Exploratorium training program accepting more teachers

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- California is one of 26 states that have joined forces to improve science education. A group came up with big changes on how science is taught from kindergarten to high school. California's board of education is expected to adopt the new standards this fall and they will most likely be implemented the following school year. But some teachers are not waiting around.

You may know San Francisco's Exploratorium as a hands-on museum, but it's also a cutting edge training site for teachers.

The Exploratorium has run a summer training program for science teachers for more than 25 years.

The program is so popular the staff has to turn away two of every three teachers who apply.

However, now the Exploratorium has moved to a new larger building, so they'll be able to accept a lot more teachers.

The timing is perfect because California is getting brand new science standards for all grades and teachers have to learn to put them into action.

"We were so happy to see the new next generation science standards because this is what the Exploratorium has been doing forever," Senior Scientist Paul Doherty said.

The new standards call for more hands-on learning, with interactive lessons. The focus is on making sure students have the knowledge and critical thinking skills they will need for 21st century jobs.

"Finally, the emphasis isn't going to be as much on what scientist know, but what they do," Teacher Institute Director Linda Shore said.

That could mean expensive equipment and supplies, but the Exploratorium is showing teachers how to create meaningful experiments with everyday materials and free resources they can find online.

There is a website that allows users to make stop action animation. The camera in the computer is taking still pictures as the teachers pose for all kinds of crazy movies. It's silly and it's science.

"They are modeling kinematics and physics. They are doing constant velocity, acceleration and deceleration," Doherty said.

The new science standards also include engineering, a new challenge for a lot of teachers.

"I might look at something and wonder as a scientist myself, how does that work? An engineer looks at it and goes, how can I make that better?" Shore said.

Denise Torrisi teaches junior high in Fremont. She's been to the Exploratorium Teacher Institute before and now she's back to get engineering instruction. There is an experiment that involves solar cells and little motors that spin.

"It's like a science camp for teachers to learn, to explore, to get rejuvenated for the new school year," she said.

The teachers attend for free and even get a small stipend.

Although they are supposed to be learning themselves as soon a child arrives, some can't resist switching right back to teacher mode.

For information about applying to the Teacher Institute jsut go to their website.

Written and produced by Jennifer Olney

Major milestone reached for TNDC's after school program

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A program that helps children in one of San Francisco's most difficult neighborhoods is celebrating 20 years of service this year. It's a story we've been covering since the very beginning and it is still changing young lives every day.

We visited a lively after-school center in the heart of a rough neighborhood in San Francisco. Children and teens find a safe haven there, locked away from negative outside influences. The kids say the Tenderloin After School Program gives them a chance to choose a bright future.

"When I was in middle school, you get peer pressure from your friends, smoking cigarettes, going out, there's shoplifting," said Tanya Chanthavong from Swinerton Builders.

You would never guess that about Chanthavong when you see her now because she's one of the success stories from the center. She's one of the first faces you see at the prestigious Swinerton Builders company in San Francisco. But she remembers those days, when her family emigrated to the Tenderloin.

"I had a choice," said Tanya.

The young people in the after school program not only have a safe place to do their homework, and enjoy a variety of activities, they're also encouraged to go to college and get a job, and some of them get their first jobs at the center.

Sandra Ortega, 23, and her sister and brother came to the Tenderloin After School Program at a young age. Their parents worked all the time. Elvin Friaz, 26, came to the center as a child, raised by his grandmother. Now, they both work as program assistants at the center.

"It feels good to watch kids grow, to pretty much be there for them," said Friaz.

That's what makes the center so special. It's not about baby-sitting. Don Falk is executive director of the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, or TNDC for short. TNDC offers the after school program for free to families as part of its mission. It's created safe, quality low-income housing in the Tenderloin for 30 years.

"We want people to understand the power and that meaning of what our staff offers to the young people," said Falk.

"Ultimately, it's up the kids and the families to determine what they want and how they're going to get there and we just provide them the support," said Laura Choe, a Tenderloin After School Program manager.

Choe has run the after school program for 14 years. Now, Choe's kids are passing on that gift to another generation. Ortega wants to open her own center one day.

"I just want to give back to the kids, the same thing I receive and just make a change in their lives," said Ortega.

Friaz moved out of the tenderloin and got married, but he comes back every day.

Jennings: "You had a choice to stay away, but you didn't."
Friaz: "I couldn't because the after school program is my home."

You can join me this Friday night for the TNDC's 20th anniversary gala.

(Copyright ©2013 KGO-TV/DT.

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TeenForce program puts foster teens to work

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- Over the summer, we asked you to click the "like" button on our Facebook page to raise money for Bay Area foster children. The ABC7/Sleep Train Dream Campaign raised $30,000 -- $1 for every new "like." Although the campaign is over, we are still trying to raise awareness about the needs of foster children. ABC7 News looks at a program that's putting foster teens to work.

For Rachel Neel, her job is more than a paycheck -- it's the promise of a better life. She grew up in foster care and aged out of the system when she became an adult. She's now 20 and trying to make it on her own.

"Right now I am living in a youth shelter. It is not specifically for emancipated foster youth, it's just from 18 to 22, I believe," said Neel.

Neel and other young adults with foster backgrounds don't have the traditional family support which often helps land that first job. That's where TeenForce comes in. It's a non-profit in Santa Clara County that started two years ago to help teenagers find work. Last year it also started focusing on the needs of foster kids. The non-profit has helped prepare nearly 200 young people to enter the work force and match them with jobs. Michael Nino, 19, is among two dozen who grew up in foster care.

"Now that there are people out there that can help you and stuff like that, it gets better, you can get on your feet, learn to do what you have to do to make it out there in the real world," said Nino.

Founder John Hogan launched TeenForce with help from private sector grant money. It's follows a business model where employers pay going rate, generally minimum wage for the workers and kick in a little extra to help sustain the non-profit.

"We're putting all of these youth to work without relying on any government subsidy. We make it very easy for employers to hire qualified youth and motivated youth," said Hogan.

Goodwill CEO Michael Fox is one of nine employers in Santa Clara County putting foster teens and young adults to work. Neel is a human resource assistant at Goodwill and Nino is in the recycling warehouse.

"It gets them some stability into their life and give them job skills so they can get much better jobs down the road," said Fox.

In Los Gatos, Waleena Griffin, 19, is one of those with a foster background and is an example of why the company says the program makes good business sense.

"We work here with them. That's what I like a lot about this place actually. They trust my skills. They give a word for my skills so I'm grateful for that," said Griffin.

Neel is also grateful. Her job will help her move beyond the youth shelter. She said, "It is a confidence booster to be able to say, 'I am a working woman.'"

TeenForce says there are hundreds of young adults from foster care eager to work. They're not looking for a hand out, they're just hoping for help up.

(Copyright ©2012 KGO-TV/DT.

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HHS opens innovators program to public voting

For the first time, the public can vote on their favorite innovation from among the finalists of the HHSinnovates Program, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced this past Friday.

Launched in the spring of 2010 as part of HHS’s open government efforts, HHSinnovates is meant to recognize innovative projects from HHS employees aimed at helping solve thorny healthcare challenges.

“The HHSinnovates Program recognizes and rewards good ideas and facilitates the exchange of innovations throughout the Department and beyond,” said Secretary Sebelius. “Innovative ideas and practices aren’t restricted to the private sector: government workers are developing new ideas and facilitating connections to improve the way government works and improve the health of all Americans.”

Twice a year, HHS employees are invited to submit their innovations, and the top picks are posted for secure, online voting by the entire HHS community. Six finalists are chosen and publicly announced. The Secretary then selects her top picks.

Now, for the first time, the public will pick the “People’s Choice” winner. In the program’s fifth round, the public is invited to choose from among six finalists. They come from 60 total submissions from across HHS, officials say, noting that each embodies an innovative spirit, and is scalable and replicable:

The 100K Pathogen Genome Project. This collaborative project, originating from the Food and Drug Administration, academia, and industry partners, aims to sequence the genetic codes (genome) of 100,000 strains of important food pathogens (tiny organisms that cause food-borne illnesses – bacteria, viruses and others) and make them available in a free and public database at the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) National Center for Biotechnology Information.  Open access to sequences allows researchers to develop tests that can identify bacteria present in a food within a matter of hours or days, significantly faster than the two weeks it now takes to grow and analyze bacterial cultures conventionallyNational Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Exchange. NIH’s NIAID developed an internal supply exchange for their institute called "NIAID Exchange" to help increase the speed and efficiency of government.  They developed a user-friendly Web resource where staff can advertise existing government-owned scientific and office equipment and supplies they no longer need and search for available items advertised by other staff members.  The NIAID program has saved over $30,000 since its release to the institute last January.Online Food Handler Training Project. The Albuquerque Area Indian Health Service (IHS) led the development of an online food handler certification program that trains an average of 3,500 food handlers a year in class room food handler trainings, while compensating for a 20 percent reduction in staff.  This novel training program, which was developed in collaboration with local partners, incorporates the principles of adult learning and story-telling in a way that is culturally sensitive and resonates with tribal customers.  The training is available to the public on the IHS website, and numerous people from across the country has registered and initiated the training.Development and Use of Coal Dust Explosibility Meter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health in association with industry and commercial partners developed a coal dust meter that gives users real-time feedback on environmental conditions – a significant improvement over the lengthy measurement procedure currently employed.  This tool, which gives immediate results, represents an improved means for underground coal miners and coal mine operators to assess the relative hazard of dust accumulations in their mines.  To date, more than 200 of these devices have been sold and are being deployed in mines across the United States.National Health Service Corps Jobs Center. Many underserved communities remain underserved because it is very difficult to recruit physicians to high-need areas; in some instances it can take up to two years and $60,000.  To help improve this process, the Health Resources and Services Administration’s National Health Service Corps established the NHSC Jobs Center, an online employment site connecting thousands of job-seeking medical professionals, doctors, nurses, dentists, and mental health providers in primary care disciplines to thousands of employers in underserved communities throughout the United States and U.S. territories.National Institute of Health Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools. The National Institute of Health developed a Research Health Portfolio Online Reporting Tool (RePORT) that serves as a one-stop shop to provide the public with an interactive suite of tools to search NIH-funded research and the work of its investigators.  By providing the scientific community with better tools to explore the portfolio of NIH-funded research, RePORT furthers progress to foster fundamental creative discoveries, innovative research strategies, and their applications.

Public voting is open until Sept. 14, 2012. Winners will be announced on Sept. 24. To learn more, visit the HHSinnovates website.

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