Agenda for Children Out of School Time Initiative

OST Symposium 2021:
Reimagining OST
and
Innovating into the Future
Registration is Now Open.
Click here to sign up!
We look forward to seeing you soon!

Summer Opportunities Guides 2021

Summer is around the corner, and after the year we've had, we are looking forward to the warmth of the sun and reconnecting safely for joyful learning and exploration with Cambridge children and youth.

Our Summer Opportunities Guides highlight affordable, high quality programs located in Cambridge. These documents are updated LIVE.

Middle School Summer Opportunities Guide 2021

Elementary School Summer Opportunities Guide 2021

America After 3PM 2020 Report
The Afterschool Alliance's 4th edition of America After 3PM provides a detailed account of children in the afterschool hours, identifying: trends of participation in, and unmet demand for, afterschool programs; the experiences and opportunities programs afford; and which children and families are missing out, and why. http://afterschoolalliance.org/AA3PM/

Read the latest report from the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women, Child Care and Education During COVID-19: A Report on the Economic and Social Impact on Women in Massachusetts.

For those of you who could not join, or if you would
like to revisit the event, please view the recording:
Passcode: O!y7&qAr

In addition, we encourage you to learn more about the Common Start Coalition, a statewide partnership of organizations, providers, and individuals working together to make high-quality early education and childcare affordable and accessible to all Massachusetts families. Their goal is to ensure that all children in the Commonwealth have the same, strong start and enter school on a level playing field. https://commonstartma.org/.

Write a blog post for the OST Community

Check out our blog and write to tell us more about how you are staying connected and supporting co-workers and families during this time. Here are some tips for writing a blog post.

Some Free Resources for Home Learning

CPSD@Home - Resources to support student learning at home
MIT Full STEAM Ahead - Thematic STEAM lesson packages
Cambridge Public Library - Free digital services
12 Virtual Museum Tours - Free virtual tours
PBS Mass Learning Resources - Free curricula for educators
Scholastic Learn at Home - Free teaching resources
National Geographic Kids - Free, fun learning resources for children
STEM Resources from TERC - Free STEM curriculum and activities
Edutopia: How to Support Home Learning in the Early Grades - article
PBS Kids Lab Educational Resources - more Free curricula for educators
Parent Toolkit - one-stop resource produced and developed with parents in mind
Go Noodle - Resources to promote movement and mindfulness at home
Boston Children's Museum Educator Resources - Curriculum kits and field trip information
The Exploratorium - Free Online Learning resources and digital library
NASA Afterschool Universe - Free STEM curriculum and activity ideas
SEDL: Afterschool Lesson Database - Free sample lesson plans for OST

Click here to share your favorites with us!

OST Symposium 2019
Check out our Slide Show
Seeing Possibilities: Racial Justice, Equity & Access
Connecting, reflecting, teaching, sharing, learning!

AFCOST Youth Connectors Damilola Oluwole and Medjine Lucien and AFCOST Coach and Trainer Melinda Barbosa pulled together these slides, reflections, and photos of the Symposium to inspire staff who work to support youth development in out of school time programs.

What inspires you to work with young people?

Find Common Ground

Nelhai Mallebay-Vacqueur, a teacher in the King Open Extended Day program, shares an account of her journey working to build bridges of cultural understanding with the families of the children in her program.

Watch Video

Keeping it Real in Family Partnership: A Facilitator’s Guide

This facilitator’s guide is intended to provide instruction and inspiration for how members of the Cambridge OST community might use the Family Partnership Stories produced by the Agenda for Children to enrich staff development efforts. This guide provides: a brief summary of each story, story-specific reflection questions, and ideas for interactive activities that can help deepen participants’ engagement with the material.

download facilitator's guide

Parent Voices on
Family Partnership

Cambridge OST parents share their thoughts on how Cambridge out-of-school time programs can best partner with families.

Watch Video

New Report Highlights Critical Importance of Family Partnership

Equity-based family engagement helps parents and caretakers in underserved communities become effective advocates and culture-bearers in schools, which boosts educational quality and relevance. Learn more in this new report published by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

Download Report