The summer of 2019 was the best yet for the Erie County Youth Bureau! A total of 60 programs

were serviced throughout Erie County with Summer Primetime funding. In addition:

• Four agencies were funded for the first time this summer: Total Package Sports Foundation, Zan-

dra TLC Foundation, SOLID, and HEAL CDC.

• Only 2 programs that applied went unfunded.

• A pilot survey was distributed to five agencies during the summer. The survey, designed by our

Youth Board and distributed by staff, had 10 questions regarding programming. The results are

very positive and demonstrate that Summer Primetime programming continues to play a pivotal

role in keeping area youth safe and engaged during out-of-school time.

Highlights of the Summer

July 26th, 2019: Summer Learning Day was an advocacy event for over 1,500 children and over 32

sites throughout the City of Buffalo and surrounding suburbs. The event was held at Beaver Island

State Park. It was a true collaboration with Say Yes to Education Buffalo.

August 1st, 2019: The 5th Annual Summer Primetime Picnic was held at Camp Centerland, part of

the Jewish Community Center in Getzville. This was a new location for the picnic. There were a

total of seven vendors who sponsored their time and energy as well as a host of physical activities

including zip lining and rock climbing. We hosted approx. 450 children from 12 Primetime sites.

-2019 Primetime Recap

-Five New Youth Board

Members

1

-QSA Trainings To Be Held

-Lights On After School; Youth

Leadership Forum

2

-Erie County Youth Ser-

vices Administration

-Upcoming Deadlines/

Community Events

3

2019 Summer Primetime A Huge Success—Thank You!

Fall 2019

Erie County Youth Board Plans to Add Five New Members The Erie County Youth Board is thrilled to announce that it plans to add five new members this Fall.

Please meet the new folks, as follows: Ms. Nichelle Brown, Senior Counselor with Housing Opportuni-

ties Made Equal (HOME); Ms. Jasmine Fluker, Managing Director of Programs with Teach for America

(Buffalo, NY); Ms. Jack Kavanaugh, Director of Program Development with Mentor New York (WNY);

Ms. Danielle Maurice, Resource Coordinator with Erie County Family Court; and Mr. Sean Tulumello,

Human Resources Planner with the City of Buffalo. All five candidates come to us with strong back-

grounds in youth development and/or a passion for serving their respective communities.

With the addition of these five members, the Youth Board will have 19 members. The Youth Board can

have up to 21 members, per the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). We continue to seek

qualified members to fill out our roster. We also continue to seek

well-qualified and committed youth (ages 16-21) who wish to

lend their voice to help ensure that the best quality programs are

available to area youth.

For more information, or for anyone interested in becoming a

member of the Erie County Youth Board, please send a letter of

interest, current resume, and 2-3 references to Ben Hilligas,

Youth Bureau Director, at benjamin.hilligas@erie.gov.

The Erie County Youth Bureau will serve as host to two trainings this Fall on the Quality Self-Assessment (QSA) tool, led by Tim-othy Fowler, Professional Development Director with the New York State Network for Youth Success. Each training is 3 hours long and is designed to cover all components of the QSA tool – how to complete it and how to manage the overall process of quality assessment. Trainings will take place at Apple Tree Business Park, located at 2875 Union Road, Suite 9, Cheektowaga, NY 14227. The dates and times are as follows:

• Tuesday, September 24th, 2:00-5:00pm

• Tuesday, October 29th, 1:30-4:30pm

Since the trainings are exactly the same, please RSVP here for only one of the two offerings. We’re limiting the number of indi-viduals to a maximum of three (3) per agency in order to maximize the number of individuals/agencies that can participate. Each training is limited to about 30 individuals. Registration will occur on a first-come, first-served basis.

Thank you and we hope to see you at one of the trainings this Fall!

The Network for Youth Success believes that clear quality standards and ongoing program assessment are central to building effective and sustainable afterschool programs.

Improving afterschool program quality must begin with a commitment on the part of practitioners to examine their programs with a critical eye. A quality program is one that is reflective, willing to improve, change and grow, and believes in successful outcomes for its partici-pants. Moreover, practitioners must understand that improving program quality is an ongoing process. Self-assessment provides an important opportunity for programs to identify strengths and weaknesses free from the pressures of external monitoring and evaluation. It is upon these concepts that the Quality Self-Assessment (QSA) Tool is based. The Network is working in a number of ways to encourage the adoption of com-mon quality standards statewide.

The QSA Tool is meant to be used in concert with other formal and informal evaluation methods, such as youth, parent and staff meetings, youth and parent focus groups, and external monitoring and evaluation. Each of these methods can help identify program strengths and areas in need of improvement. —New York State Network for Youth Success: http://networkforyouthsuccess.org/qsa/

Erie County Youth Bureau to Host Two QSA Trainings This Fall

Page 2 Erie County Youth Bureau Chronicle — Fall 2019

Lights On Afterschool Oct. 22nd; Youth Leadership Forum Oct. 24th

Lights On Afterschool: Oct. 22nd

Launched in October 2000, Lights On Afterschool is the only nationwide event cele-

brating afterschool programs and their important role in the lives of children, families

and communities. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the event.

The local version of this event will be hosted by the After School Network of Western New York (ASNWNY). It will take place on

Tuesday, October 22nd from 4-7pm at Buffalo Public School 309—East High School (820 Northampton Street, Buffalo, NY

14211). A kickoff will take place at 4:30pm. It is expected that both the Buffalo Bills and Independent Health will be the primary

sponsors of the event! The theme of this year’s event is “Bullying Prevention Week”, part of a nationwide campaign event that

will occur simultaneously from October 23rd until October 31st. More details to come.

Youth Leadership Forum: Oct. 24th

The Youth Leadership Forum is an annual event hosted by the Western New York Association of Youth Bureaus and Youth

Boards. It is an advocacy event in which local youth bureaus come together in order to lobby for continued funding and support

for afterschool and other positive youth development funding. This year’s event will take place on Thursday, October 24th from

8:30am until 2:00pm at Daemen College in Amherst, NY. It is expected that Senator Tim Kennedy will be in attendance. Many

youth from area schools and youth bureaus will be present at the event and will share their experiences in out-of-school pro-

grams around Western New York. More details to come.

Please contact John Kordrupel, john.kordrupel@erie.gov, if you’re interested in attending or participating in either event.

UPCOMING DEADLINES/COMMUNITY EVENTS:

• Tuesday, September 24th, 2:00-5:00pm — Quality Self-Assessment (QSA) Training, Apple Tree Business Park, located at 2875 Union Road, Suite 9, Cheektowaga, NY 14227

• Saturday, September 28th, 11:00am—”Walk to Cure Arthritis” hosted by Arthritis Foundation-WNY, Canalside. Click here to register and/or donate.

• Monday, September 30th & Wednesday, October 2nd, 9:30am-12:30pm (both days) — SAAC Regulations Bootcamp, Child Care Resource Network (1000 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216). Click here to register.

• Monday, October 7th-Tuesday, October 8th — Association of NYS Youth Bureaus 49th Annual Youth Development

Conference, Hotel Desmond, Albany, NY. Click here to register.

• Wednesday, October 9th, 5:00-7:30pm — Town of Cheektowaga Y.E.S. Program’s 4th Annual Fall Family Night, Alexander Community Center (275 Alexander Avenue, Cheektowaga, NY 14227). Call 716-897-7207 to register.

• Friday, October 11th — 3rd Quarter Payment Request (Program Expenditure Reports) due for 2019 YDP programs

• Tuesday, October 22nd, 4-7pm — Lights On After School, East High School, Buffalo, NY. More details to come.

• Thursday, October 24th, 9:00am-2:30pm — Youth Leadership Forum, Daemen College. More details to come.

• Tuesday, October 29th, 1:30-4:30pm — Quality Self-Assessment (QSA) Training, Apple Tree Business Park, located at 2875 Union Road, Suite 9, Cheektowaga, NY 14227

We welcome submissions of community events/recaps at any time, so please consider sending us notices of upcoming

events and/or photos/videos that you believe might be of interest to your colleagues. Thank you!

Deputy Commissioner—Youth Services: Paul Kubala Phone: 716-923-4065; Email: paul.kubala@erie.gov

Senior Youth Bureau Director: Ben Hilligas

Phone: 716-923-4051; Email: benjamin.hilligas@erie.gov

Youth Services Planning Coordinator: Talisa King Phone: 716-923-4009; Email: talisa.king@erie.gov

Youth Services Planning Coordinator / Newsletter Editor:

John Kordrupel Phone: 716-923-4008; Email: john.kordrupel@erie.gov

Supervisor of Claims: Ruby Jain

Phone: 716-923-4047; Email: raveela.jain@erie.gov

Page 3 Erie County Youth Bureau Chronicle — Fall 2019