Happy Holidays!

From our family to yours, Florida Afterschool Network wishes you a very happy, healthy and safe holiday! We thank you for continued support. Below are some fun facts about the holidays. Enjoy!

Christmas was declared a national holiday in 1870.

President Franklin Pierce was the first President to decorate the White House Christmas tree.


Each year, Florida Christmas tree growers produce over 120,000 freshly cut quality trees for the holiday season.

Hanukkah is celebrated every year between the end of November and the end of December. It begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which varies from year to year on the Western calendar. The eight day celebration commemorates the rededication of the Jerusalem temple, and the miracle of the sacred lamp that burned for eight days on a single day’s oil.

Kwanzaa is a seven day celebration of African culture begun by Dr. Maulana Karenga, a professor at California State University. Celebrated from December 26th to January 1st, Kwanzaa (which means “first fruits of the harvest”) is meant to honor African heritage and present day life in America. The holiday ends with a large feast on the final evening called Karamu.

Source: http://www.justreadfamilies.org/holidays/facts.asp

Changes at FAN

The Florida Afterschool Network is pleased to announce some exciting changes. Joe Davis has been appointed the Chief Operating Officer for the organization.

Davis previously was the Chairman of the FAN Board of Directors. In addition, he most recently served as Chief of the Bureau of Family and Community Outreach at the Florida Department of Education. Joe’s commitment to Florida’s children and families has resulted in several awards, including a statewide “Award of Excellence” from the Florida Afterschool Alliance, an Honorary Life Membership in the Florida PTA, and Fellow status with the Florida Supreme Court Justice Teaching Institute (JTI). Davis is a lifelong educator who is a great addition to the FAN staff.

“I am very excited about my new position,” said Davis. “The Florida Afterschool Program is a great organization that is truly making a difference in communities across the state. There is still much to do, and I am looking forward to taking on the challenge.”

Linda Lanier has been named the Chairman of the FAN Board of Directors. Lanier previously served as Vice Chairman and has been the Executive Director and CEO of the Jacksonville Children’s Commission since 2003. She is also the current chair of the Florida Children’s Services Council (FCSC). She previously served on the Commission on Homelessness, appointed in 2000 by Governor Jeb Bush.

Dr. Steve Wilkerson has been named the FAN Board of Directors Vice Chairman. Wilkerson has been President of the Florida Cable Telecommunication Association since 1987 where he is the CEO for the trade association representing four major cable companies in Florida who serve five million cable customers. His commitment education runs deep. He sits on the Board for the Florida Institute for School Innovation, Florida Network for Runaways and the United Way of Leon County (just to name a few).

Executive Director Larry Pintacuda has been unanimously promoted by the Board of Directors to the title of Chief Executive Director. Larry has worked tirelessly to build the Florida Afterschool Program in to the organization it is today.

“Joe. Linda and Steve have been an integral member of the FAN Board of Directors for many years,” said Executive Director Larry Pintacuda. “We have taken so many steps forward in the past year for afterschool programs, and I know we are only going to take more. I am honored the Board has valued my work and named me CEO, and I am thrilled for the future.”

Florida One of Nine States to Get High Marks in Afterschool Alliance Report

Below is a press release announcing the 2011 State-by-State Afterschool Progress Reports and Consumer Guides. Developed by the Afterschool Alliance and sponsored by jcpenney, the report shows that states are showing improvement, but a lot still needs to be done. Florida, along with eight other states, received the highest ranking.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new assessment of states’ progress toward offering afterschool programs to all children who need them finds that many states are making progress, but all have unfinished business to keep kids safe and learning after the school day ends. The new 2011 State-by-State Afterschool Progress Reports and Consumer Guides, which are being released in conjunction with Lights On Afterschool, the only national rally for afterschool, measured all 50 states on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best rating. No states received a 5 and only nine states (California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey and New York) received a 4. Twenty states received a 3; 19 states a 2; and Delaware and Idaho received the lowest rating, a 1.

The Progress Reports were developed by the Afterschool Alliance and sponsored by jcpenney. They are being released today at the Jacksonville, Florida Lights On Afterschool event – one of 17 winners of the “Light Up a Landmark” contest sponsored by jcpenney and the Afterschool Alliance. For the fifth year, the Empire State Building also will be lit up for Lights On Afterschool today. The new Progress Reports examine how each state is helping keep the lights on for kids and families after school by considering: the availability of and participation in afterschool programs, based on data from the landmark 2009 America After 3PM household survey; recent state policy activity and funding for afterschool programs; and state-level leadership on afterschool from policy makers. They find:

·         Twenty-one states are currently funding afterschool programs.

·         Thirty-one states have an initiative in place that promotes quality in afterschool programming.

·         Only 13 states have passed legislation that directly supports afterschool programs.

·         Just 15 states have state-level councils, studies, pilots or ongoing legislative activity designed to advance afterschool.

·         Only six states reduced the number of children in self-care in the afternoons from 2004 to 2009, the two years during which national household surveys were conducted.

The Progress Reports also include information for parents on how to find and support

afterschool programs in each state. Links to state and national resources for finding programs are available, and parents and non-parents alike are directed to specific action steps that they can take to support afterschool.

“Millions of children in this country are unsupervised and at risk after the school day ends,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “This report should serve as a wake-up call that we need to do much more to make quality afterschool programs available. Even in tough economic times like these, we must ensure that our children get the education and supports they need to succeed in school and in life. Afterschool programs are a great investment, providing opportunities for engaging, hands-on learning that often aren’t available during the school day.

Today all across the country, at 7,500 Lights On Afterschool events, a million people are urging state and federal lawmakers to remember that afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families – and to make afterschool funding a priority.”

In conjunction with Lights On Afterschool events across the nation, jcpenney will invite its customers to support the afterschool cause through the “pennies from heaven” campaign Oct. 12- 25. During that period, customers can round up purchases to the nearest whole dollar and donate the difference to a local afterschool program that provides life-enriching opportunities for children in need.

“As a leading corporate advocate for the afterschool cause, jcpenney is committed to building the resources needed to offer quality afterschool services in every community,” said Jodi Gibson, divisional vice president for jcpenney and president of jcpenney afterschool. “By partnering with the Afterschool Alliance to determine the unique needs of every state, families, educators and policy makers can make informed decisions that will make afterschool programs available and accessible to those who need it most.”

A significant body of research demonstrates that students who attend afterschool programs regularly are more likely to improve their grades, tests scores and overall academic behavior. Nationwide, more than 15 million school-age children – more than one in four kids in the United States – are unsupervised after the school day ends. The parents of 18 million children say they would enroll their kids in afterschool programs – if programs were available.

Methodology

Scores for the Progress Reports were devised using a range of factors falling under three major categories: growth in afterschool participation; developments in state afterschool policy and funding; and advancements in state afterschool leadership. Data from the America After 3PM survey were used to assess afterschool participation. A total of 29,754 parents/guardians were surveyed between March and May 2009 for America After 3PM. The progress reports also used up-to-date policy and leadership developments obtained from afterschool leaders in the states, most notably the 40 statewide afterschool networks. The 2011 State-by-State Progress Reports  and Consumer Guides reflect the data and resources available at the time of their release in October 2011.

O'Hara Joins FAN's Panel of Champions

The Florida Afterschool Network is pleased to announce that Mr. Art O’Hara is the newest member of our Panel of Champions.

Art is the Executive Director of the R’Club in Pinellas County. R’Club serves children and their families at more than 40 before and after school programs, exceptional student centers, preschools and middle school youth development programs in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties. In addition, the R'Club provides care for more than 600 children daily who have special needs and operates extended learning programs in both exceptional student education centers in Pinellas County.

The Florida Afterschool Network Panel of Champions consists of members of the community that are committed to children and afterschool programs. They are an elite group of leaders, educators and innovators with a diverse background. They are champions in their community.

FAN is excited that Art has agreed to become a member of the FAN panel of Champions.

FAN to Partner with FCTA on Cable Special

The Florida Afterschool Network is excited to announce that our organization will partner with the Florida Cable Telecommunications Association (FCTA) on a cable special highlighting children’s issues.

The special will be unique in that it will focus on how we can navigate kids issues through a legislative session that again is faced with large budget deficits. The cable special is the brainchild of FAN Board member Steve Wilkerson, President and CEO, FCTA, and will be directed by Janice Caluda, Executive Vice President, FCTA. 

The format is a panel discussion moderated by Steve, and will feature panelists:  Jennifer Carroll (Florida Lieutenant Governor), David Lawrence (FAN Panel of Champion member, retired publisher of the Miami Herald and President of the Children’s Movement),  Michael Lannon (FAN Board member and Superintendent of Schools St. Lucie County) and Brittany Birken (CEO the Florida Children’s Council).

The special will be taped on Monday, December 12^th and will be aired prior to and during the coming legislative session.  FAN is very proud and excited to partner with Florida Cable on this important project. We at FAN offer our sincere thanks to Steve, Janice and the entire FCTA team and to the wonderful panel members.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Florida Afterschool Network wishes everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving. For your reading pleasure, below are fun Thanksgiving Facts from the History Channel.

History

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn't until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November. Today, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of each November.

Thanksgiving Over the Years

Though many competing claims exist, the most familiar story of the first Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth Colony, in present-day Massachusetts, in 1621. More than 200 years later, President Abraham Lincoln declared the final Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. Congress finally made Thanksgiving Day an official national holiday in 1941.

Sarah Josepha Hale, the enormously influential magazine editor and author who waged a tireless campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday in the mid-19th century, was also the author of the classic nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb."

In 2001, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative Thanksgiving stamp. Designed by the artist Margaret Cusack in a style resembling traditional folk-art needlework, it depicted a cornucopia overflowing with fruits and vegetables, under the phrase "We Give Thanks."

Thanksgiving On the Roads

The American Automobile Association (AAA) estimated that 42.2 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend in 2010.

Thanksgiving On the Table

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minnesota is the top turkey-producing state in America, with a planned production total of 46.5 million in 2011. Six states—Minnesota, North Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, Virginia, and Indinia—account for nearly two-thirds of the  248 million turkeys that will be raised in the U.S. this year.

The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys—one fifth of the annual total of 235 million consumed in the United States in 2007—were eaten at Thanksgiving.

In a survey conducted by the National Turkey Federation, nearly 88 percent of Americans said they eat turkey at Thanksgiving. The average weight of turkeys purchased for Thanksgiving is 15 pounds, which means some 690 million pounds of turkey were consumed in the U.S. during Thanksgiving in 2007.

Cranberry production in the U.S. is expected to reach 750 million pounds in 2011. Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington are the top cranberry growing states.

Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and New York are the major pumpkin growing states, together they produced 1.1 billion pounds of pumpkin in 2010. Total U.S. production was over 1.5 billion pounds.

The sweet potato is most plentifully produced in North Carolina, which grew 972 million pounds of the popular Thanksgiving side dish vegetable in 2010. Other sweet potato powerhouses included California and Mississippi, and the top producing states together generated over 2.4 billion pounds of the tubers.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long. It was baked on October 8, 2005 by the New Bremen Giant Pumpkin Growers in Ohio, and included 900 pounds of pumpkin, 62 gallons of evaporated milk, 155 dozen eggs, 300 pounds of sugar, 3.5 pounds of salt, 7 pounds of cinnamon, 2 pounds of pumpkin spice and 250 pounds of crust.

Thanksgiving Around the Country

Three towns in the U.S. take their name from the traditional Thanksgiving bird, including Turkey, Texas (pop. 465); Turkey Creek, Louisiana (pop. 363); and Turkey, North Carolina (pop. 270).

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Originally known as Macy's Christmas Parade—to signify the launch of the Christmas shopping season—the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in New York City in 1924. It was launched by Macy's employees and featured animals from the Central Park Zoo. Today, some 3 million people attend the annual parade and another 44 million watch it on television.

Tony Sarg, a children's book illustrator and puppeteer, designed the first giant hot air balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927. He later created the elaborate mechanically animated window displays that grace the façade of the New York store from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Snoopy has appeared as a giant balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade more times than any other character in history. As the Flying Ace, Snoopy made his sixth appearance in the 2006 parade.

Football

The first time the Detroit Lions played football on Thanksgiving Day was in 1934, when they hosted the Chicago Bears at the University of Detroit stadium, in front of 26,000 fans. The NBC radio network broadcast the game on 94 stations across the country--the first national Thanksgiving football broadcast. Since that time, the Lions have played a game every Thanksgiving (except between 1939 and 1944); in 1956, fans watched the game on television for the first time.

Source: History.com

http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving

http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving-facts

Panel of Champions Profile: Douglas Sessions

Douglas Sessions, Jr. is President and CEO of the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida.  The Ounce of Prevention Fund is a private, non-profit founded in 1989 to identify, fund, support and evaluate unique and innovative prevention and early intervention programs and community initiatives to improve the development and life outcomes of children and to preserve and strengthen families.  He has served in this capacity for 16 years.  

Prior to joining the Ounce of Prevention Fund, Mr. Sessions served as a senior aide in the administration of Florida Governor Reubin Askew, as a Vice President for the New York Yankees, as a senior partner in various business ventures, and as a private business and governmental consultant.

Mr. Sessions is a fifth generation Floridian, a native of Jacksonville, a product of the state’s public school system, and holds BA and MS degrees from the University of South Florida and the Florida State University, respectively.  Mr. Sessions resides in Tallahassee with his wife Cynthia Lee.  The Sessions have three married daughters and four grandchildren.