North Valley
North Valley
Extended School Project
For more information contact Lori Zahradka, 21st CCLC Project Director
Vision
Vision:
The children of working families in Grafton, Hatton, Midway, Minto, Northwood, Park River Area and Valley-Edinburg, North Dakota are engaged in learning, in a safe environment and started on the path to success at times when they would otherwise be unsupervised. Local schools keep them from risk by opening their doors earlier and keeping them open later. The North Valley Extended School Project provides daily activities that improve academic skills, student behavior, health, and self-esteem. Adults are provided opportunities to learn. Many organizations take leadership roles in the development and implementation of project activities.
Project Goals
Partners Bring Quality to Programs:
A primary goal of our North Valley Extended School Project is to stimulate development and coordination among the appropriate organizations also serving the target population in order to:
- reduce gaps in current programming;
- give students access to real-world experiences and additional caring and committed adults;
- to expose students to the larger community to better understand its strengths and needs; and
- to provide experiences and community connections that could lead to future life and career opportunities.
Students (grades 9-12) who attend North Valley Career and Technology Center are given opportunities to experience careers available in their own communities and throughout the region through industry tours, job shadows, and summer internships.
North Dakota Afterschool Network
Mike Hanson and Lori Zahradka serve on the leadership team for the North Dakota Afterschool Network. The Network was established in October 2016 with funding by the C.S. Mott Foundation and North Dakota partners.
Network Vision
All North Dakota students have access to high-quality programs to ensure youth are successful in their lives.
Network Mission Statement
We equip North Dakota afterschool programs with the tools and support to expand program quality, build leadership capacity, and ensure access to afterschool programs for all youth in their community.
Network Goals
- Create a sustainable structure of statewide, regional, and local partnerships, particularly school-community partnerships, focused on supporting policy development at all levels.
- Support the development and growth of statewide policies that will secure the required resources needed to sustain new and existing school-based/school-linked afterschool programs.
- Support statewide systems to ensure programs are of high quality.
White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellowship
Lori Zahradka was selected as a member of the 2014-2015 Class of White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellows. Named for William S. White, Richard W. Riley and Terry K. Peterson, the White-Riley-Peterson Policy Fellowship was a ten-month learning experience, in partnership with the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. It was offered by the Riley Institute at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Grounded in deep discussion of actual case studies and led by policy changemakers, the Fellowship equipped graduates with a real-world understanding of the art and science of policymaking for afterschool and expanded learning. Fellows worked closely with their afterschool networks and network leads to build capacity, ensure statewide connectivity and assist in advancing the public interest policy agenda of the network. In states where no network existed, participants worked to develop one. A precious and rare opportunity indeed!
