CTNCY is hosting its first STEM Week Celebration from November 3-8, 2025.  Our CLASP STEM Cohort participants have presented their work at our Annual Afterschool Conference in year’s past, sharing some of their favorite activities with their peers, inspiring and empowering other educators to bring more STEM activities to their classrooms and connect with Connecticut STEM Education resources.

This year our afterschool conference coincidentally lands on National STEM Day (11/8).  We are expanding the conference track to make space for more STEM opportunities and include a STEM Week event and target a wider audience. We will offer free virtual workshops each day during STEM Week highlighting great new education resources, experiences, opportunities and ideas that you can try in your programs, classrooms and beyond!

Participants that register and attend both STEM Week and the Conference will have the opportunity to get a special STEM Exploration Workshop Certificate.

Make sure you sign up for our monthly STEM Newsletter for the latest STEM news and opportunities. Check back soon for more information, including workshops and presenters.

WORKSHOPS & PRESENTERS (Subject to Change)

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2025

• 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM – Building STEM Connections Afterschool from Where You Are – Meet our 2025 CLASP STEM Core participants! In this live workshop panel, they will discuss their experience with STEM in their programs, some of the challenges they have faced and some the best things they have experienced. Learn about some of the resources they have connected with and what they will be sharing at the conference!

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

• 10:00 – 10:45 AM – I Can Invent: A STEM Mindset for All – Boost your STEM confidence with the “I Can Invent” mindset and Invention Education activities from the National Inventors Hall of Fame^®. This interactive workshop will have you brainstorming, sketching and prototyping with common program and office supplies. You will leave with immediate strategies to engage and empower students plus access to free videos, digital resources, and a DIY STEM Activity Guide. Andrea Dulac, National Inventors Hall of Fame
• 11:00 AM – 11:30 PM – STEM Afterschool Hub with the Afterschool Alliance – Learn about the Afterschool STEM Hub resources. Leslie Brooks, Afterschool STEM Hub Manager

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2025

• 10:00 – 11:00 AM – Introduction Workshop – Learn about Girls Who Code, how it work, who it’s for and getting started as an out-of-school time provider. You’ll get a chance to try out an activity that you can share with your own program! Michaela Bruger, Manager, Community Partnerships & Outreach, Girls Who Code
• 12:00 – 1:00 PM – Hands-on Science Engages all Learners! – Can you explain why the leaves are changing color? Can you explain for your students? Join this session for a hands-on activity that you can follow along with at home and explain at a level for all learners! Dr. Heidi Dworkin, CEO of Little to Great Scientists

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2025

• 10:00 – 10:45 AM – From Vision to Expo: Engaging Your Entire STEM Community – Join Farmington EXCL District Coordinator, Amanda Michaud, as she shares her experience, recommendations and methods for planning a successful STEM Expo by bringing together students, staff, the community, and STEM Professionals.
• 11:00 AM – 11:30 PM – STEM Afterschool Hub with the Afterschool Alliance – Presentation and Q&A, Anita Krishnamurhi

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2025

• 9:00 – 9:30 AM – Breakfast STEM with the CT Science Center – Join CT Science Center staff over a morning coffee as they share some fun breakfast-based activities you can use in your program! Cassandra Wilk & Nicolas Villagra, STEM Educators
• 10:30 – 11:30 AM – Hands-on STEM with Mizzen – Looking for a useful program resource? Join this presentation with Shawna as she tries out some of the STEM activities shared through Mizzen., Shawna Washington, CTNCY Quality and Engagement Coordinator

One of our main goals is to connect youth and families to opportunities and resources to help them thrive. STEM Week 2025 is an opportunity for folks like you, our partners, to participate in this!   If you are interested in presenting during STEM Week, click here.

SPONSORS

If you would like to sponsor this or any other event, please click here for our sponsor application.