GAIC is proud to announce the election of Georgia Afterschool council member Laura Dobbs by the National Council of States to serve a two-year term on the PTA National Board of Directors. Dobbs brings to the PTA National Board of Directors 14 years of PTA experience in Georgia. She currently serves as the Chair of Field Service and a member of the Finance Committee.

Laura recently finished her term as president of Georgia PTA and serves on the Georgia PTA Board of Directors. She has represented the PTA on several outside committees and task forces as well, including the Governor's Investing in Educational Excellence (IEČ) Task Force, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, and the Department of Education Title I Parent Involvement Program.

GAIC continues to benefit greatly from Laura's successful leadership in the state. The council is pleased to have such a successful advocate in Georgia working to move forward the afterschool and summer learning agenda with parents across the state. Congratulations Laura!

Many afterschool programs request online resources and activities. The following websites offer a variety of reading, geography, science and math activities and resources for staff and program participants.

The Georgia School Age Care Association (GSACA) is requesting your participation in our School Age Program Improvement and Accreditation Support project for 2007-2008. This project will conclude in May 2008. Funding for this project is from Bright From the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning, using federal Child Care and Development funds. GSACA will award a total of $35,000.00 to a minimum of 20 After School Providers. Each program may apply for one grant of up to $2,500.

Funding will provide support, technical assistance and resources to increase the quality of school age care statewide. Grant funding is available for two categories of recipients; program improvement and accreditation support grantees. Applicants may select either the Program Improvement Project or the Accreditation Support Project (described further in the RFP document).

For promising youth programs to succeed, resources must be accessed and integrated in creative and strategic ways. As programs, intermediaries, and policymakers work together to tackle issues of financing for youth programs, it is useful to ground the approaches in clear principles. Effective financing strategies for youth programs should:

1. Be driven by a compelling and well-conceived policy and program agenda;
2. Be aligned with the programs and services they aim to support;
3. Take account of changing fiscal needs over a program's life cycle;
4. Incorporate multiple funding sources that cut across programs and services;
5. Maximize the use of resources already in the system;
6. Use new funding to leverage other public- and private-sector resources; and
7. Contribute to a positive return on investment.

1. Improving Attendance and Retention in Out-of-School Time Programs The benefits of out-of-school time programs have been well documented, but few benefits can be gained without breaking through the barriers to participation that exist for children and youth today. This brief provides ideas for overcoming common barriers and outlines an action plan to measure attendance and retention in out-of-school programs.

2. Building, Engaging, and Supporting Family and Parental Involvement in Out-of-School Time Programs This brief describes family involvement and why it matters for out-of-school time programs. It also examines some of the issues that program staff face when attempting to engage parents, and offers suggestions for how to encourage family and parental involvement.

The Georgia Afterschool e-newsletter will be back in September - enjoy the rest of the summer!