SoDakSACA South Dakota School Age Care Alliance

Recent News

State Afterschool Programs Benefit Mexico’s Children
Thanks to several Afterschool programs statewide, the Volunteer Optometrists for Humanity mission will be able to provide over 800 more eyeglasses to Mexico’s
Children. Programs participated in a statewide eyeglass collection project as part of National & Global Youth Service Day. Way to go!

Native Youth Club Honored at Afterschool for All Challenge in D.C.
The Afterschool Alliance and MetLife Foundation recently recognized the Native Youth Club in Sioux Falls, South Dakota as an Afterschool Innovator for involving the community in its program and forging partnerships between school and community. Native Youth Club was one of four organizations honored at the “Breakfast of Champions” at the Afterschool for All Challenge in May as an Afterschool Innovator. Each has been profiled in Afterschool Innovations in Brief, a series of Issue Briefs developed by the Afterschool Alliance with support from MetLife Foundation.

ESDS First Tribal School in US to Have Accredited Program
The National AfterSchool Association recently notified the Enemy Swim Day School
(ESDS) Afterschool Program they have met the requirements for national accreditation. Only six other programs in South Dakota besides ESDS are accredited. ESDS Afterschool Program is also the first and only BIA/Tribal school in the nation to be accredited. Way to go!

9th Annual SoDakSACA Conference
October 3-4, 2008
Watertown Convention Center
Watertown, SD

Join us in October for our 9th annual school-age conference! Featured keynotes for 2008 will be Bill Michealis and Ezra Holland, a GREAT training combo from California. (For more info on Bill & Ezra, click here!

9th Annual Lights On Afterschool!
October 16, 2008

Lights On Afterschool is celebrated nationwide to call attention to the importance of afterschool programs for America's children, families and communities. This annual national event is a project of the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that all children have access to quality, affordable afterschool programs. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has served as Chair of Lights On Afterschool since 2001. Since then, the number of events hosted in each state has grown dramatically, with over 10,000 events expected in 2008. For information on signing up to host an event in 2008, click here!

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SD 21st CCLC Conference

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Annual 21st Century Afterschool Programs Conference a Big Success! - June 2007

Directors and staff of 21^st Century Community Learning Centers and other afterschool programs in South Dakota converged on Pierre to attend the third annual summer conference, sponsored by the Dept. of Education. Charlie Abourjilie, a consultant with the Character Development Group of North Carolina was the keynote speaker and also did a breakout session.

Staff from the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL – and Education Laboratory) agency in Denver also provided sessions on the 2^nd day. Sue Burgard, 21^st CCLC director with the Dept. of Education, coordinated the event. “We were happy to have staff from McREL this year to provide some of the workshop sessions”, said Burgard, “since they are under contract to provide technical assistance and training to help us develop high-quality, balanced programming to engage students.”

(at right) Melvin Hill, Wakpala and Jana Chandler, Watertown In front of the Cultural Heritage Center.

As a subcontractor to the Southwest Education Development Laboratory (SEDL), McREL is currently participating in a three-year, $9.6 million federal project to study and promote improvement in more than 1,600 federally funded after-school programs. Through this effort, McREL provides training and technical assistance to afterschool program staff in a 14-state region that spans from Colorado to Ohio.

(at left) Sue Burgard and Mary Giddings from Dept. of Education, and Sarah LaBounty of McREL stop for a quick photo.

The conference kicked off on June 19^th at the Ramkota River Center in Pierre with a luncheon and keynote address, and breakout sessions were held the rest of the day. A dinner buffet was held at the Cultural Heritage Center, where participants could tour the Center afterward. Participants met the next day for sessions at the Georgia Morse Middle School. “The conference speakers were excellent. Training on the afterschool toolkit provided School Age Care Staff with resources that are easily accessible and free!” said Heather DeWit, director of the So. Hills & Hilltop OST programs in Sioux Falls. “Time spent networking and sharing ideas with others in the field made the time refreshing and worthwhile.”