The DAA Collective newsletter keeps Denver's afterschool community connected to resources, professional learning and networking opportunities. Learn more about us.
2023 OCA Community Impact Report
The Office of Children's Affairs is excited to share our 2023 Impact Report. This years report focuses mainly on the work that we've done during and since the pandemic, while highlighting some of our amazing community partners!
"Zero Fare For Youth" Pilot Program
Bus and light rail fares will soon be free for youth for an entire year in the Denver metro area!
While RTD fares remain free for all riders through the end of August as part of the Zero Fare for Better Air initiative, this new program will allow youth ages 19 and under to continue to use RTD’s services at no cost. Zero Fare for Youth begins Sept. 1 and will last through August 2024.
DAAconnect Updates
The Survey of Academic and Youth Outcomes Surveys for youth (SAYO Y) and staff (SAYO S) are now available in multiple languages in DAAconnect! If you are interested in administering a survey within your organization, please contact DAA Quality Counts Network Lead, John Lewis, for more information!
Back To School is officially here, and families are looking for fall programs! Take a moment to visit our Youth Program Locator and make sure your fall programs are listed, so that families can easily find you! If you need to update your information, pleaselogin to DAAconnect today!
The DAA Collective is dedicated to including new and diverse voices within its Leadership Team to help to create meaningful opportunities for connection and learning for the OST community, and provide support for providers and organizations across the Denver Metro area! If you are interested, please reach out to Miranda Cook or Erma Cerda.
Thank you to everyone that has already reached out to us about joining the DAA Collective Leadership Team! We are finalizing details on virtual chats to meet with potential new members in the next few weeks- stay tuned!
SAVE THE DATE! The DAA Collective Leadership Team will host an event to kick off the fall semester on Thursday, October 5th!
Details and RSVP to follow!
Job Opportunities
Leading Edge Before and After School offers academic support and high quality before and after school programming onsite for children in early childhood, elementary and middle schools across the country. Currently, they are looking for passionate individuals that love working with children to join their Denver Metro Area team as Lead Teachers or Site Directors!
The Lead Teacher opportunity is a part-time position, Monday-Friday, before and after school hours.
The Site Director opportunity is both administrative and hands on with 80% of your time spent in program with the children. This position is a full-time position, Monday-Friday,
To apply to these positions, check out the job postings HERE.
Community Opportunities
Servicios de la Raza has an amazing opportunity open to Denver's high school aged youth to participate in a youth conference on October 27, 2023! The youth conference focuses on creating a movement through education and healing, and will include workshops (on a number of amazing topics), an education and resource fair, youth speakers and more! Check out the flyer for more information HERE.
In an effort to support and engage families with young children, and encourage adults to create strong bonds with children and advocate for their developmental needs, Programa Familiar de Lenguaje has created a workshop opportunity for Spanish speaking families with kiddos under the age of five. This workshop emphasizes navigating child development, and folks will walk away with helpful resources and books! Childcare will also be provided. The workshop is on Wednesday August 23, 2023 from 9:30-11:30 at the Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales Library (1498 N Irving St.). Families can register using this link.
Marisol Family (previously Gabriel House Project) serves Colorado families by providing material assistance, support services and family education. Specifically, they assist expectant moms and families with young children by providing them with diapers, wipes, formula, baby supplies, young children's clothing and family education programs. With their new truck - Marisol Miles - they are able to deliver diapers and supplies to families at various locations across the Front Range!
Passive House For Everyone is an environmental advocacy organization that offers fun, pro bono, hour-long workshops to students K-12. They are currently offering virtual workshops to Denver-area schools this August and September in advance of theInternational Passive House Conference taking place in Denver this fall. Selected schools and student work will be showcased at the conference and all participants will receive a comprehensive video compilation of all the class work + workshop. For more information about hosting a workshop, check out the website HERE.
Funding Opportunities
The Office of Children's Affairs is excited to announce a new funding opportunity funded from the sale of the Denver Broncos! This opportunity is intended to support youth programming in Denver and will result in contracts for January 1-December 31, 2024. Funding requests must be a minimum of $25,000, and there is no maximum. A total of $1.2 million is anticipated to be awarded.
Check out the RFP at this link: www.bidnetdirect.com//cityandcountyofdenver Please note: Interested applicants will need to submit a "Vendor Registration" in Bidnet in order to gain access to the RFP. You can register at no cost and if you need any assistance doing so, please reach out to Vendor Support and they will walk you through the entire process (contact information below). Vendor Support:
Organizations are eligible to apply regardless of current funding status, and are encouraged to attend one of the information sessions if you are able. Links to RSVP to attend one of the following information sessions are available in Bidnet:
Tuesday, August 22, 2023: Virtual Information Session (10:00am – 11:00am MST)
Wednesday, August 23, 2023: In-person information session (10:00am – 11:30am MST)
The RFP closes on September 8, 2023
The Nonprofit Infrastructure (NPI) Grant Program is a statewide grant program for small, community-based nonprofit organizations that provide services to communities that have historically been underrepresented, underserved, or under-resourced. The grant is designed for nonprofits in historically-marginalized communities that need help building capacity following the COVID-19 pandemic. This program is administered under the direction of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA).
The application timeline is July 5, 2023 through August 31, 2023.
DOLA is collaborating with eight Regional Access Partners (RAPs) Network to help select and administer grants within their particular regions, emphasizing a hyper-local focus on teamwork and support.
Organizations will apply for the Nonprofit Infrastructure Grant directly through the RAP that oversees the county in which the organization is primarily headquartered. Use the link HERE to determine the county that your organization is primarily headquartered in, and contact the assigned RAP for questions, technical assistance, and application information.
Click HEREfor more information about this funding opportunity.
2023 REQUEST FOR GRANT PROPOSALS
Gary Community Ventures has released requests for grant proposals in three focus areas. Click on the links below to learn more about each RFP:
Gary Community Ventures looks forward to partnering with organizations that have a focus in these areas and a commitment to advancing the promise and potential of kids and families from low-income backgrounds and BIPOC communities in Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, and/or Jefferson counties. Organizations new to Gary and BIPOC-led organizations doing work aligned to the proposal focus areas are highly encouraged to consider applying. Proposals will be due at 5:00 pm MT on September 1, 2023.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS August 23-25: Optional Office Hours (via Zoom)*
August 23 at 3pm (Youth-to-Youth Peer Support)
August 24 at 10am (Credentials of Value in High School)
August 25 at 10am (Mitigating the Effects of Childhood Poverty)
September 1: Proposals Due October 20: Grant Awards Announced *Visit garycommunity.org/rfp for details and zoom links
Emotional Intelligence Corner:
Back To School!
The Greater Good Science Center put together a Back to School Practice Pack for Youth and Educators. It is a collection of back to school practices designed to set educators up for success as we gear up to welcome youth back to school and afterschool programs. These evidence based practices, while designed to be implemented in traditional school based settings, are easily applicable and adaptable to the afterschool program space as well. Back to school is an exciting time and opportunity to create safe and inclusive spaces for youth and program staff to thrive.
