The DAA Collective newsletter keeps Denver's afterschool community connected to resources, professional learning and networking opportunities. Learn more about us.
Get To Know DAA Collective Leadership Team Member, Michelle Anthony!
I’ve served in the non-profit sector my entire career. I’ve always had a deep passion for youth development and making lasting impacts in our communities. I believe children are the hope of the world. The decision to join the DAA Collective Leadership Team was easy because not only is it a space of likeminded professionals, it impeccably aligns with my values of providing opportunities and equitable outcomes for our youth.
Currently, I serve as the mid-west Regional Director for The Dollywood Foundation, supporting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Our mission is simple: to inspire a love of books and reading. My job is to get books into as many children’s hands as possible, as close to birth as possible!
Did you know: The single most significant indicator of a child’s success in school is how many books are in their home before starting kindergarten? If we wait until kindergarten to introduce children to reading it’s too late. Thanks to local program partners, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails books to a child’s home, from birth through their fifth birthday, completely free to the family! Find out if there is a program in your community!
We are always welcoming new partners to sponsor an Imagination Library in their community. To be eligible, all you need is to either be a 501(c) (3) or partner with a 501(c) (3). Our program is turnkey and incredibly impactful. If you are interested in learning more, email manthony@imaginationlibrary.com or visit our website: imaginationlibrary.com
Save The Date: 2025 RFP Coming Soon!
Announcement from the City and County of Denver Office of Children's Affairs:
The 2025 Child and Youth Development Programs RFP will be released on September 9, 2024! The goal of these funds is to provide affordable, high-quality community-based programs to support a diverse array of services to positively impact the health, well-being, care and development of children and youth.
Please see the timeline of important dates below and visit our website for additional information!
Lights on Afterschool Webinar
The 25th Annual Lights On Afterschool will take place this year on October 24th- how will you celebrate afterschool programs and bring awareness to all the work that goes into keeping the lights on every year? Lights On Afterschool celebrations come in all shapes and sizes and don’t have to be huge to be effective. Whether this is your first Lights On Afterschool or your 25th, join the Afterschool Alliance for a webinar on September 4th to get some tips on how to celebrate this year! To register for the Lights On Afterschool 101 webinar, click HERE.
Last Chance For CAP Conference Early Bird Registration!
The 2024 Fall CAP Conference Early Bird Registration ends on August 31st!Click HERE to purchase your tickets at a discounted price before the deadline!* *Please note: you may still purchase tickets to the conference after August 31st, but not at the discounted price.
Zero Fare For Youth Is Back!
RTD has decided to continue its Zero Fare for Youth program beyond the one-year pilot! The Zero Fare program, which allows youth ages 19 and under to use all RTD services at no cost, will now become a permanent fare change for the agency, so youth can continue to enjoy limitless journeys this summer and the next school year! For more information, click HERE.
School Zone Safety!
The 2024-2025 Denver Public School year began on Monday, August 19, 2024, which means school zone speed limits are now in full effect! The Office of Councilwoman Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez has collaborated with community member Michele Padilla to create a visual guide to raise awareness and ensure the safety of students. Please share these helpful guides with your communities: Safety Guide 1 Safety Guide 2
Flourish Lab NO-COST Workshops!
The Flourish Lab still has one NO-COST virtual workshop coming up! Sign up today!
The Bank of Trust
September 4th at 10am
We believe relationships are built (or broken), in a series of moments. Knowing how to build positive, youth-friendly relationships, and understanding exactly what to avoid in the process, is an invaluable skill set for every youth-serving adult. In this workshop we explore what creates trust and how to maximize every moment you have with young people.
Discover…
Attention Award Recipients: Summer 2024 Award Reports are due in DAAconnect on September 9th!! Need help? Don't wait until the last minute: email us TODAY at DAAconnect@denvergov.org and we can help!
Families are looking for Fall Programs- is yours listed? Take a moment to visit our Youth Program Locator and make sure your fall programs are updated and visible! If you need to update your information, pleaselogin to DAAconnect today!
Help The DAA Promote the Locator to Families!
Our Youth Program Locator Informational Toolkit is available for you to use and includes flyers, sample posts and graphics for social media and websites, as well as general language for communication about the benefits for families, providers and organizations to use the Locator! And if you have an event coming up and would like DAA swag items to give away, please contact us at DAAconnect@denvergov.org!
Opportunities for Teens
Does your organization have employment/internship and/or programming opportunities available to teens beyond the summer months? Send a flyer or posting to Erma Cerda, and we will post it in the newsletter for programs to share with youth!
Colorado Afterschool Partnership (CAP) is thrilled to invite passionate youth ages 14 - 18 from around Colorado to apply for our Youth Advocacy Team, kicking off this fall! Please check out the flyer with a link to apply HERE.
The deadline to apply is September 4th.
Interviews will be scheduled the week of September 16th.
Acceptance Letters will be sent by September 25th.
Orientation is on October 2nd at 6:00 pm over Zoom.
Please contact Kelly Streck at Colorado Afterschool Partnership, if you have any questions.
JoinLifespan Local and theMuseum of Contemporary Art Denver to create a mural in the new Westwood community site, Blossom House teen space! This is a paid program and includes snacks and lunch. Please spread the word to artistically minded young people (ages 14-18) who would like to help make this new youth space unbelievably cool! For more information check out the event flyer HERE.
Please contact Ari Gonzalez at ariackna@lifespanlocal.org with questions.
2025 Registration to become a referee with Colorado Soccer Association is OPEN!
Youth aged 13 and up are eligible to become a US Soccer certified referee, but they must complete certification courses which include online learning modules and an in-person session. For more information on choosing the correct courses, and to register, click HERE.
Job Opportunities
Sims-Fayola Foundation is looking for a Manager of K-12 Programs to play a critical role in overseeing and managing the foundation’s key educational initiatives! Check out the job posting HERE.
Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, and three professional references to joy@sffoundation.org.
Funding Opportunities
In partnership with Xcel Energy, Mile High United Way is seeking an artist to design and complete a community mural that will overlook the playground of their building's new Tamara M. Sparks Early Learning Center in the Five Points neighborhood in Denver.
The submission deadline is August 30th. Detailed information can be found HERE.
Community Opportunities
Art Parts is a non-profit creative reuse center located in the heart of Boulder, Colorado that accepts donations of art and craft supplies and offers them to the community at deeply discounted prices! Art Parts provides access to creative expression while keeping usable materials out of the landfill. To learn about how you can donate and/or purchase art supplies at accessible prices, check out their website HERE.
Need FREE school clothing for your kids? Clothes To Kids of Denver can help!
To be eligible to shop at Clothes To Kids of Denver, students must:
Be age 3-21 and enrolled in preschool-12th grade, or working toward a GED.
Live in the Denver Metro Area.
Be considered in need of assistance.
No referral required! For more information, check out thisflyer.
In partnership with Denver Parks and Rec (DPR) and the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO), the Denver Police Department will be offering a FREE community soccer event on Monday, September 2nd from 4pm-6pm at Paco Sanchez Park for youth ages 5-14. The soccer camp will be followed by an 8-Week soccer program on Wednesdays (practice) with an opportunity to play full field games on Saturdays at Paco Sanchez Park. This is a great opportunity to learn a new sport and get connected to your community! For more information and to sign up check out the flyers and registration links below:
Labor Day Monday 9/2 Event Flyer HERE
Registration form HERE
Fall 8-Week Soccer Program
Flyer HERE
Registration form HERE
Upcoming Professional Learning Opportunities
We are so excited to see all of you at the upcoming professional learning sessions this fall! Check out the full Fall 2024 slate HERE. 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 at the locations, 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!
Have you ever found yourself saying things like: “I need to work harder to get all the things done on my to-do list,” or “I need to work harder at being a good (friend, partner, parent, etc.)”? And have you ever found yourself telling a young person,“You just need to work harder.”?
I’m listening to the audio book, The ADHD Effect on Marriage and at the end of a chapter the author said, “I want you to think, not how you can work harder on your relationship, but how you can work differently.” This may not seem that earth shattering (to you), but it really stuck with me; sparking my curiosity and occupying my thoughts for the last week and half. I’ve been trying on this subtle shift, particularly with hard things that I feel stuck on---I’m saying the words out loud, “How can I work differently?” Now, to be clear, there are times that I just need to work harder (I know some of you were thinking that), AND I am noticing that when I intentionally shift my mindset to “how can I work differently,” it opens up space and possibilities I hadn’t considered.
At the Coffee and Conversation this week, we talked about the challenge of recruiting and retaining staff; not a new conversation in the OST space! People are working SO hard to recruit and retain--still it continues to baffle and frustrate so many of us. I’ve heard the words, “our organization needs to work harder at this.” We are already working really hard, what if we ask ourselves, “How can we work differently?” (We came up with some awesome ideas that we will share in the Coffee and Conversation follow up on the website soon!)
I’m reading the book referenced above as my partner and I have been working really hard for years to “make time” for each other, but with jobs, kids, (you get my drift), it’s been hard. Now, we are working differently on prioritizing time together in ways that work more effectively for how each of our brains work; we hadn’t considered this before, we just kept working harder, not differently. I invite you to get curious about shifting the question to, “How can I work differently?” these next couple of weeks when you are feeling stuck on something (big or small) and see what you notice.
