Next meeting takes place Sept. 11
— Summit Education Initiative (SEI)’s Out of School Time Partner (OSTP) Network kicks off the 2018-2019 school year with its first quarterly meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 10 a.m. at First Glance (943 Kenmore Blvd.), a youth center located in the Kenmore neighborhood. Attendees may tour the space when the meeting ends around noon. (South Street Ministries will host the second meeting on Dec. 11; National Inventors Hall of Fame will host the third meeting on Feb. 12; and Great Trail Council, Boy Scouts of America, will host the fourth and final meeting of the school year on May 14.)
Individuals who represent out of school time organizations may contact González Alcalá at
[email protected] for more information about joining the OSTP Network and other potential opportunities to work with SEI.
OSTPs are community organizations that support and work with children outside of the classroom. For several years, SEI has not only focused on improving student outcomes at the six leading indicators, but also on supporting those who work with children after school.
“Whether you grow up in Durango, Mexico, or in Akron, Ohio, having a safe place where you can go after school to get homework help, or work on your foot skills while hearing encouraging messages from caring adults, will significantly boost your ability to achieve your goals and dreams,” says Cristina González Alcalá, research associate at SEI. “Our OSTP Network focuses on helping organizations and their staff create inclusive, positive environments where youth will thrive.”
Any organization that offers programming, activities, mentoring, etc. for children in Summit County is welcome to attend OSTP Network meetings to connect with others doing similar work. At each meeting this year, attendees will discuss “Mindset: The Psychology of Success,” a book González Alcalá sent to each current network member in late August. She encourages all recipients to read the book to prepare for engaging conversations.
In addition to convening OSTPs to network and share ideas on a quarterly basis, SEI also offers partner organizations that meet certain criteria the opportunity to use its OSTP Portal.
After completing a one-hour Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) training with González Alcalá, representatives from an OSTP may use this resource to gain better access to secure student data from schools. González Alcalá has scheduled two additional training sessions this fall – one on Sept. 25 and one on Oct. 30. SEI will host both sessions at their office in Quaker Square. (Visit www.seisummit.org/events for more details.)
OSTPs serving youth 12 and older use another SEI resource called the YouthView® OSTP Survey, which provides aggregate results to empower OSTPs to make informed decisions to support student success. (Visit www.youthview.org for more information about the survey and the OSTP Portal.)
Summit Education Initiative (SEI) is a nonprofit organization working to enhance the educational experiences of individuals and their families living in Summit County. SEI believes this helps ensure every student graduates prepared, passionate and persistent. The mission of SEI is to improve personal and regional prosperity through increased educational attainment.
