligible to receive this grant in 2023. Eligible projects must serve individual participants or a collective group. These grants are eligible to fund special projects or programs or provide ongoing program support for initiatives that reflect the organization’s commitment to community outreach.

Grant proposals are welcome in fine arts, performing arts, visual arts, digital media, and creative writing from afterschool programs serving Wake County. Grant funds may not be used for operational and administrative expenses such as rent, utilities, marketing, staff development, etc.

Up to $1500 each will be awarded to agency(ies) submitting fundable proposals. Funding requests must be received by April 7, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. to be eligible for consideration. Grant awards will be announced by May 19, 2023.

Funding requests and accompanying documents must be emailed as a single attachment to ICSFGrants@gmail.com and should not exceed five (5) single-spaced pages, excluding the documents described in the Accompanying Documents section below. The email subject line should be the name of the applying organization only. (e.g., Subject: Arts for All, Inc.)

Learn more about the Ivy Community Service Foundation of Cary on their website

It's finally here!

We hope that many of you are headed down for some sunshine and soul shine at the NAA Convention in Orlando, Florida, from March 19-22, 2023. NAA23 is the ultimate charging station—powering human connections, inspired learning, and meaningful recognition for OST professionals. Experience the joy and rejuvenation, ‘the light,’ that comes from joining in community with a collective why. Out of school time professionals, this gathering is for you, for us, for ALL OF US, because together we shine!

Share your pictures from the conference with NC CAP on social media

Celebrate science learning in April with the North Carolina Science Festival!

The North Carolina Science Festival is a month-long celebration of science in our state that takes place every April. With so much to cover it takes an entire month to do our state-wide science celebration justice. The Festival's goal is to help spread science education through exciting, educational and fun, hands-on science events. The educational, cultural, and financial impact of science affects all North Carolinians and we want to make sure that continues through our future generations. Join us this April in celebrating science in your community!

Learn more about events happening near you or host your own event through the

Join the Community of Practice on April 5, April 19, May 3, and May 17, 2023

The Click2Engineering community of practice (CoP) introduces out-of-school time educators to the basics of engineering and leading engineering activities with youth. The CoP is organized around the 10 Practices for an Engineering Mindset, and includes hands-on engineering activities, developing engineering experiences for youth, and learning skills to facilitate engineering practices. The CoP is four meetings over 8 weeks.

In a new poll, voters and parents alike agree on wanting afterschool and summer programs in their community and are strongly in favor of policymakers and schools increasing access to programming. Today, students’ academic achievement is slowly seeing a return to pre-pandemic trends. But researchers do not estimate a full recovery in the near future, and studies show students continue to struggle with feelings of stress, isolation, anxiety, and depression. As the nation seeks solutions to help young people amidst these struggles, voters and parents recognize the essential role that afterschool and summer programs can play. Afterschool and summer programs provide hands-on and academically enriching activities, time for students to build connections with one another and caring adults, and opportunities to explore new areas of interest in a space where students feel safe and supported.

Read the Full Report from the Afterschool Alliance

Millions of professionals and volunteers work with young people every day in the many settings where youth play, learn, and grow outside of the school day. The Power of Us Workforce Survey invites youth-serving professionals and volunteers to contribute to a national survey to explore, define, and elevate the youth fields workforce now through the end of March. For more information about the new opportunities to promote the survey, please visit the website or contact Gislene Tasayco

Take or share the Power of Us Workforce Survey before March 31!

Addressing underrepresentation and career preparation issues starts with the education system, but it is too much to ask schools to solve these problems by themselves. Some 80% of a child’s waking hours are spent outside the classroom. That leaves plenty of time for other important and overlooked approaches — such as afterschool and out-of-school programs — that can offer additional time and more sustained opportunities to provide career exploration programming and augment the STEM teaching and learning that happens during the school day.

Read the Full Article by Kyle Hartung & Melissa Moritz to learn more

Please save the date for the 2023 Color of Education Summit. This event is such an important one for both classroom and afterschool educators in our state and we hope to see many of the providers in our network there! If you are interested in speaking, presenting, moderating (at) or sponsoring this event please contact Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith

Supported by the Mott Foundation, Mizzen is available at no cost to afterschool professionals! Download the Mizzen By Mott app to access STEM activities at your finger-touch! You’ll find it in Mizzen here.