ACT Now IL Blog
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February 19, 2025
Policy Updates: February 19th, 2025
Afterschool Programs Zeroed Out In The Governor’s Proposed FY26 Budget Governor JB Pritzker’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget leaves a glaring, urgent gap in serving children and families through afterschool that must be addressed immediately. Under the Governor’s leadership, Illinois as a state is doing a great deal to support our most vulnerable populations in the…
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February 7, 2025
Policy Updates: February 7th, 2025
Hello Afterschool Advocates! I hope you are all hanging in there. So many of you have expressed interest in our advocacy this year, and we’ve seen more engagement than ever! Since we all can’t be on an advocacy webinar together every single week, we wanted to look for ways to keep you updated with what’s…
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January 23, 2025
Building Better Afterschool Programs with the Illinois Afterschool Quality Standards
In 2013, ACT Now brought together a diverse group of afterschool leaders to review research, state Standards, and feedback from youth development professionals. Their work culminated in the creation of the Illinois Afterschool Quality Standards, which were introduced in May 2016. These Standards were designed to provide a shared definition of program quality and promote…
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October 29, 2024
Keeping the Lights On: S&C Electric Field Trip
By: Naomi Oster Happy Lights On Afterschool 2024! This year, on October 24, 2024, ACT Now’s celebration of the national day for afterschool included a field trip I convened for thirty-six middle schoolers to S&C Electric, on Chicago’s north side. When our amazing partners at the National Girls Collaborative Project and Wesco, reached out, interested…
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September 25, 2024
Students Lose Afterschool Programs, Staff Laid Off—Policymakers Must Take Action!
Press Release – September 24, 2024 Chicago, Illinois – 13,500 students across the state have lost afterschool programs and 1,000 staff roles have been eliminated. Organizations gathered today at Aspira Business and Finance High School for a rally to ask policymakers to take swift action to rectify this issue. You can watch the full rally…
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July 29, 2024
Refugees and Asylum-Seekers: How Community-Based Organizations Are Supporting Newcomers
Alishba Shah, Policy and Communications Intern Summer 2024 Finding work and going to school is hard enough as it is; imagine having to do that and so much more while not even understanding or speaking the language everyone else around you uses. That is how many migrants and refugees feel when they first come to…
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June 3, 2024
Exciting Opportunity: Apply Now for ACT Now’s FY25 STEM Club!
Are you passionate about fostering a love for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in young minds? Are you struggling with where to start in implementing STEM activities into your program? If so, we have great news for you! ACT Now is excited to announce that applications for our FY25 STEM Club are now open!…
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May 6, 2024
May RPSA Blog!
As we approach the end of fiscal year 24′, this month’s RPSA blog aims to provide insights into eCornerstone, the future of RPSA funding, and additional funding resources available for potential grantees. Grantees have been requested by IDHS to backdate program information to July 1, 2023, and input data into eCornerstone. This includes vital details…
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April 23, 2024
Curriculum Reviews: CATCH, TinkRworks, and Afterschool Math Plus
This month we have reviewed another three curriculums, covering topics of STEM, Sports/Recreation and Math in afterschool. Kids Club (OST) By CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) TAGS: Physical Education, elementary, middle school, health and fitness, activities, games, healthy eating, The Kids Club from CATCH is a very accessible set of curricular resources for jumpstarting…
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March 25, 2024
Elevating Youth Voice!
March 25th to March 29th marks Youth Voice Week 2024! Creating spaces where young people can share their experiences and discuss issues that are important to them is crucial. Afterschool programs are uniquely positioned to provide these spaces for youth. Amplifying youth voice initiatives helps youth develop essential skills and instills the confidence necessary to…
