December 11, 2018

As winter arrives, longer nights and cooler temperatures might have you and your 21^st CCLC team wishing for summer already. Take advantage of “summer fever” to make sure your plan for summer programming is on track. Take five minutes right now to visit the Y4Y Summer Learning Initiative page and do a quick gut check. Here’s how:

• Get motivated. The Implementation Planner page gives four reasons to plan now instead of later. The Research page describes eight ways summer learning programs matter for student success, and what practices matter most. (Hint: Number 8 says good planning gets results!)
• Get organized. The Plan a Program page lays out seven sequential steps for planning an effective summer program. You can see all seven at a glance and note steps that might need attention, like inviting a community member to join the program team or planning logistics for local field trips.
• Get tools. Tools are listed for each planning step. All the lists are on one screen, so you can quickly see what’s available for the steps that need the attention in your program.
• Get started. Bookmark the Y4Y Summer Learning Initiative site now so you can benefit from the experiences of 40 Summer Learning Initiative grantees across seven states who received in-depth coaching and professional learning to build their summer programs.
• Get others engaged. Forward the Y4Y Summer Learning Initiative link to your team with a short personal message like this: “This cold weather has me thinking about summer. Here’s a good resource from the U.S. Department of Education. Let’s talk about this in our next meeting.”

December 11, 2018

Dedicated 21^st CCLC practitioners like you have three things on their wish list for the coming year:

✔ Activities that target student needs.

✔ Activities that advance program goals.

✔ Activities that students love.

Fortunately, a magic wand called “data” can help you make these wishes come true. You can use data to assess where you are versus where you want to be and make targeted changes. It doesn’t have to be painful or time consuming. Here’s a fun way to do it as the calendar year winds down:

Make a red wand:

• Gather your program team around the fireplace and provide hot cocoa.
• Pull out the SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time bound) goals you set earlier for your program and for specific activities.
• Review the goals and, together, rate your success in reaching them.
• For each goal you didn’t reach, ask the team, “What’s one thing can we do differently in the coming year to reach this goal?” If you did reach a goal, decide whether to set a new one.
• Write your red-hot ideas on red paper, and wrap the paper around a stick. You can use this “data wand” in future planning meetings.

Make a green wand:

• Survey students and families on what they liked about the fall session and what they want in the future.
• Review the responses with your team, and put results in categories like “student choice,” “outdoor activities” and “social skills.”
• Write your green-for-growth ideas on green paper, and wrap the paper around a stick. Use this “data wand” along with the red one as you plan your spring activity schedule.

You can pull out your data wands in the coming months to remind the team of their findings and conclusions. This “data magic” can help them focus their talents and efforts on making a positive difference for students. Best wishes in making your 21^st CCLC wish list reality in the coming year!

P.S. Consider setting a date in January for Y4Y’s Training to Go, Identifying and Addressing Program Strengths and Weaknesses. This customizable training can take your team deeper into program improvement.

November 16, 2018

In 60 seconds or less, can you explain what your 21^st CCLC program does and why it matters? To make sure you’ll always have the right words on the tip of your tongue, create an elevator pitch. That’s a ready-made speech short enough to give on an elevator ride. You can use it to persuade your veterinarian to take part in your program’s career exploration day, to get a youth counselor to join your planning team, or to tell Aunt Aggie about your work when she visits during the holidays.

Here’s an example of an elevator pitch for Y4Y:

The U.S. Department of Education created You for Youth to help people working in 21^st Century Community Learning Centers programs deliver quality out-of-school time education and enrichment to more than 1.6 million students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. You for Youth provides free online professional learning resources on topics like program management and summer learning. We also collaborate with other federal agencies like NASA to expand staff and student learning opportunities. This work is important because research shows students who attend high-quality out-of-school time programs are more likely to do better in school and beyond.

Customize your pitch for different purposes. If you’re talking with parents, you might emphasize student benefits. If you’re recruiting community partners, you’ll want to mention “what’s in it for them.” If a reporter gives you the microphone for 10 seconds, you’ll have to strip things down to the basics: “The U.S. Department of Education’s You for Youth initiative provides professional learning experiences for 21^st Century Community Learning Centers program staff to help young people succeed in school and beyond.” If you’re lucky enough to keep the microphone longer, cite data or tell a story to support your point.

Resist the urge to say too much, and practice your pitch on family and friends. When we tested our Y4Y elevator pitch, someone asked, “What’s a 21^st CCLC program?” So we added “out-of-school time.” It gets the idea across without a lot of extra words.    

November 16, 2018

So John, the Title I coordinator in your school district, enthusiastically agreed to share his expertise as a Master Gardener. He’s working with students to build a community garden in a nearby spot that was formerly an eyesore. The local newspaper did a story about it last week.

Mari, an insurance agent, meets with students once a week to prep for a beginner’s rock-climbing expedition in the spring. They’re learning about equipment, rope work, climbing techniques and safety checks. Mari works with each student on a customized physical and mental training program. As a result, some are trying yoga or weight training for the first time. Mari has a knack for getting even the most reluctant students to try new things.

Everyone agrees that things are going great! Your work as a volunteer coordinator is done, right? Not so fast.

Don’t assume that once you’ve recruited expert volunteers, they won’t need or appreciate your support. Support from the 21^st CCLC program is vital to maintaining volunteers’ commitment, energy and momentum over time. Try the Triple-A approach: ask, assist and acknowledge.

Ask what you can do to support volunteers. Do they need more flexibility in scheduling? What about supplies, equipment or extra help from other adults?     

Assist and assess to ensure success. Being a Master Gardener doesn’t mean being a master teacher, activity planner and youth developer. Being a rock-climbing enthusiast doesn’t mean knowing how to address behavioral issues or modify activities for students with disabilities. Meet with volunteers up front to share specific information about your students, their interests and ways to engage them, and use the Y4Y Sample Volunteer Skills Grid. Invite volunteers to share their ideas and input. Agree on a plan, then observe and participate in activities. Assess what’s working, what could be improved, and what’s needed to keep things on track. Offer encouragement and feedback. The Y4Y Working With Volunteers Training Plan can help you and your staff ensure volunteers’ success.

Acknowledge volunteers’ contributions. Be specific when you recognize these valuable members of the 21^st CCLC team. At a public event, you might say, “Before our students worked on the garden, some thought potatoes grew on trees. Others didn’t know what organic meant. This project has opened up a new world for them, and raised interest in healthful eating, too.” Privately, you might say, “Samantha uses your mental training tips from rock climbing to manage her anxiety better. Even her teachers at school have noticed a difference!” Acknowledgements like this go beyond “thank you.” They appeal to people’s desire to contribute something useful and meaningful.

These are just a few ways to support volunteers who share their expertise. Add your own ideas, and put them to work!

November 16, 2018

Excitement builds just before holiday break as students anticipate time off. You can tap into that energy by engaging students in a creative project they’ll enjoy, like producing a multifest that highlights the history, cultural traditions, music, and foods associated with seasonal celebrations and festivals like Boxing Day, Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

Start by getting students to think about what they already know about seasonal celebrations and what they’d like to know. Y4Y’s Mapping Knowledge and Wonders tool will help you structure the discussion. 

Once you’ve primed the pump, let students take the lead in deciding on the multifest’s focus, format and activities. You can guide them through the process of exploring the possibilities, forming groups or committees to do certain tasks (like online research, event planning or food prep), and deciding when and where to hold the multifest and whom to invite.