LATEST ARTICLES
Children’s Action Alliance — Foster Youth Need Stimulus Payments – No Strings Attached
Yesterday, the Department of Child Safety finally re-launched an online portal to distribute COVID relief funds to older and former foster youth. The new portal, administered by Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation, allows young people ages 14 through 26 to apply for needs-based pandemic relief. $10.5M in federal funds for the relief were allocated to Arizona in early March, but DCS is having trouble getting the money out the door—and time is running out for young people ages 21 through 26 who will lose eligibility on September 30th.
The first iteration of the portal was cumbersome and the process was time-consuming. Although DCS agreed to correct the problems and re-launch a new version of the portal, nearly two months have gone by without any way for young people to apply for funds while a new portal and process were readied. Unfortunately, even though the process may be improved, DCS continues to rely on need-based criteria to distribute the funds. Despite federal guidance, urging from community stakeholders, and a spate of other states that have adopted the strategy, Arizona refuses to make stimulus checks available to all eligible young people who have aged out of foster care.
Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence (AzCASE) — June SOMC Conference Journal
Hello, Summer is officially upon us and conference planning is in full swing. Check out our Keynote Speaker and see his amazing message on OST. Take your OST program to the next level with our new Exhibitor Showcases. Don’t miss the release of the workshops and find out how to save […]
First Things First — Registration Opens for Early Childhood Summit 2021
Early registration is now open for the virtual First Things First Early Childhood Summit 2021 presented on Tuesday, August 17. You can register now at a reduced rate through July 18.
The full-day virtual Summit offers breakout sessions covering a variety of early childhood topics, including child development, health, literacy and more. You’ll learn from early childhood experts and speakers, like Dr. John Medina, Sharon Day and Doreen Oliver. You can also network and share ideas with other Summit attendees to better serve Arizona’s youngest children
Arizona Education Association Legislative Update
After the failed attempt by the House on Monday to pass a budget, both the House and Senate did not conduct any business for the rest of the week. While they did reintroduce the 22 bills the governor vetoed in response to the budget, there was no movement on those bills, and it is unlikely that they will move them until after a budget is passed out of concern that any bill sent to the governor right now would be vetoed.
Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence (AzCASE) — Take a virtual field trip – no permission slips required
Discovery Education’s Virtual Field Trips let educators take youth to amazing places and give them remarkable experiences, without ever going anywhere. Join live field trips or watch them on demand later. Each no-cost Virtual Field Trip comes with a companion guide packed with standards-aligned, hands-on learning activities. We recommend you check out the “Farming to the Future” virtual field trip to a farm in Madrid, NY to explore sustainable nutrition and modern STEM innovations in dairy farming (complete with adorable baby calfs!)
