The State Library of Ohio and OhioNET are excited to announce the 3rd installment in the Critical Conversation Series. Sustainable Thinking: What the World Needs Now with Rebekkah Smith Aldrich. The online event will be held September 8 at 2 p.m. and a recording will be shared with those who cannot attend live. The presentation is geared toward Ohio library staff of all levels and working at all library types.
The last 18 months have tested all of us—especially as libraries had to quickly pivot and find solutions to once-in-a-generation problems. As we continue to navigate the many impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, now is the time to give thoughtful consideration to how we build a new normal. Our future depends on all of us working together with empathy, respect, and understanding to adapt to the many challenges facing society. Ms. Smith-Aldrich will explore the importance of infusing the new core value of sustainability into everything we do, and demonstrate how libraries that lead into the future using 'sustainable thinking' fulfill our mission as libraries in new and innovative ways. 'Sustainable Thinking' is a concept that aligns the core values of libraries with the 'Triple Bottom Line' definition of sustainability. This consists of practices that are environmentally sound, economically feasible, and socially equitable. Libraries play an important and unique role in promoting community awareness about resilience, climate change, and a sustainable future.
After her presentation, Ms. Smith Aldrich will be in conversation with Erin Kelsey, Library Consultant at the State Library of Ohio, about sustainable thinking about how it’s a great opportunity to start talking about and acting on these principles to better our libraries and communities.
Click here to register. Registrants will be sent a Zoom link via email in a few days prior to the event. A recording will be uploaded and available for viewing if you can't make the live event.
In partnership with OhioNET, Critical Conversations is supported by the State Library of Ohio with federal funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
A growing number of Ohio public libraries participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) to provide afterschool meals to children and teens at the library.
Your library is eligible to participate and offer a daily meal or snack to children and teens during the 2021-22 school year, paid for by federal funds!
The need for this program has never been greater. The pandemic has driven a sharp increase in economic instability and food insecurity. Many families do not know how to access free meals for children who may not participate in formal afterschool programs.
Libraries and CACFP are a great fit! The library is a known, trusted, accessible community center which is known for giving stuff out for free and has no stigma of “handout” attached to it.
And, CACFP is good for the library. Besides addressing hunger and supporting vulnerable youth – and mitigating behavior issues that can be exacerbated when a child hasn’t eaten in hours – participation benefits libraries through:
-
Access to new user groups, especially underserved and marginalized populations;
-
Increased visibility of the library as a community asset;
-
Opportunities for new partnerships;
-
Positioning of the library as an important stakeholder in community well-being and positive child outcomes;
-
Support for afterschool programming through increased attendance.
Like the Summer Food Service Program, CACFP is a USDA-funded program administered in Ohio by the Ohio Department of Education, Office of Integrated Student Supports (OISS).
CACFP enables child and adult care institutions to provide nutritious meals and snacks to people in their care. Libraries are eligible to participate in the At-Risk Afterschool Meals component of CACFP. Libraries and other entities that offer afterschool enrichment activities for at-risk children and teens can provide a daily meal or snack through CACFP. According to the OISS, public libraries qualify as offering enrichment activities by nature of their purpose. If a library is open and offers regular library services (e.g. books, computers with educational software, etc.), it qualifies for CACFP at-risk afterschool.
Ordinarily, there is an area eligibility requirement limiting participation to areas where at least 50% of the children are eligible for free or reduced price school meals. For the 2021-22 school year, this requirement has been waived by the USDA. All libraries serving all communities in Ohio are eligible this school year.
As with the Summer Food Service Program, libraries do not have to purchase or prepare the food. Libraries simply serve as sites where meals/snacks are served. Library staff typically receive temperature-controlled or shelf-stable meals/snacks dropped off at the library, coordinate and manage distribution and/or sit-down mealtimes, and handle cleanup. Outside sponsoring organizations, such as food banks, YMCAs, school districts, etc., handle the financial, administrative and food service responsibilities.
Libraries don’t have to get on board right at the beginning of the school year. Libraries can apply with an area CACFP sponsor at any time, but sponsorships start on the 1st of each month, and paperwork has to be in to OSSI by the 20th of the previous month. Sponsors will have an earlier monthly deadline to have time to complete and turn in the paperwork.
Interested?
-
If you are already an CACFP at-risk afterschool site (or have been a site in the past), work with your regular sponsor to prepare for the 2021-22 school year. Your sponsor should know all current rules, requirements, waivers, and important CACFP news.
Thank you for your consideration, and for your constant support of the children and teens in your community!
Ohio Family Engagement Leadership Summit
Friday, September 17, 9:00 am – 3:15 pm
The Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Center at Ohio State University is proud to announce the second annual Ohio Family Engagement Leadership Summit, a free, online day of professional learning and connecting virtually with others dedicated to advancing effective family-school-community partnerships across Ohio and beyond. This summit brings research to action by providing schools, families, and community partners with the tools they need to work together to launch all children to success.
Sessions at the Summit community partnerships, early literacy, parent voice, and more! The Summit will feature interactive presentations from today’s family engagement leaders, researchers, and practitioners in four learning tracks, including: family engagement and mental health, family engagement and student transitions, family engagement and opportunity for all, and family engagement leadership.
Learn more and register here: https://ohiofamiliesengage.osu.edu/summit/
