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A service-learning after school program for students in grades K-5

Kids Action Team

Kids Action Team

The Service in Schools Kids Action Team supports teachers of grades K-3 in launching a Kids Action Team with their class or a student club that guides students through weekly service-learning sessions and completing a service project. Through the Kids Action Team program, teachers learn how to integrate service-learning into their instruction, implement and document a service-learning project with their students that focuses on a community need—animal welfare, ageism, or the environment—and cultivate a service mindset in young students to increase the likelihood of continued service engagement throughout their lives. As a culmination of their work, Kids Action Teams present their service-learning accomplishments at the Celebration of Service culminating showcase in the spring. Check out the student projects from the 2022-23 Kids Action Teams.

Kids Action Team FAQ 2023-24

What is the Kids Action Team? 

The Kids Action Team program (KAT) is a weekly in class or club service-learning program for students in grades K-3. The program consists of 8 to 10 weekly sessions (highly recommended as part of a classroom curriculum) facilitated by the participating teacher to lead students through research, action, and reflection on one of the following service topics: animal welfare, ageism, and the environment. The program culminates with students presenting at the Celebration of Service culminating showcase in spring 2024. 

Who is eligible to participate in KAT?

The 2023-24 KAT program is open to teachers who have not previously participated in the KAT, Service-Learning Institute, Students Taking Action Today, or Race Against Waste programs and who are teaching students in grades K-3 during the 2023-24 school year.

What is required for the program application?

Interested teachers must complete the program application by 11:59pm on Monday, October 23. To ensure your application will be considered for the program, rank the three program topics—animal welfare, ageism, and the environment—as your first through fourth choice of service topic.

Finalists for the 2023-24 KAT program will be notified by email in early November and will be asked to confirm their principal's support of their participation with an email template provided by Service in Schools. The principal support email is required for acceptance into KAT. 

What is expected of teachers participating in KAT? 

Participating teachers are expected to hold 8 to 10 weekly in class or club sessions (highly recommended as part of classroom curriculum) with students from January to May 2024. Additionally, teachers are expected to participate in three full-day in-person professional learning sessions that will highlight promising practices for service-learning, resources and opportunities for engaging with experts and local organizations, and strategies for young students to take action in their community. Teachers will also schedule planning calls and a site visit with a member of the Service in Schools team to aid in the development of a service-learning student experience. Finally, participating teachers will be expected to guide students through the completion of a service-learning project and arrange for students' participation in the Celebration of Service culminating event in spring 2024. 

When are the professional learning sessions held? What will be covered?

  1. Wednesday, December 13, 2023, 9:00am-3:00pm - Intro to Service-Learning and Partners in Youth Service (in person, midtown Manhattan)
  2. Tuesday, February 13, 2024, 9:00am-3:00pm - Text Sets and Media for Service-Learning (in person, midtown Manhattan)
  3. Tuesday, March 19, 2024, 3:30-4:30pm - Service-Learning Action/Advocacy Phase & Preparing for Student Presentations (in person, midtown Manhattan)

How can teachers implement KAT? 

The weekly KAT sessions should be held on a consistent schedule and in as consistent a format as is possible. If you have questions about how KAT could work with your school schedule, email ServiceinSchools@schools.nyc.gov with three times you are available for a call and a team member will connect with you. 

Can two teachers work together on the KAT program? 

While we encourage teachers to collaborate with colleagues and other stakeholders to enhance students' service-learning experience, KAT is designed for one teacher to lead weekly service-learning sessions with students and attend all program professional learning sessions.

What are the benefits of participating in KAT? 

For students, KAT offers the opportunity to help their community while gaining knowledge on a community need from a variety of media and expert sources. The structure and content of weekly sessions support social emotional learning and high levels of engagement. The Celebration of Service culminating showcase in the spring gives students the opportunity to showcase their learning and service efforts, as well as connect with students from other schools. 

For teachers, KAT offers a supportive learning community of service-minded educators, access to digital resources, expertise and additional resources from community-based organizations, and personalized support from Service in Schools. Participating teachers are eligible to earn up to 16.5 CTLE credit hours for participation in the professional learning sessions.