The following is a press release from the Public School Forum of North Carolina
The Public School Forum’s NC Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) will launch its POWER UP Program in 2019 with national support from the MOTT Foundation and the National Afterschool Alliance. The purpose of the POWER UP Program is to provide programs serving afterschool, before school and in the summer months in pre-determined rural counties with resources and on-going technical support over the course of two years to build program capacity.
POWER UP Program participants will engage in monthly in-person or virtual sessions focused on a range of topics and program focus areas. Examples of session topics include asset mapping; grant writing; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (S.T.E.M.); social and emotional learning; literacy; parent and family engagement; staff and volunteer recruitment and retention; program finance; private and public partnerships; and K-12 and higher education engagement. Additionally, participating programs will be provided two waived registrations for the Synergy Conference over the course of the two-year POWER UP Program.
At the end of year one, all participating programs will be asked to submit a proposal for mini-grant funding through the NC Center for Afterschool Programs. All programs who have attended at least 80% of the monthly in-person and virtual sessions will receive $1,000 for their programs. Up to 5 exemplary proposals will receive $5,000 for their programs. The purpose of proposal funding is to support afterschool programs in their efforts to combat the challenges of serving youth in rural counties.
Interested programs must currently serve youth afterschool, before school or during the summer months in one of the following counties:
Anson, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Caswell, Columbus, Duplin, Edgecombe, Halifax, Hertford, Lenoir, McDowell, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Person, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Scotland, Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington or Wilson.
For more information or to submit an application for the NC CAP POWER UP Program, please visit https://ncafterschool.org/power-up-program/. Applications are due by January 11th. For questions, contact Sheronda Fleming at sfleming@ncforum.org or 919.781.6833 x 135.
About the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP)
As North Carolina’s only center dedicated to serving the afterschool and expanded learning community, the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP) leads and supports a network of over 6,000 providers. NC CAP is a part of the Public School Forum of North Carolina. Our work impacts 160,000 K-12 students in the afterschool community throughout the state. We support the afterschool and expanded learning community by advocating and helping to shape policy, providing professional development opportunities, and bringing together state and national stakeholders. Follow us on Twitter @ncafterschool and visit our website at www.ncafterschool.org. The Synergy Conference is the only statewide conference that convenes providers of out-of-school time programs, educators and community stakeholders.
About the Public School Forum of North Carolina
Since 1986, the Public School Forum of North Carolina has been an indispensable and nonpartisan champion of public schools and the most trusted source in the state for research and analysis on vital education issues. We bring together leaders from business, education and government to study education issues, develop ideas, seek consensus, and ultimately inform and shape education policy. We do that through research, policy work, innovative programs, advocacy, and continuing education for educators and policymakers. Follow us on Twitter @theNCForum and visit our website at www.ncforum.org.
