21st Century Spotlights: Voices from the field—lessons learned from six 21st CCLC program providers

This post is part of a series (blog 1, blog 2) that will explore the supports and unique opportunities 21st CCLC programs provide for students.

Speaking with several exemplary 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) program providers was incredibly insightful. Many of the programs I spoke with have been around for a while, and some were even a part of the first cohort of 21st CCLC grants. Everyone I spoke with had lessons they have learned throughout their course and advice for other programs. Here, I am going to highlight the top seven insights and pieces of advice from six different programs (Raiders ARK in Arcadia, Wisconsin; Fairbanks School District in Fairbanks, Alaska; Colcord Schools in Colcord, Oklahoma; Safe Harbor in Michigan City, Indiana; Miami Schools in Miami, Oklahoma; and the BREAD Center in Birmingham, Alabama) that stood out most to me. Here is what I heard from the different programs:

1. Afterschool is an integral part of the learning process

Afterschool programs are incredibly important and should not be an after-thought or secondary within the education system—they should be treated as a necessary component to a fully functional education system. All program providers need to treat their programs this way and take it seriously, as evidence shows that afterschool programs positively impact youth. 

2. Understand the needs of your community

When designing your afterschool program, it is important to involve community stakeholders in the process—parents, teachers, students, and administrators. 21st CCLC programs are community programs, and involving community members will help ensure you’re meeting community needs. To be most effective, involve partners in your work to help meet these needs, both partners who are natural fits as well as those who are more out of the box but might be able to bring a lot to the table.

3. Align goals and activities

Explicit goals, both short term and long-term, and intentionally designed activities that align with those goals are critical to the success of 21st CCLC programs. Programs should always strive to do better for their students and continue to meet student needs; successful programs will intentionally engage students to meet both their developmental and academic needs.

4. Data is important

Use data to drive program improvement. Data can help show where you are making an impact in areas such as grades, attendance, behavior, discipline, and attitudes towards school, and can help show where you need to adjust to better meet student needs. Additionally, having data that can help quantify the impact of your program can help garner more public support and funding and gives you something to speak to when funding for 21st CCLC is threatened.

5. Trauma informed care is imperative

Trauma informed care and social and emotional learning should be a central component of programs. Student needs should always be the priority, and programs should do check-ins and check-outs with students to make sure that they are supporting their students in the best way possible. All staff should be trained in trauma informed practices and receive professional development in areas such as de-escalation and self-monitoring techniques.

6. Focus on support from different groups

It is important to get support from different groups—businesses, parents, educators— and across political parties. Do not just focus on those likely supporters, but rather, find out what the group’s interests and priorities are and look for alignment between that and what your program does. For example, when speaking to the business community, share the workforce skills students are building in the program or how the program helps give working parents peace of mind. In the end, programs and their students will benefit when there is support from all different groups.

7. Programs should be fun

Programs should look different from the school day. Kids do not want to feel like they are going back to school at the end of the day, and making programs fun and engaging is going to make them more effective and keep kids coming back. Allowing student input in programming, especially with older kids, can also be beneficial.

While all programs had their own lessons learned and pieces of advice, one thing that remained constant throughout was putting student needs first. 21st CCLC programs are there to serve students and the community, and regardless of if it is through using data, emphasizing trauma informed care, or making programs fun, successful programs will always focus on meeting student needs first.