June 16, 2021

Getting back on track after two breakneck program years will take some truly intentional assessment and reflection. Programs have learned a lot from in-the-moment experimentation, making changes on the fly to meet students where they were. Now that the worst of the great storm has passed, you can use this summer to take full stock of your program. With tips from Y4Y tools designed to walk through every key aspect, you can be sure the new program year is beginning with the clean slate of comprehensive assessment and reflection, and begin anew with a solid grasp of your students’ needs, going forward.

• Brush up on the basics. Y4Y’s Introduction to 21^st CCLC is an important course to revisit whenever you’re looking to mentally step out of the daily grind of your program to give thought to its structures.
• Take it to the next level. The Managing Your 21^st CCLC Program course is a broader, deeper extension of the introduction, and is worth revisiting each summer. You’ll be amazed at how many 21^st CCLC fundamentals may have slipped your mind while in crisis mode, and how much more you can get out of the course with another year of experience under your belt.
• Get your ideas down while they’re fresh! You’ll be shifting into planning mode before you know it, and the Sample Annual Task Timeline is a handy tool for this. If you reflect on it now, you can make some smart customizations to the document based on your timely recollections of this past program year.
• Now dive into all those layers. As you’ve discovered, each Y4Y course that adds new dimension to your program comes with “assess and reflect” tools. Here are some important ones to pull up now:
  • The Environmental Checklist will help you consider ways to adapt your physical environment to offer more authentic inclusion of students with disabilities. And everyone benefits when you use the Positive Learning Environment Observation Checklist.
  • Reflect on your existing partners in supporting English learners and consider what gaps you might fill next year using the English Learner Partners Asset Sheet. Partnerships, in general, demand annual reassessment, and the Partnerships Observation and Supervision Checklist can keep you on track.
  • It’s been a make-or-break year for family engagement. The Family Engagement Follow-Up and Supervision Checklist can help you take “what worked” into your next program year.
  • Having most of these elements up to par will help you ensure the social and emotional well-being of your students. Gauge those needs with the Capturing Social and Emotional Learning Program Needs Assessment.

This month’s blog post on celebration notes lightheartedly that celebration is the “nth” step in 21^st CCLC programs. Celebrations are so important to give your students and yourself that sense of accomplishment — which isn’t just a sense: You’ve accomplished SO MUCH this year. But as you sweep the proverbial confetti and clean out those cubbies, you’ll be thinking about that “nth plus one” step of continuous improvement. What are your takeaways? Your leave-behinds? May your summer reflections be rich with pride in an amazing year!