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Our CLASP STEM Cohort allows out of school time professionals an excellent place to explore fun, unique STEM practices and opportunities for young people. The program connects realistic, relevant and hands-on learning and networking opportunities for you as an educator to add to your resources, practices and tools that will help you build opportunities for supporting the young learners in your programs to find the possibilities and skills that come from powerful learning experiences and thoughtful partnerships.
Our new CLASP STEM cohort began earlier this year. The cohort is getting ready to write their 2024 grant proposals for their summer camp programs. They already visited places like Eli Whiteney Museum and Sacred Heart University’s planetarium.
See what our participants have to say about their CLASP experience.
Monthly Padlets
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend.
NOV 20, DEC 4 & DEC 18
1:00 – 3:00 PM
ACRES Coaching: Facilitating Engineering Practices
How often do youth in your program get to choose what they’re investigating or designing, the materials they might use and/or how they engage with the work? In this module, participants try out strategies for elevating youth voice and choice and apply the ideas as they redesign a STEM activity to incorporate a greater variety of youth input. *The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend.
Code: AC442VC (Coach Becky T)
SPRING
2025
Techbridge Girls: Join Our Spring 2025 STEM Equity Learning Community
Techbridge Girls is excited to announce that applications are being accepted to join the Spring 2025 STEM Equity Learning Community. All out-of-school time (OST) supervisors and administrators for organizations that serve BIPOC girls* and gender-expansive youth are encouraged to apply!
Techbridge Girls has re-engineered how STEM Education is taught for 25 years. Our curricula and training help educators challenge gender, racial, and class bias in STEM fields and culture to help girls see their unique STEM lineage, community, interests, and path to success.
For more information and/or to apply to participate in this incredible learning opportunity, visit the STEM Equity Learning Community landing page, today!
At Your Pace
Online
Techbridge Girls: Role Models Matter
Exposure to role models involved in STEM fields has the power to increase girls’ interest and likelihood to pursue a STEM career in the future. To support role models and increase their effectiveness, Techbridge Girls developed the Role Models Matter™ training program. This training has been developed with STEM champions in mind.
Complete the training at your own pace and on-demand. When participants complete the training, they will receive a Credly badge and access to 5 dynamic, hands-on workshops that can be facilitated with girls in classrooms and out-of-school time spaces.
Start today by clicking here.
At Your Pace
Online
STEAM Starter Professional Development Module
ACT Now Illinois in partnership with Northern Illinois University and NIU STEAM is offering an asynchronous, out-of-school time STEM facilitator training. Here is a summary of the course:
STEAM Starter is designed as a course to inspire educators and after school staff to integrate STEAM into their daily practice. This Tier 1 (Inspiration) approach gently introduces educators to the value of Authentic Learning and provides them with quick takeaways that they can use immediately in the classroom or informal educational setting.
The module takes one hour to complete and costs $25 per person. Once completed, participants will receive a certificate from NIU they can show their program leadership or use on an application.
The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend.
Projects & Activities
New STEM Learning Journeys
Bring hands-on, interactive STEM learning to life. These themed bundles of lessons and activities, available through Verizon’s Learning HQ platform, are designed to help OST programs engage students in critical STEM topics. Each journey is packed with ready-to-use resources, including facilitation guides, making it easy to incorporate into afterschool programs. Here are just a few of the exciting themes you can explore.
November is…
- November 8th – National STEM/STEAM Day is celebrated every year on November 8 to encourage kids to explore their interests in science, technology, engineering, arts and math careers. And nationwide efforts are underway to attract and train young workers through registered apprenticeship programs.
Ten Ways to Celebrate National STEM Day with NASA
- National Today – History, Timeline, FAQ’s
- Activities from Generation Genius
Monthly Activities
Aspirations in Computing (AiC) Educator Award – Applications for the AiC Educator Award are open through December 2, 2024. The award identifies exemplary formal and informal educators who play a pivotal role in encouraging 9th-12th grade women, genderqueer, and non-binary students to explore their interests in computing and technology. Regional award winners receive a $250 electronic Visa gift card and are eligible to apply for up to $750 in professional development funds. Encourage educators to apply now!
Learn Fresh is a pioneering nonprofit that leverages students’ passion for sports to inspire STEM and social-emotional learning. Starting now, you’ll have access to their 10-part NBA Math Hoops module on the Mizzen Education platform!
Simulating the speed, strategy, and sheer fun of basketball, NBA Math Hoops features youth-centered STEAM curricula, a board game, and community program. With over 30 NBA / WNBA teams and educators across the country, the program reaches more than one million youth and has netted game-changing results in math.
NBA Math Hoops Lesson 1: Demonstrating Sportsmanship – To start the NBA Math Hoops experience, all students are asked to sign a Sportsmanship Contract. Just like a pro-player singing, it affirms their commitment to their team and league. For grades 3-8.
- NBA Math Hoops Lesson 2: Field Goal Percentages – Understanding percentages is the first fundamental math skill in NBA Math Hoops. In this activity, students use basketball statistics to develop an understanding of the relationship between fractions, decimals, and percentages. For grades 3-8
- NBA Math Hoops Lesson 3: The NBA Math Hoops Draft – Students apply their knowledge of percentages and decimals to the NBA Math Hoops player cards. Then, they form teams and draft their roster for the NBA Math Hoops season. For grades 3-8
- Past Monthly Activities
other resources
- Simply STEM – December
- DEI Bytes – The Alliance for Identity Inclusive Computing Education’s “DEI Bytes” lesson series on YouTube focuses on developing equitable teaching skills for CS education, including topics on ableism, unconscious bias, and computing access.
- Simply STEM – November
- Simply STEM – October
- Simply STEM – September
- NGCP Blog – Supporting Space STEM Education: Resources to Spark Curiosity and Inspire STEM Learning – This blog post shares a list of resources put together based on NGCP’s experience at the National Space Council’s Space STEM Forum along with the ongoing work of NGCP supporting gender equity in STEM.
- NGCP Blog – Picture Books to Break Stereotypes in STEM (and Beyond!) – Find a list (with links) to the best STEM picture books for young learners featuring diverse characters and girl-centered stories.
- Simply STEM – August
- Simply STEM – July
- Simply STEM – June
- Simply STEM – May
- Simply STEM – April
- DNA Day
- Building a Community for Indigenous Mathematicians – Easy to read article on identifying as an indigenous mathematician and how to become part of a community of mathematicians.
- Three Ways Educators Can Shift the Way They Talk About Science – Blog post with simple suggestions for educators based on research conducted by Amanda Cardarelli at NYU.
- Simply STEM – March
- Simply STEM – February
- Simply STEM – January
- ‘I’m not just a mom’: Parents as creators, collaborators, and learners in creative computing
- National STEM Day
Look Up – August
Look Up – July
Look Up – June
Look Up – May
Look Up – April
- K-12 STEM Education For the Future Workforce – What do scientists think are the skills needed for a STEM career? STEM students should learn effective collaboration and problem-solving skills with an interdisciplinary approach, and feel prepared to apply STEM skills and knowledge to everyday life. This article highlights the “other” skills needed by youth for success in a STEM career.
- STEM Career Exploration for Middle School – Endeavor is an interactive program designed for exploring STEM careers for middle school students. This STEM curriculum for middle school is built to empower learners with the knowledge they’ll need to discover their career pathways. The STEM lesson plans for middle school provided in this course enable learners to engage with interactive content that reinforces key STEM skills while discovering some of the exciting STEM opportunities that await. It starts with a video for the educator that provides guidance on content and implementation.
- Teaching Strategies that Promote Science Career Awareness – This monograph shares results of Stellar’s inquiry into teaching strategies that infuse career awareness into science lessons. It identifies four cognitive building blocks of career development and four promising approaches for raising awareness of science careers. It then provides ten replicable teacher practice strategies, with accompanying examples of each. (Middle and High School)
- Great Career Exploration Resources from Illumina and Verizon Partners
- Career Girls – A comprehensive video-based career exploration tool for girls featuring diverse women STEM role models. It’s free to use and contains 16,000 videos, as well as career quizzes and resources.
- Engineering Mindsets/Computer Science: AI 101 for Teachers – This is a free, foundational online learning series for educators interested in AI. The series features lessons from Code.org, ETS, ISTE and Khan Academy to demystify AI, explore responsible implementation, address bias, and showcase how AI-powered learning can revolutionize.
- Engineering Mindsets/Computer Science: Teach Computer Science & Coding to Kids – This Google sponsored site supports educators to engage youth in coding activities. It’s free, fun, and no computer science experience is required. The lessons are video based and cover a variety of subjects.
- FabFems – A collection of resources for role models, educators, and parents to inspire and educate girls about science, computer science, technology, engineering, and mathematics courses and careers. The website includes Resources for Role Models and Resources for Girls.
- Million Womens Mentors – MWM is the premier network dedicated to encouraging girls and women around the world to pursue, persists, and succeed in STEM careers.
- National Mentoring Resource Center – A collection of mentoring resources including handbooks, curricula, manuals, and other resources that practitioners can use to implement and further develop program practices.
- Techbridge Role Model Training and Resources – These resources are for adult or near-peer role models to develop skills for engaging girls and historically excluded youth in STEM through guides, videos, and questions.
- Access to STEM Framework: To improve the overall quality of out-of-school STEM programs, we need to address how program providers design and implement programming to increase access in STEM for youth who have been underrepresented in the STEM fields. Partnering with the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP) and national experts, we have developed an Access to STEM Framework — a guide for supporting program providers in this transformation. Download the Framework.
- Native American Scientists and Engineers–Native American Heritage Month in Science Class – Learn about 11 Native American scientists and engineers whose accomplishments have changed life in America. This blog includes a STEM career worksheet to help youth think about themselves in a STEM career.
- Advancing Indigenous People in STEM Schools and Educator Support – AISES offers tools on career readiness, a “how to” on connecting youth to STEM, and achievements of the Native American community in STEM.
- Native American Representation in STEM: Indigenous Innovation – Indigenous teachings, traditional and new, present solutions to modern-day issues in need of innovation. Industrial farming, for example, uses large amounts of fossil fuels and water supplies, and it produces 70 percent of river and stream pollution in the United States. This site offers culturally sensitive hands-on STEM activities.
- STEM Kits & Supplies – Browse our Padlet list.
- Click2Science (click2sciencepd.org)
- CT Million Women Mentors
- Earth Day Education – Browse resources to guide your environmental education lessons and stewardship activities on Earth Day and throughout the year. These resources can be adapted to a variety of ages and settings.
- Educator Guide: Educator Guide: STEM Activities for Families | NASA/JPL Edu Easy to implement engaging activities for families (as a follow up to after school activities.)
- Exploring Paleontology to Spark Science Engagement from a Young Age – Learn how to nurture your students’ interest in dinosaurs and increase science engagement beginning in elementary school in this webinar recording. Hear from Dr. Holly Woodward Ballard, an Associate Professor of Anatomy and Paleontology at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, and PK-5th grade teacher Alyssa Barr who shares tips on how to use a book like Lily and Maia to fuel an integrated learning experience. This webinar also featured Audrey O’Connell, co-founder of HSG, who shared the process of developing the Lily and Maia characters and working with the young artist, Grace Hattrup, to ensure scientific accuracy of the paleo elements.
- Girls Rock in Science & Math
- Innovation Play
- KinderLab Robotics – If you’re looking to add coding, robotics, and STEAM to your afterschool or OST programs, chose KIBO!
- Museum of Science – Educator resources, activities and more!
- National Inventors Hall of Fame
- The National Center for Quality Afterschool – Math in Afterschool – The National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning developed professional development guides for four content areas of the toolkit: literacy, math, technology, and the arts.
- National Geographic – Bring National Geographic to your classroom through lesson plans, maps, and reference resources.
- PBS Kids Protecting Our Planet Resources – Earth day games, crafts, printables, and other resources for kids ages 2-5 from PBS Kids.
- Room to Read STEAM Powered Careers Collection – Room to Read’s STEAM-Powered Careers collection presents 10 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics-themed books to inspire first through third graders about the wide variety of groundbreaking and exciting STEAM careers that they can start exploring right now.
- Scratch – The world’s largest coding community for children and free coding language designed for children ages 8+. With a simple visual interface, Scratch easily allows young people to create digital stories, games, and animations.
- ScratchJr – A free application for young children (ages 5-7) to get their first introduction to coding. With ScratchJr, children code their own interactive stories and games. In the process, they learn to solve problems, design projects, and express themselves creatively on the computer.
- State of Girls and Women in STEM – This updated NGCP resource presents a high-level summary of the most compelling statistics and research on the state of girls and women in STEM, focused on K-12 Education, Higher Education, and the STEM Workforce. The report highlights the impacts of intersectional inequalities, as Latina, Black, and Indigenous women represent less than 10% of the STEM workforce. A toolkit with graphics of these statistics and research is available to use in social media and presentations.
- STEMfinity
- Tech Terra Education – STEM in a Box
- Teq.com – Explore the technology, tools, and instructional solutions that bring all of the dynamic moving parts of education together into the complete thought.
- You For Youth // Computer Science for All — Computer Not Required — This 21CCLC resources covers it all—activities, curricula, fact sheets. There’s information for practitioners, parents, and families. The ready-to-use resources for educators have links to everything including a variety of curricula for k-12 students and recommendations for best practice.
GIRL SCOUTS STEM PLAYBOOK
The world of STEM is filled with endless opportunities to make a difference. From exploring computer coding and space exploration to building robots and solutions to problems such as climate change, girls are using STEM as a tool to change our world.
Whether you’re involved with Girl Scouts or simply a supportive adult, the new STEM Playbook offers ideas, guidance, and access to resources and tools to grow girls’ interest and skills in the field. Discover new ideas to help girls build the future with STEM.
2024 FLIGHT CREW AMBASSADOR
Ann, Farmington, CT.
Ann is interested in pursuing a career as a robotics software engineer with a focus on machine learning in computer vision.
Ann enjoyed doing similar work on the FIRST Robotics Team where Ann used machine learning to program the robot to identify game pieces on the field.
Organized by Code.org, the annual Hour of Code campaign is a global movement in 180+ countries that introduces young people to computer science through fun, age-appropriate learning activities. The Moonshot’s partnership with Code.org aims to expand that reach into afterschool.
Learn more about the Hour of Code, download the Afterschool Guide for Hour of Code to explore activities and tutorials, and encourage programs to register as an official Hour of Code site to globally engage and take advantage of the full Hour of Code experience.
The CT After School Network is proud to be a part of the Million Girls Moonshot initiative, working to inspire and prepare the next generation of innovators by engaging one million more girls in STEM learning opportunities through afterschool and summer programs.
The Million Girls Moonshot will not only allow girls to envision themselves as future innovators, but it will increase the quality of out-of-school STEM learning opportunities for all young people, particularly underserved and underrepresented youth.
About the Million Girls Moonshot
The Moonshot is designed to spur girls’ interest, understanding, and confidence in STEM and equip them to become problem solvers with an engineering mindset. Led nationally by the STEM Next Opportunity Fund and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in partnership with the Intel Foundation and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Million Girls Moonshot:
- Leverages afterschool networks in all 50 states to help school-age girls access high-quality STEM education, support, and mentors.
- Uses an equity and inclusion framework that is youth-centric and culturally responsive to increase gender, and racial and socio-economic diversity in STEM.
- Provides resources, support, mentorship, and expert guidance to help educators deliver hands-on STEM experiences in afterschool, out-of-school time, and summer learning programs.