VPOST Conference Updates in your May Newsletter!

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Subject: VPOST Conference Updates in your May Newsletter!

Registration Now Open! VPOST 17th Annual Conference

Join the OST Village this November 2nd for VPOST 17th Annual Conference, taking place at the DoubleTree in Williamsburg, Virginia. This year’s theme, The Village We Build: Strengthening Youth and Communities, will highlight the power of connection, collaboration, and community. Join out-of-school time professionals from across the Commonwealth for a day of learning, networking, and inspiration.

Calling Sponsors and Exhibitors!

VPOST warmly welcomes companies and organizations that offer solutions and support for OST educators to join us as sponsors or exhibitors at our conference. We have created a variety of sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities that can be tailored to meet your goals. For more details, check out this info sheet.

Sponsor or Exhibit

VPOST Custom Professional Development

In the last month, VPOST partnered with two Virginia communities to deliver customized professional development tailored to their unique needs. In Loudoun County, VPOST traveled onsite to train Parks and Recreation staff on using the Quality Check Tool to strengthen program quality and continuous improvement efforts. VPOST also hosted a virtual professional development day with Arlington Public Schools' Extended Day program, featuring sessions focused on coaching staff and designing effective out-of-school time learning experiences. In both partnerships, training was tailored to the organization’s goals and delivered over multiple sessions to accommodate staff across different roles and experience levels. Did you know VPOST offers contract-based professional development services for organizations like yours? If you're interested in getting started, reach out to christine@v-post.org.

New Trump Budget Proposal for FY 2027 Eliminates Afterschool

The Trump Administration's FY2027 Skinny Budget proposal appears to zero out funding for 21st CCLC and consolidate the program, along with 16 others, totaling $6.5 billion, into a new $2 billion block grant known as the Make Education Great Again (MEGA) program.

In addition, the budget proposes eliminating $2.1 billion in other education programs and reducing overall federal investment in education. The preliminary budget, released April 3rd, outlines the administration's funding priorities, with additional details expected later this month. It is now up to Congress to write and pass final spending legislation for FY 2027.

URGE Congress to protect kids' afterschool and summer programs by maintaining dedicated funding for 21st CCLC!

NEW! VCU Youth Development Certificate goes Hybrid!

Starting in Summer 2026, the Mary and Frances Youth Center will offer a hybrid cohort version for youth program and health service staff and leaders across Virginia. This expansion will create a learning community that supports both emerging and experienced youth development professionals throughout the Commonwealth.

People outside the Richmond region can join a hybrid cohort that expands access, strengthens connections, and keeps participants grounded in their home communities. Through a blend of in-person intensive sessions and virtual learning, the hybrid cohort runs in parallel with the Richmond (VCU) cohort. Both cohorts aim to build a statewide network of youth development and health service professionals. Registration closes soon!

Join or Learn More Here

CANDYD

The Charlottesville Area Network Dedicated to Youth Development (CANDYD) is a network of out-of-school-time programs and providers for youth in the greater Charlottesville region. Founded in 2018 and facilitated by UVA, CANDYD brings together a wide variety of youth-serving professionals and advocates. With a special focus on SEL, CANDYD works to enhance equitable, accessible, and high-quality OST experiences so that all youth can thrive. Learn more about CANDYD here.

The Quality Boost offers quick, practical tips or resources aligned to one of the Quality Standards for Virginia’s Out-of-School Time Programs. Think of it as a bite-sized way to offer aligned, high-quality practices.

As the school year winds down and summer programs begin, this transition period is a great time for reflection. That's why we're highlighting Continuous Improvement.

The Why for Continuous explains That Intentional reflection and staff responses promote high-quality practices that produce positive, measurable outcomes.

VPOST Quality Check Tool is a companion workbook to the Quality Standards, and it helps programs discuss program quality and identify plans for improvement. It follows a step-by-step process to reflect on how programs live out the Quality Standards

Benefits of the tool:
- Identify strengths and places to grow
- Helps with decision-making
- Helps teams have positive conversations, set collaborative goals, show impact, and grow

Get the Quality Check Tool Here.

If you want to know more about the Continuous Improvement or any of our other Quality Standards, you can learn more here.

Impact Report for Quality Community of Practice

Check out our new Impact Report that shares the success of A Year of OST Quality, Community of Practice (CoP). Leaders in this cohort met monthly to unpack and share strategies using the Quality Standards for Virginia OST Programs as a framework. Members expanded the reach of their learning by hosting professional development at their programs. Read the Impact Report here.

About 30 million children participate in the USDA’s school breakfast and lunch programs on an average school day. When school is out for the summer, kids lose access to these healthy meals, but they still need nutritious food to grow healthy and strong. That’s why Virginia offers SUN Meals at neighborhood locations to help our kids get the nutrition they need over summer break.

With SUN Meals, kids 18 and under can get free meals and snacks at schools, parks, and other group meal locations. In some rural areas, meals can also be picked up or delivered through SUN Meals To-Go. Every child is welcome to eat and connect with other kids, and some meal locations also offer fun activities! Learn more here.

Lights on Afterschool Poster Contest

Afterschool Alliance's Lights On Afterschool poster contest is officially open! Winning artwork will be printed on more than 50,000 posters that will be displayed at more than 8,000 Lights On Afterschool events around the world. The Lights On Afterschool poster contest is a great opportunity for an afterschool program to gain national recognition for the opportunities it offers. The winning artist will be featured on our website, blog, and a national press release, and their afterschool program will be credited on the poster in addition to receiving the grand prize of $500! Voting will take place June 22-26 on Facebook and Instagram. More info, including the entry form, is available here.

Mizzen Education

Mizzen education is a free platform made by OST for OST. Get free lesson plans, searchable by age group, subject, duration, and more! In collaboration with Mizzen, Learn Fresh has launched their MLS STEM Goals collection. This partnership tackles a key challenge in out-of-school learning: making math both engaging and impactful for all learners.

By combining real-world sports data with fast-paced, strategic play, this collection takes youth through the arc of a professional season, from signing a sportsmanship contract to tracking performance data and competing in a final championship tournament. Learn more at mizzen.org

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Subject: VPOST Conference Updates in your May Newsletter!