Find programmers at the CT Arts for Learning's September 20 Artist Expo

Find programmers at the CT Arts for Learning's September 20 Artist Expo

Join Connecticut Arts for Learning in Hamden for an exciting day filled with arts education performances.

The Art Experience Showcase is scheduled for September 20, 2013 at the Hamden Middle School, 2623 Dixwell Avenue from 8:30AM-2:30PM. 

I went to one of these showcases in April 2013 and it was really cool - you get a preview of the performer and what they do.The day includes over 50 artist programs, the opportunity to speak to performing and teaching artists, continental breakfast and lunch. 

You must preregister by calling 203-230-8101 or emailing info@yaconn.org with your name, address, phone and affiliation. The cost is $10 per person. 

Lowe's Toolbox for Education grants (schools)

Applications are being accepted for the Fall 2013 cycle of the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation Toolbox for Education grant program.
 
Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to nonprofit public K-12 schools or affiliated parent groups working to improve their schools through facility enhancement, cleanup programs, and projects that encourage parent involvement and community spirit.

The deadline is October 15, 2013.

Lowe's is planning on donating a total of $5 million to U.S. public schools and public school parent teacher groups at more than one thousand public schools. For the 2010-11 program, the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation will focus on basic, one-time project needs.

Any individual nonprofit public K-12 school or parent group associated with a nonprofit public K-12 school is eligible to apply. Parent groups (PTO, PTA, etc.) that are applying must have an independent tax ID number and official 501(c)(3) status from the IRS. Groups that do not have 501(c)(3) status should apply through their school. Applicant schools must be at least two years old. Preschools are not eligible.

The program prioritizes funding requests that have a permanent impact such as facility enhancement (both indoor and outdoor) as well as landscaping/cleanup-type projects. Projects that encourage parent involvement and build stronger community spirit will be favored.

Grants may be requested for amounts between $2,000 and $5,000.

The deadline for submitting applications for this grant cycle is October 15, 2010.

Visit the Toolbox for Education site for complete application guidelines.

Bowling to Teachers Classroom Supplies Grant Program

Bowling to Teachers Classroom Supplies Grant Program

Kids Bowl Free is offering K-8 teachers a chance to win $200 for classroom supplies and also give their kids a chance to bowl for free a few times over the summer. Sounds pretty fun.

Entrants must visit www.kidsbowlfree.com/grants, complete the application form, and answer all of the questions on the “Bowling Open Book Test.” Drawings will be conducted on March 20, 2013, April 17, 2013, August 21, 2013, September 18, 2013, and October 15, 2013 or within a reasonable time thereafter. Deadline: September 30, 2013.

 

Open Meadown Foundation funds projects benefiting women and girls

Open Meadows Foundation

Open Meadows Foundation Offers Funding for Projects to Benefit Women and Girls

Open Meadows Foundation is a grant-making organization for projects that are led by and benefit women and girls, particularly those from vulnerable communities. Open Meadows Foundation funds projects that do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender identity and expression, sexual identity and expression, age or ability. It offers grants up to $2000 to projects that:

* Are designed and implemented by women and girls;
* Reflect the diversity of the community served by the project in both its leadership and organization;
* Promote building community power;
* Promote gender, racial, social, economic and/or environmental justice; and
* Have limited financial access or have encountered obstacles in their search for funding.

There are two deadlines per year, August and February.

3rd Grade Cabbage Program grant

Yes, it's just what it sounds like: a 3rd Grade CabbageProgram*. Deadline: September 16, 2013.

Each year, BonniePlants distributes free cabbage plants to 3rd-graders across the country to foster an interest in gardening and the environment. Cabbages will be delivered to students whose teachers have signed up to participate. Students will each receive their own cabbage to plant, care for, and harvest. .

As part of the program, Bonnie Plants will also give a $1,000 award to 1 student in each state. All info here.

* From the Bonnie Website: Why a cabbage? It was the first plant sold by our company in 1918. The cabbages are the O.S. Cross variety, which is known for producing giant, oversized heads, making the process even more exciting for kids. Some kids have grown cabbages weighing more than 50 pounds!

Online course: Improving Library Services to People with Disabilities

Improving Library Services to People with Disabilities

Course Dates: October 14 through November 10, 2013 featuring two Live Online Sessions using FlashChat in Moodle (Chat 1: Thursday, October 24, 3-4 pm Central Time; Chat 2: Thursday, November 7, 3-4 pm Central Time).

Course Description: Library services to people with disabilities are provided by all levels of library staff.  From the part-time aide charging out library materials to the library director determining policies, staff skills and attitudes are crucial for a satisfactory library experience.

All libraries have a plan for serving people with disabilities, whether it is the installation of ramps or the creation of special needs story times. But improvements are always possible.

Library staff who enroll will review the current level of service to people with disabilities then explore materials and sources that provide additional support or new ideas. 

Who Should Take This Course: This course is designed for all library staff, including support staff, general professional staff, age-level or subject specialists, managers and administrators.

Course Objectives:

1. Library staff will identify patrons with disabilities who use the library and the resources that are available to assist them.
2. Library staff will examine changes in attitudes, laws and technologies that have impacted people with disabilities.
3. Library staff will demonstrate communication with people-first language and non-verbal techniques.
4. Library staff will recommend changes in personal and organizational behaviors to improve services for people with disabilities.

Course Outline:

Week 1: 

• Visible or invisible:  who are the people with disabilities?

Week 2:

• What has changed?  Attitudes, laws and practices affecting services to people with disabilities.
• Communication:  etiquette, alternative communication and people-first language.

Week 3:

• Didn’t know we had that:  discovering assistive technology already available at your library.

Week 4:

• Know the rules:  applying policies and procedures of your library.
• One step forward:  share one personal goal and one organizational change that you would recommend to improve service in your library for people with disabilities.

Course participants who complete four assignments and two discussion postings will receive a certificate of completion from ASCLA.

Instructor: Kate Todd has worked as a children’s librarian for The New York Public Library and as Emerging Technologies Librarian for Manhattanville College.  At Manhattanville College, she taught “Technology for Special Education” in the graduate School of Education. She has taught several online courses for ALSC (Association of Library Services to Children), including “Children with Disabilities in the Library.” Kate is currently working on independent projects, including online instruction for ALA. Her interests include online learning, educational games, library services for people with disabilities and readability/leveling strategies.

Registration Information: Registration limit for each session: 30; registrations for this session will no longer be accepted once the 30 student limit is reached.

Registration Fees:

• $150 for ASCLA members
• $195 for ALA members
• $230 for non-ALA members
• $120 for student members and retired members

Register Online, by fax (download, complete, & fax PDF form to (312) 280-1538), or mail (download, complete, and mail PDF form to American Library Association, ATTN: MACS/Online CE Registration, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611

Green Education Foundation

The Green Education Foundation and Gardener's Supply Company are offering funding to sustain existing youth garden programs that have demonstrated success and have impacted the lives of kids and their community.

Maximum Grant: $1,000     Deadline: September 30, 2013     Go directly to guidelines and application

Only for existing garden programs involving children currently in grades K-12, from schools and youth groups nationwide (not a garden that has not yet been started).

Complete information here.  

Awesome Foundation Food Chapter / CT Chapter

The Food Chapter of the AwesomeFoundation is accepting applications to further food awesomeness in the universe. They give out $1,000 micro-grants once a month. Anyone can apply. The Awesome Foundation pools money from micro-trustees and provides upfront grants with no strings attached. Autonomous chapters offer funding in specific geographic areas or for specific issue areas. Online applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.Maximum Grant: $1,000. Deadline: Anytime. 

There is also a CT chapter of the Awesome Foundation which has funded the Dream MAKER Team, a summer program for kids in Stamford and "Help Us Grow" (Ridgefield) a public garden that allows visitors to explore, enjoy and learn about their environment, it’s sustainability, and beauty through horticulture. The garden provides, jobs, productive day programs and one day a small, but safe residential community for adults on the Autism Spectrum. 

The Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is an ever-growing, worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of awesomeness in the universe. Created in the long hot summer days of 2009 in Boston, the Foundation distributes a series of monthly $1,000 grants to projects and their creators. The money is pooled together from the coffers of ten or so self-organizing “micro-trustees” and given upfront in cash, check, or gold doubloons. The chapters are autonomous and organized by the trustees around geographic areas or topics of interest.