News from Education & Early Development

NEW! Alaska State Council on the Arts Grants for Arts Education available for project support in 2020-21

• The Round 1 Artists in Schools Residency Grant Program application deadline for the 2020-21 school year has been extended to May 31, 2020. The AIS Residency Grant program provides support to individual schools for teaching artist residencies of at least two weeks, at a school site and during the school day. School districts may apply for multi-site residency programs; nonprofit arts organizations and nonprofit parent/teacher organizations may apply for AIS residency grants on behalf of and in partnership with their local school sites/districts.
• The Cultural Collaborations Project Grant applications for FY21 are also available, with a Round 1 deadline of June 1, for programs starting no earlier than July 1, 2020. The Cultural Collaborations Project Grant is for eligible schools/organizations to support arts education programs occurring outside the regular school day/year. This may include summer programs, after school programs, or other formats wherein children/youth work together with artists to increase skills and knowledge in the arts. Partnerships between schools, artists and community organizations are strongly encouraged; applicants may apply for up to three, subsequent years of support to develop/expand new arts education programs outside the regular school day/year.

For information about how to bring artists together with children and youth in your schools and communities through these grant programs, please visit the Alaska State Council on the Arts website, and/or email ASCA Arts Education Program Director, Laura Forbes for technical assistance.

NEW! Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Application Training Webinar

Join DEED Facilities staff for any of six different training workshops offered via WebEx May 7, 8, and 11, 2020. Topics range from an overview of general CIP process, project application development (hands on with DEED project tools), and overview of post-grant award. These are free workshops, offered for the first time online in lieu of the previously scheduled training in Anchorage.

New eLearning Course: Self-Care for Educators

DEED is proud to announce the new eLearning course, Self-Care for Educators. Educators are faced with stressors everyday in a normal classroom. Now, during a pandemic, educators face additional pressures and practicing self-care is more important than ever. This course provides health-enhancing information on how to manage compassion fatigue and secondary trauma by practicing self-care strategies.  Learn about the important factors of self-care, strategies to help you practice in your every-day life and how to avoid compassion fatigue and burnout.  Active self-care reduces teacher turnover and depression, anxiety, anger and fatigue among teachers. In taking care of ourselves and each other, we provide positive role modeling for students. Please visit DEED’s eLearning page to login. The course can be found in the catalog under All Courses or Trauma-Engaged Schools. Email eLearning@alaska.gov for more information or assistance with your account. 

BrainPOP Subscription

Many of you know that Alaska has a statewide license to BrainPOP, but did you know that your teachers can unlock additional features through individual accounts that can only be set up at the school level? At no additional charge to you?

• For students to access BrainPop: click the LOG IN tab (not ENTER CODE)
• For teachers to whose schools are set up to use BrainPop Educator: use the ENTER CODE

If you have the username and password for DEED’s statewide subscription, please only share it in a way that no one on the internet besides your patrons or students can access the username/password. (i.e. direct e-mail ok, posting to your social media/website/blog is NOT.) If you don’t have the current SLED database credentials, visit the SLED Password Request form and fill it out completely. Expect a response within one business day. The SLED usernames and passwords are good for nearly all the SLED Databases and resources. One request will empower you to help with just about anything SLED related.

Contact Martha Ketsdever, BrainPOP Account Manager for Alaska State Libraries, for more information at marthak@brainpop.com.

COVID-19 Resources Guide from the Alaska State Library

The Alaska State Library has published an Alaska-specific guide for Libraries and COVID-19. The COVID-19 website includes:

• Statement about the latest health mandates applicable to libraries, archives, museums and schools.
• Resources for remote working and professional development.
• Self-care resources to help you destress in this time of crisis.
• A working list of services currently offered by libraries in Alaska.

DEED 21^st Century Community Learning Centers FY21 Request for Applications Due Date Extended

DEED is seeking applicants for competitive 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (21^st CCLC) funding that would begin providing programming in the fall of the 20-21 school year. The goal of the 21st CCLC program is to raise student academic achievement by providing students engaging out-of-school-time academic assistance and educational enrichment opportunities.  To allow people to focus on supporting their community during the COVID-19 epidemic, DEED has extended the due date to May 15. Visit the 21^st CCLC Webpage for more information about the extension, the revised RFA, and recorded technical assistance webinars.

Seeking Public Review and Comment on State Content Standards

DEED is seeking review and comment on state content standards. We encourage parents, educators, and communities to take a few minutes to provide input on Alaska's current English Language Arts and Mathematics standards adopted in 2012.

Summer Food Service Program Looking for Local Sites

Too many children who rely on school meals do not have access to meals in the summer. Are there children in your community who will go hungry this summer? DEED’s Child Nutrition Programs is looking for school districts, parks and recreation departments, non-profit organizations, and churches to operate Summer Food Service Program feeding sites for children and youth in low-income areas in Alaska. All sponsors receive training and technical assistance from DEED/CNP prior to starting their Summer Food Service Program, and throughout the program’s duration. For questions or to register contact Jennifer Cherian at jennifer.cherian@alaska.gov or (907) 465-4969. This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.