Program Resources

Below are some examples of best practices, partnerships and templates to help support the success of your 21st CCLC grant.

Annual Verification Checklist

The Annual Verification Checklist for 21^st CCLC Site Leaders should be signed by the 21st CCLC Principal/Site Administrator or your 21st CCLC Program District Administrator and emailed to your ADE 21st CCLC Program Specialist by May 31.

In order to ensure that all required 21^st CCLC components/necessary documents are at hand should transition of positions at 21^st CCLC Sites occur, this Checklist is a requirement. An updated Annual Verification Checklist for 21^st CCLC Site Leaders is completed at the end of each program year. The checklist is a fillable form which can be emailed electronically to your assigned Program Specialist.

Annual Verification Checklist for 21st Century Community Learning Centers Site Leaders Template (PDF)

Community as a Partner

Your Arizona Department of Education 21^st Century Community Learning Centers team is deeply committed to the power of quality after school programming for Arizona students. We encourage you to consider additional strategies to help support your program. To assist you with exploring options, see below for some other sources of information and inspiration.

The Arizona 21^st CCLC team has created a framework to assist program leaders
and their community to better understand academic policy, support, and
examples of successful programs. 
(Click thumbnail for full Partnerships Frameworks)

Do you need to STRENGTHEN your PARTNERSHIPS?

LEARN MORE You for Youth (Y4Y) https://y4y.ed.gov/learn/partnerships/ has resources that will help you to identify your needs, select partnerships, data, and common vision.

External Organization Providers

ADE is posting the following list of statewide nonprofit organizations who have worked with 21st CCLC programs in Arizona.

21st CCLC External Non-Profits Community Partnership List (PDF)

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) and provides for the creation of a list of external organizations that may provide technical assistance to 21st CCLC grantees. As per ESSA, the term external organization means:

a nonprofit organization with a record of success in running or working with before and after school (or summer recess) programs and activities; or

(B) in the case of a community where there is no such organization, a nonprofit organization in the community that enters into a written agreement or partnership with an organization described in subparagraph (A) to receive mentoring and guidance in running or working with before and after school (or summer recess) programs and activities.”

Partnership Resources

Disclaimers: No funding is directly associated with this opportunity for inclusion on the eligible provider list. No official endorsement by the Arizona Department of Education. The list of organizations herein do not necessarily represent the positions or polices of the Arizona Department of Education. No official endorsement by ADE of any product, commodity, service, methodology, technique, or enterprise mentioned here is intended or should be inferred. ADE reserves the right to omit any organization from the list. ADE does not guarantee the amount of work given, if any, to organizations on the eligible provider list. By including an organization on the eligible provider list, ADE is simply verifying that the organization information was submitted for inclusion by a current 21st CCLC grant program leader as one they have used.

Note: ADE’s inclusion of an organization on the eligible provider list is not an endorsement of the organization, nor is it a certification or verification of the quality of activities provided by the organization.

Organizational Resources

The Arizona 21^st CCLC department strives to provide National, State, and Local resources to their grantees.

National Resources

1.AIR – American Institutes for Research AIR’s work in the afterschool and expanded learning field supports the creation, evaluation, improvement, and maintenance of high-quality afterschool and expanded learning programs in a variety of ways that includes research based methodologies.

2. Afterschool Alliance The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of afterschool programs and advocating for quality, affordable programs for all children. It is supported by a group of public, private, and nonprofit organizations that share the Alliance’s vision of ensuring that all children have access to afterschool programs.

3. Center for Afterschool and Expanded Learning Learning doesn’t stop when the last school bell rings. Foundations’ Center for Afterschool and Expanded Learning supports K-12 educators in making out-of-school time a dynamic time for learning and healthy development. Educators can readily apply our customized products, services, training and tools to improve their own expanded learning programs.

In addition, Foundations, the United States Department of Education and 21st Century Community Learning Centers convene the annual Beyond School Hours Conference, a major professional development event in the education world for well over a decade.

4. C. S. Mott Foundation The C.S. Mott Foundation is a partner of the U.S. Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative. The foundation is a private philanthropy that awards grants, in four program areas, in the United States and selected regions internationally. Specific Resources:

Learning Together: The Developing Field of School-Community Issues, a report chronicling the ideas, approaches, and strategies employed by 20 school community initiatives across the United States.
Making After-School Count (numerous volumes): a publication on issues of after-school care.
Philosophy, Programs, and Procedures: Pathways out of Poverty provides guidelines and application procedures for the Pathways Out of Poverty program that provides funding for improved education.

5. Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) The HFRP is part of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Their Out-of-School Time (OST) research area provides accessible information to support the accessibility, quality, and sustainability of out-of-school time programs and initiatives.

6. National After School Association A membership association for professionals who provide extended learning opportunities and care during out- of- school hours. NAA host a variety of events for the afterschool community to encourage networking, professional development and advocacy for the field. NAA offers a free membership providing resources to support developing afterschool professionals.

7. National Institute for Out-of-School Time (NIOST) Located at the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College, NIOST studies issues and policy regarding children’s out-of-school time. Their website contains research and publications about quality management and curriculum for after-school programs. Specific Resources:

After-School Issues are a series of publications produced by NIOST on core after-school issues of interest including emerging roles in the field, focus on staffing, and focus on accountability.
Literacy: Exploring Strategies to Enhance Learning in Out-of-School Time (1999) Explores, through research, different ways that after-school programs can support children’s literacy development.

Making an Impact on Out-of-School Time is a new publication giving a comprehensive investigation to after-school care.

8.The SEDL National Center for Quality AfterschoolThe SEDL National Center for Quality Afterschool* collaborates and works with other afterschool experts to provide models, tools, and assistance that afterschool programs need to offer high quality, research based academic content while attracting high levels of student participation. Click here to view a Two-Minute Tour of the resources available in the National Center for Quality Afterschool’s Afterschool Training Toolkit

* Formerly called Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL)

9. U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesThe section on Family and Children Programs offers useful resources on health and safety.

10. U.S. Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC)The U.S, Department of Education has information related to the federal purpose, eligibility, applicant information, awards to each State, performance, funding status, laws, regulations & guidance, resources, FAQs, and contacts.

11. You for Youth (Y4Y) The federal 21^st CCLC office has established a website to support our work- You for Youth. The You for Youth website offers Online Professional Development and Technical Assistance for 21st CCLC programs in the following categories:

Project-Based Learning
Aligning With The School Day
Strengthening Partnerships
Family Engagement
Literacy

State and Local Resources

Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence The Arizona Center for After-school Excellence is dedicated to the enhancement of child and youth development and educational achievement through quality after-school programming.

School Connect Want to bring positive change to your school community? Consider becoming involved with School Connect where schools and volunteers partner to serve Arizona’s studentLights on Afterschool Resources

Lights on Afterschool Resources

Lights on Afterschool This event is a celebration of the dedicated work communities have in supporting youth through quality afterschool programs. We encourage all 21st CCLC grantees to participate in this event to highlight to students, families, school and community leaders the importance of afterschool.

Event Planning

Planning Timeline and Checklist

Top Event Themes & Ideas

Arizona Center for Afterschool Excellence- Lights On Afterschool

Communication Resources

Communication is a crucial component for successful 21^st CCLC programs. Below are templates and tools to support programs with developing effective communication practices.

Written Language – Spanish Translation (Optional) In addition to the AZ21st CCLC logo, all publications for your 21^st CCLC program should include one of the following options: The 21^st CCLC Logo can be found under the 21^st CCLC Federal and State Regulations Tab. Written Language In addition to the AZ 21st CCLC logo, all publications for your 21st CCLC program should include one of the following options: Written Language In addition to the AZ 21st CCLC logo, all publications for your 21st CCLC program should include one of the following options:

Optional translations into Spanish below were provided by the Tucson Unified School District’s 21st CCLC program office as a resource that other 21st CCLC programs may wish to include on materials being developed for family members of their students.

Option #1:

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers afterschool program is funded by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the Arizona Department of Education. For more information visit: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/
El programa después del horario escolar Centros Comunitarios de Aprendizaje del Siglo 21 está financiado por una subvención federal del Departamento de Educación de los Estados Unidos y es administrado por el Departamento de Educación de Arizona. Para más información, visite: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/

Option #2:

The [insert your program name] afterschool program is funded by a 21st Century Community Learning Centers federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the Arizona Department of Education. For more information visit: http://www.azed.gov.

El programa después del horario escolar [insert your program name] está financiado por el Centro Comunitario de Aprendizaje del Siglo 21 una subvención federal del Departamento de Educación de los Estados Unidos y es administrado por el Departamento de Educación de Arizona. Para más información visite: http://www.azed.gov.

Staffing Resources

Each agency has addressed the capacity to fulfill the staffing requirements (including site coordinator, teachers, clerks, aides, etc.) of their grant within the original application. Below are tools and templates to support the site with their staffing requirements.

Structures and Program Design

Below are templates and tools to support programs with developing effective practices for 21^st CCLC program. Additional resources for managing your 21^st CCLC Program can be found in section 3 of the 21^st CCLC Startup Toolkit.

Sustainability

21^st CCLC programs were originally designed to build a sustainable model for future programming. This can include internal and external partnerships that will collaborate to provide youth in their community’s opportunities beyond the duration of the 21^st CCLC grant funding.

The Arizona 21^st CCLC team has created a framework to assist program leaders
and their community to better understand academic policy, support, and
examples of successful programs. 
(Click thumbnail for full Sustainability Frameworks)

The SPOTLIGHT and VIDEO VAULT pages of the 21^st CCLC website share Arizona examples of sustainable programs.

Sustainability Resources

The Road to Sustainability by the Afterschool Alliance. http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/documents/Toolbox/RoadtoSustainability.pdf

You for Youth (Y4Y) Creating Your Sustainability Plan. https://y4y.ed.gov/search/search&search_in=all&how=any&search_words_within_words=yes&keywords=Sustainability

4 Things Every Afterschool Program Should Know https://medium.com/upmetrics-data-for-good/4-things-every-afterschool-program-should-do-to-become-sustainable-f9a558a8594e

Funding and Sustaining- Prepare for the Future http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/funding.cfm

Creating Your Sustainability Plan (PDF)

The Arizona Department of Education is not responsible for controlling or guaranteeing the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Further, the inclusion of information or a hyperlink or URL does not reflect the importance of the organization, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered.

21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant