The Excel Beyond the Bell (EBB) Collaborative is now open for Spring 2022 Registration at our EBB Partner Schools

Odessa Shannon

Montgomery Village

Loiederman

Neelsville

Argyle

Roberto Clemente

Forest Oak

Francis Scot Key
Excel Beyond the Bell is currently in eight Montgomery County middle schools: Argyle in Wheaton, Roberto Clemente in Germantown, A. Mario Loiederman, Francis Scott Key in Silver Spring, Forest Oak in Gaithersburg, Neelsville in Germantown, Odessa Shannon in Silver Spring and Montgomery Village in Montgomery Village. At no cost to families, the program provides students with immediate access to after-school recreational and social programming, academic support, hot nutritional meals, and bus transportation home.
EBB is open to any student from the identified schools and operates four days a week in two sessions from the end of the school day until 5:30pm. Activities include career exploration; leadership and civic engagement; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education, creative arts; social-emotional learning; sports & physical activity; health and wellness. Through the encouragement of healthy leisure choices, students are exploring new interests, building successful positive relationships, and increasing involvement with their school and community.

Youth Sports Initiative 2021(YSI)

On September 15, 2020, the Montgomery County Council appropriated CARES Act funding to the Collaboration Council to help carry out the Youth Sports Initiative in partnership with the Montgomery County Recreation Department and Montgomery County’s Office of Community Use of Public Facilities (CUPF).

Many thanks for the collaboration and support of representatives from the Montgomery County Recreation Department, Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame, Montgomery County Public Schools Athletics Department, and Montgomery County Public Schools Department of Student and Family Support and Engagement (Counseling and Restorative Justice Units)–and a big thanks to Councilman Gabe Albornoz, who led the charge in funding this initiative! Our partners showcase their work here:

 COVID-19 Vaccinations for 5 to 11 Year Olds

Coming Soon! COVID-19 Vaccinations for 5 to 11 Year Olds

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for 5-to-11-year-olds is expected to be authorized for emergency use in the coming days. MCPS is partnering with the county’s Department of Health and Human Services and Holy Cross Hospital to offer a number of free vaccination clinics for children at schools and county sites once the vaccine is available. Clinic dates, times and locations will be released soon. Parents/guardians who have not received a COVID-19 vaccine and would like one, or those who need a booster, will be able to do so at these clinics as well.

• Read the full message here
• Please indicate your interest in having your child vaccinated by completing this form.

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Student Vaccination

ANNOUNCING REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS #2022-73

Seeking service provider for EVENING REPORTING CENTER FOR JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM ENGAGED YOUTH

FOR FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2022 (renewals possible)

Issue Date: October 8, 2021

Deadline for Submission of Proposals: November 15, 2021, 4:00 p.m.

No submissions will be accepted after this date and time

Click here for more information including preproposal conference details

Questions? Contract procurement@collaborationcouncil.org

Note all questions will be answered at the preproposal conferences.

Questions may not be submitted to any other email address nor directed to any individual Collaboration Council staff.

Preproposal Conference Dates:

Monday October 18, 2021 1:00-2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, October 20, 2021, 9:00-10:00 a.m.

Offerors may choose to come to one or both.

All questions (either live or pre-submitted) will be answered at the conferences.

Sessions will be recorded and the recording will be shared upon request.

Link for Pre-proposal conferences can be attained by emailing meredith.bowers@collaborationcouncil.org with the subject heading: RFP Preproposal Conference Link Request

A reminder and #repost from our partners @EveryMindInc

As summer winds down, we are prepping for a return to school and, for many, a return to in-person work at the office. Events in the news and the changing landscape of the pandemic have given us real reasons to feel an incredible range of mixed emotions. Excitement for our children to return to critical social settings. Anxiety for their safety. Relief for some normalcy. Yearning to provide our children with the tools they need to thrive.

EveryMind is here to support you and your children. Reach out to us for supportive listening and resources, including trainings to identify signs of mental health distress in your kids, yourself, and your loved ones.

Please share our hotline information with your children and teens. Many have anxieties about returning to school after nearly 18 months away, and we are here for them, too.

EveryMind Hotline Call or Text: 301.738.2255 Chat: Every-Mind.org/chat/

Community Action Board Offers Free Advocacy Training

The Montgomery County Community Action board, part of the Community Action Agency, is accepting applications for its Community Advocacy Institute (CAI). The CAI is a free eight-month advocacy training program for Montgomery County residents with combined household incomes of $57,000 or less. Workshops focus on a variety of topics, including how to work with elected officials, storytelling, research, letter-writing, developing testimony, and key advocacy issues.

This year’s program will utilize a hybrid model, with most workshops conducted online and a few sessions held in-person, County regulations permitting. Participants must attend all workshops and complete an advocacy project to graduate. Additional information and a link to the application are available on the Community Action Agency website. The Community Action Board, the County’s federally designated anti-poverty advisory group, provides governance to the County Department of Health and Human Services’ Community Action Agency, including Head Start.

The CAI was started in 2016, and there are 84 alumni of the program, many of whom now serve on County and nonprofit advisory groups and have become actively engaged in a wide variety of advocacy efforts. Applications are due Friday, August 20. For more information, call the Community Action Agency at 240-777-1697. TTY users, please call Maryland Relay at 711.

Daytime, Evening, and Weekend Vaccination Clinics

To meet the needs of working families and members of the community who have not found it convenient to get vaccinated, the county continues to offers smaller in-community vaccination clinics. During July, daytime, evening, and weekend free vaccinations will be available across the county, including Takoma Park and Briggs Chaney.

Briggs Chaney Vaccination Clinic

In East County, free daytime, evening, and weekend vaccinations are available at the Briggs Chaney Park & Ride Lot, 3300 Briggs Chaney Road, Silver Spring, MD 20904. Walk-up vaccinations are offered Tuesday, July 6th through Sunday, July 11th, with daytime and evening appointments Monday- Friday, 12:00 pm-8:00 pm and weekend availability on Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 pm-5:00 pm. To make an appointment or to check Montgomery County’s website for other available clinics, click here.

Takoma Park/Long Branch Vaccination Clinics

Free vaccinations will be available at Clifton Park Baptist Church, 8818 Piney Branch Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20903. The clinic will be hosted on Tuesdays from July 15-July 27 from 1:00 pm-7:00 pm. Walk-ups are accepted.

Free vaccinations will also be available in the parking lot of the Americana Grocery of Maryland, 8541 Piney Branch Road, Silver Spring, MD 20901. This clinic will be offered on most Thursdays in July, including the 15th, 19th, and 26th from 1:00 pm-7:00 pm.

The vaccines offered at both sites will be Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer, allowing individuals aged 12 and older to be vaccinated. Free parking is available.

The MCCC Youth Development Community of Practice (YDCoP) has a new professional development opportunity for practitioners who serve Montgomery County (MoCo) youth.