ASTC and the Afterschool Alliance have, through funding from the Noyce Foundation, awarded 20 Lights On Afterschool Partnership Minigrants. Minigrants were awarded to ASTC-member institutions to aid in the implementation of an event for the Lights On Afterschool celebration in cooperation with an afterschool partner. This program stems from the partnership formed between ASTC and the Afterschool Alliance as our Commitment to Action for the Clinton Global Initiative, an annual drive to find innovative solutions to promote economic recovery in the United States, including objectives in education and skill development. This minigrant program is designed to strengthen STEM learning partnerships between ASTC-member science centers in the United States and afterschool providers.
The 15th annual Lights On Afterschool celebration will be held on October 23, 2014, with events taking place throughout October. Lights On Afterschool is the only nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families, and communities. Science centers are ideally placed to hold events as a part of Lights On Afterschool, and these grants were awarded to support such events.
Congratulations to all recipients:
- Arizona Science Center in Phoenix, AZ, with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale, AZ
- The Bakken Museum, with the Sabathani Community Center, both in Minneapolis, MN
- Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, with Journey House Community Center, both in Milwaukee, WI
- Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA, with the Sewickley Valley YMCA in Sewickley, PA
- Children’s Discovery Museum in Normal, IL, with the Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington-Normal, IL
- Children’s Discovery Museum in Augusta, ME, with the Maine Afterschool Network in Farmington
- Explora Science Center & Children’s Museum of Albuquerque, with Children’s Choice Child Care Services, Inc, both in Albuquerque, NM
- Exploration Place, The Sedgwick County Science and Discovery Center in Wichita, KS, with McConnell Air Force Base 4-H at McConnell AFB, KS
- The Franklin Institute, with Project H.O.M.E. / Honickman Learning Center and Comcast Technology Labs, both in Philadelphia, PA
- Headwaters Science Center, with the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area, both in Bemidji, MN
- Imagination Station Science and History Museum, with The SPOT, both in Wilson, NC
- miSci – museum of innovation and science in Schenectady, NY, with AfterSchool Works! New York in Menands, NY
- Museum of Discovery, with the Arkansas Out of School Network, both in Little Rock
- Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, MT, with the Boys & Girls Club of Lewistown, MT
- Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland, with the Youth Development Coalition of Lincoln County in Newport, OR
- Perot Museum of Nature and Science, with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas, both in Dallas, TX
- Roper Mountain Science Center, with Communities in Schools, both in Greenville, SC
- South Dakota Discovery Center, with Oahe YMCA Kidstop, both in Pierre
- Staten Island Children’s Museum, with The Children’s Aid Society, both in Staten Island, NY
- University of Alaska Museum of the North, with 4-H – University of Alaska, both in Fairbanks