The DAA Collective newsletter keeps Denver's afterschool community connected to resources, professional learning and networking opportunities. Learn more about us.
National Lights on Afterschool
This week marks the 24th Annual Lights On Afterschool Celebration! The Denver Afterschool Alliance is proud to join thousands of communities in celebrating and rallying for afterschool programs. This nationwide event calls attention to the importance of afterschool programs and the resources required to keep the lights on and the doors open.
To officially kick-off the celebration, the Denver City and County Building was illuminated in orange lights on Sunday night. On Monday, Councilwoman Diana Romero Campbell sponsored a proclamation to celebrate National Lights On Afterschool (NLOAS). Joined by youth, providers and parents from the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver, Vive Wellness and Scholars Unlimited, Kim Schulz, the Associate Director of Strategy and Sustainability in the Office of Children's Affairs, appeared in front of City Council to speak about the importance of and need for quality afterschool programming in Denver. City Council members were also presented with gifts including a candy-filled lightbulb (to symbolize the Lights On Afterschool effort) and cards crafted by kids from local programs that expressed why they love their afterschool programs.
The festivities have continued throughout the week for the DAA with visits to program sites, social media posts on our DAA Collective Facebook andInstagrampages and with our NLOAS photo contest- which you can still participate in!
To participate in the DAA NLOAS Photo Contest:
1. Print this Lights on Afterschool light bulb coloring pagefor youth in your organizations to color and decorate.
2. Take pictures of youth holding their decorated lightbulb. 3. Email photos and photo releases toErma Cerda by Friday, November 3rd.
*You may also drop the documents into a Google Drive and share it with Erma.
The photos will be compiled into a collage to be displayed on daalearn.org and in our November 9th DAA Collective Newsletter. Every organization that submits at least ten pictures will be entered into a raffle. One organization will be randomly selected to receive a prize!
DAA Collective Coffee and Conversation
Join us for our first Coffee and Conversation Event on Wednesday, November 8th!
With the "Coffee and Conversation" Events, the DAA Collective has endeavored to create a space where the Out-of-School Time community can come together monthly for intentional, provider-driven, relevant conversations with topic area experts. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions, exchange ideas, network, socialize and enjoy a cup of coffee with peers! For the November event, we are excited to lead a conversation around the intersection of Out-of-School Time and Youth Mental Health. To make sure we provide enough coffee for everyone, please RSVP if you would like to attend!
Denver Public Schools (DPS) is pleased to launch the Strengthening Our PaCT (Parent Communication Technologies) Initiative, an all-DPS collaboration led by the Communications Department to improve the web-based communication tools used by Denver Public Schools. The vision of this project is for Denver Public Schools to have the most comprehensive, equitable and understandable web presence of any school district in the United States. This will be accomplished, in part, by ensuring all families have the appropriate information to make decisions about their child’s education.
DPS is seeking family feedback on the Main District website and all departmental websites, via a brief survey that will inform the work that is done on these websites. Please encourage parents to take this survey by October 31, 2023. All responses will be completely anonymous!
As 2023 nears its end, make sure that you and the families you serve are taking advantage of the remaining Denver Free Days, as well as the museum and cultural passes that are offered through the Denver Public Library!
Library Passes are offered in limited quantities by participating institutions, many of which also offer free days and low cost options for the community. Click HERE for more information.
Check out the remaining Free Days in the Denver Metro Area:
OCTOBER
Friday, October 27 – Four Mile Historic Park
Saturday, October 28 – Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
NOVEMBER
Saturday, November 4 – Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
Saturday, November 4 – Clyfford Still Museum
Saturday, November 4 – Denver Art Museum
Tuesday, November 7 – Denver Zoo*
Saturday, November 11 – National Parks
Saturday, November 11 – Longmont Museum
Saturday, November 11 – Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
Sunday, November 12 – Denver Zoo*
Tuesday, November 14 – Denver Art Museum
Friday, November 17 – Dinosaur Ridge
Saturday, November 18 – Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
Saturday, November 18 – Plains Conservation Center
Friday, November 24 – Denver Botanic Gardens (York St. & Chatfield Farms)*
Friday, November 24 – Four Mile Historic Park
Saturday, November 25 – Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
DECEMBER
Sunday, December 3 – Clyfford Still Museum
Monday, December 4 – Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Thursday, December 7 – Plains Conservation Center
Saturday, December 9 – Longmont Museum
Tuesday, December 12 – Denver Art Museum
Friday, December 22 – Four Mile Historic Park
*It is recommended that you check online if there is a pre-register for free tickets or if the facility has for some reason changed their dates. Also, you may need to mention that you are there for the free day!
Free After-School Meals Available for Denver's Youth
Out-of-School Time Community, please let youth in your programs know about the FREE after-school meal program!
The Office of Children’s Affairs warmly welcomes all youth aged 5 to 18 to receive a nutritious after-school supper and/or snack at various Tasty Food sites across the city. No ID or registration required – just come on over and enjoy!
To find a Tasty Food site near you, please visit: https://tinyurl.com/Tasty-Foods This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Comunidad de tiempo fuera de la escuela, ¡infórmeles a los jóvenes en sus programas sobre el programa de comidas GRATUITAS después de la escuela!
La Oficina de Asuntos Infantiles da la bienvenida a todos los jóvenes de 5 a 18 años para que reciban una cena y/o un refrigerio nutritivo después de la escuela en varios sitios de Tasty Food en toda la ciudad. No se requiere identificación ni registro, ¡solo ven y disfruta!
Para encontrar un sitio de Tasty Food cerca de usted, visite: https://tinyurl.com/Tasty-Foods Esta institución es un proveedor de igualdad de oportunidades.
DAAconnect Updates
DAAconnect will look a little different starting in early November! We have worked on some system updates to make DAAconnect easier to navigate and more user-friendly. The Focus Area form will be removed from DAAconnect and relevant data will be moved to new fields on the Program Schedule form. Furthermore, the Youth Program Locator will be enhanced, with additional programming information and some slight navigation changes.
These updates will help parents more easily find quality youth programs and family services available in Denver. Stay turned for more details!
We are so excited to see all of you at the upcoming professional learning sessions this fall! Please note:
If you are unable to attend after having signed up, please cancel your registration in Eventbrite or email Erma Cerda so that we can open seats up to other interested parties!
All sessions are slated to take place in-person at the times and dates listed. However, the details are subject to change if necessary (ie: inclement weather, facilitator illness, etc), so make sure that you register to attend so that you will receive important updates and correspondence!
Scholars Unlimited has key finance roles open! If you are interested in making a huge community impact and working with amazing humans, please consider applying!
The Flourish Lab (powered by StandUP) is an online professional growth experience for out-of-school time educators. Designed to positively shift the way adults show up for young people, The Flourish Lab uses a series of virtual workshops to encourage youth-serving adults to create supportive environments for young people by learning how to flourish first.
Emotional Intelligence Corner:
Which Character Skills Could Unlock Your Hidden Potential?
We focused a lot this fall on the importance of adopting self-care strategies and practices. As we think about the many ways to care for ourselves, one path is to intentionally focus on self-growth and exploration; podcasts are one modality that can support that exploration. The recent Ten Percent Happier PodcastWith Dan Harris released an episode with Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at Wharton, that discusses how to develop character skills to unlock your potential. The episode dives into:
Why character skills are so important and how to develop them;
What we learn from seeking discomfort;
The concept of scaffolding as a way to overcome obstacles;
The value of acceptable mistakes; and
How to see the hidden potential in others and champion them
