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 The Engage Every Student Today Bulletin is a source of support for afterschool and summer learning programs, school districts, cities, and states as they respond to U.S. Secretary Cardona's bold call to action for universal out-of-school time learning opportunities for every child who wants to participate nationwide. This bi-monthly bulletin will share timely resources and strategies to expand access to engage every student in high-quality afterschool and summer learning opportunities.
Virtual Registration is now open for the Raise the Bar: Engage Every Student Summit scheduled for July 13th in Washington, D.C. The summit will commemorate the One Year anniversary of the launch of the initiative celebrating the strides made nationally as well as at, state and local levels to ensure that all students have opportunities to engage in high-quality afterschool and summer learning programs. The Summit will convene youth, state and local school district leaders, state and city elected officials, afterschool and summer learning program providers and advocates, technical assistance organizations and community-based organizations. Attendees will have opportunities for learning, exploration and networking.
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 Summer Learning Week Toolkit
Summer programs are vital to the message around National Summer Learning Week. Check out the National Summer Learning Association toolkit which includes an array of resources to assist programs in shaping and strengthening their programs this summer. Resources include archived webinars, tip sheets for providers and parents and caregivers, and toolkits.
Summer and Afterschool Needs Assessment
School and Program Leaders, are you looking to increase the quality of your programs? Engage Every Student partners have created a resource to help you. The recently released Summer and Afterschool Needs Assessment draws from the best evidence on what it takes to plan high-quality and afterschool programs and provides you with:
- A better understanding of your strengths and needs
- Access to targeted resources and guidance
Bonus! You'll even get an invitation to attend an upcoming Engage Every Student Office Hours virtual technical assistance meeting to learn about available resources and be connected with leaders and opportunities in your local community. Complete the Summer and Afterschool Needs Assessment today to take your program to the next level!
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 How Municipalities Can Support Summer Learning Programs
July 10th-14th is National Summer Learning Week, where programs, families, and advocates across the country will celebrate the importance of high-quality summer learning programs. In celebration, NLC is producing a series of blogs highlighting the power of summer learning programs and the role cities play in supporting these programs’ growth and continuation. The first blog has just been released and details the benefits of summer learning programs to cities while providing several actions cities can take to champion these programs in their communities. Learn more here.
Circles of Reflection: A Toolkit for SEAs
National Comprehensive Center’s Native Education Collaborative is excited to present Circles of Reflection: A Toolkit for SEAs.
Circles of Reflection is an engaging process that unites a state education agency (SEA) with local education agencies (LEAs) and Tribes for reflective and meaningful conversations about Native education. By forming strong partnerships, SEAs can lead with equity, allowing all voices to be heard, and ensure they’re doing the most for Native students’ academic and personal well-being.
Developed by a team of experts in Native education, this toolkit provides SEAs with everything they need to conduct Circles of Reflection with step-by-step instructions, helpful tips, facilitation guides, fillable worksheets, and more. Best of all, everything is fully customizable to meet unique needs and contexts across the nation.
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What Youth Think About Making Afterschool and Summer Learning Programs Accessible
Many Out of School Time programs identify older youth (ages 14-19) as being among the most challenging groups to engage regularly in programming. Recently, the Wallace Foundation commissioned a youth-led research project, “Youth Perspectives on Designing Equitable Out-of-School-Time Programs,” and accompanying Beyond the Classroom podcast. Based on these resources, the National League of Cities identifies important points for cities to consider when looking to increase accessibility in afterschool and summer learning programs in this blog post.
National Summer Learning Association (NSLA) Summer Interns
Internships are one of the highest forms of summer learning. Unpaid summer internships are one of the most unfair forms of summer learning. NSLA recently welcomed eight summer interns, who are alumni of award-winning summer programs (Fiver, Boys and Girls Club, Milwaukee, Breakthrough Atlanta, Math Corps, Kids on Point, Fab Youth Philly, DREAM, and Horizons GA) for an all-expense paid, public policy summer internship in Washington DC!
Over the next 10 weeks, these students will live at American University and work in offices of Members of Congress on Capitol Hill as well as education and public policy organizations. NSLA looks forward to sharing more about these amazing leaders and role models throughout the summer.
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Engage Every Student Sessions at the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers 2023 Summer Symposium
The U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce that registration for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers 2023 Summer Symposium is now open! This year’s Symposium will be held on July 19-20, 2023, at the Marriott New Orleans, 555 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130. Please go to http://21stcclc.leedmci.com/ to review important information about the Summer Symposium and to register for the event. Feel free to forward this link to your colleagues and others that may be interested in attending.
Be sure to check out the following sessions by the Engage Every Student partner organizations:
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Connecting the Dots between Program Needs and Expertise - The Key to Sustainable Programming [National Comprehensive Center at Westat]
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It’s Never Too Early to Think about Program Sustainability [Afterschool Alliance, National Comprehensive Center at Westat, National Summer Learning Association, and the U.S. Department of Education]
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Out-of-School Time Learning: What Works and What We Still Want to Know [Afterschool Alliance and U.S. Department of Education]
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There’s Power in Partnerships: How Intentional Collaboration increases Access and Engagement for Youth [Afterschool Alliance, National League of Cities, National Summer Learning Association, and U.S. Department of Education]
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Through a partnership between the City of Bridgeport, CT and Bridgeport Public Schools, the City will invest $4 million of its ARPA funds annually for the next several years into community-based organizations that serve youth. The school district will invest an additional $2 million annually into this program. Some of the organizations that have already been funded through this grant program include Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders, which provides sports education and enrichment programs for children and teens, and the Village Initiative Project, which provides college and career support to youth.
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The Hawai'i Department of Education has allocated $4,773,000 in ESSER III funds to the A+ After School Program (A+). A+ is dedicated to supporting elementary school students across the state with family members who are employed, attending school, or engaged in a job training program during the hours of A+ operations. Thanks to ESSER funds, A+ sites are able to offer a reduced monthly fee for programming to families.
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Phoenix is using $5 million of its ARP funding to create the Edison Impact Hub. This will entail retrofitting a historic children's hospital in the city into a community services center that will include classrooms for afterschool activities. Partners in this effort include: AZ Facts of Live, Association of Supportive Child Care, Beat Street Kids, KickStart, City Prosecutor, Southwest Human Development, Friendly House, Be a Leader, Fulfillment in Training, Maricopa County Public Health, Maricopa County Attorney, and the Parks Department.
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21st Century Community Learning Centers: Accelerating Learning. Supporting Families. Earning Results.
A new brief finds that positive learning impacts were sustained among students participating in afterschool and summer programs during the pandemic. The report compares results from the Department of Education’s national report on afterschool and summer programs supported by 21st Century Community Learning Center (21stCCLC) funds before the pandemic and during the pandemic. The brief also provides background on the supports provided by 21st CCLC programs and how students benefit from participation in the program. While the overall number of students served during the pandemic decreased, due in part to hybrid and remote learning and new health guidance for in-person operations such as smaller staff-to-student ratios and additional health and safety protocols, there was almost no change related to students’ improvements in academics, behavior, and engagement in school. Download the brief here.
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Afterschool Supports Children's Well-Being and Healthy Development
The mental well-being of young people is a concern nationwide. Studies document a rise in young people experiencing anxiety, depression, anger, fear, loneliness, stress, hostility, and aggression. Afterschool and summer programs play an essential role in supporting the healthy development of young people by serving as a safe space that fosters belonging, develops supportive relationships with peers and adult mentors, encourages healthy behaviors, and helps young people build and cultivate the skills necessary to navigate struggles and challenges. This new brief shares data on the impact of participating in programs, and examples of recent investments in afterschool and summer programs as a strategy to support students’ well-being. Download the brief to learn more.
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American Rescue Plan is Making a
Difference for Students through Afterschool
and Summer Programs
This one-pager provides an update on current investments of pandemic relief funds in afterschool and summer programs, the impact of those investments, and the opportunity that remains to invest in students’ academic growth and well-being through quality afterschool and summer programs.
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Become an Ally of Engage Every Student.
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Make a Pledge to work toward Afterschool and Summer for all.
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For additional resources from the U.S. Department of Education, click here.
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For additional resources from the Afterschool Alliance, click here.
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For additional resources from the National Summer Learning Association, click here.
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For additional resources from AASA, click here.
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For additional resources from the National Comprehensive Center at Westat, click here.
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For additional resources from the National League of Cities, click here.
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Legal Disclaimer: For the reader's convenience, this bulletin contains examples and information from outside organizations, including hyperlinks and URLs. Inclusion does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any outside organization, or the resources or services offered, or the views expressed.
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