Listening & Learning Tour FAQ's

Thank you to all who participated in the Listening and Learning (L&L) events in Yuma, Flagstaff, Tucson, and Phoenix.   

The 21st CCLC – Listening & Learning Tour (Winter 2022) video is a recorded PowerPoint presentation all 21st CCLC Stakeholders should watch.  The video outlines program rules, reminders, and responsibilities that every 21st CCLC subgrantee should consider during the program year.  It is not a comprehensive list of rules and responsibilities.  Please refer to the 21st CCLC Guidance Handbook 2022-2023 for a complete list of regulations and/or contact your assigned education program specialist for technical assistance.

You can access the 21st CCLC – Listening & Learning Tour (Winter 2022) video link at  21st CCLC Listening & Learning Tour 2022 on Vimeo . 

Below are some of the themes that emerged from the L&L events.

Please submit any additional questions to the 21st CCLC Inbox at [email protected] or reach out to your assigned Education Program Specialist for any technical assistance.

1. What are your favorite offerings?

 

Each school will have its own 21st CCLC culture.  One recommendation is to ask your regular school day teachers, “What is your passion outside of school?”  For example, if your passion is tennis.  A teacher may be very interested in teaching an afterschool class that shows kids how to play tennis.  Then it would be easy to incorporate reading about tennis’ history, students can research and write about past/current tennis players, calculate the ratios of winners vs. unforced errors for certain matches.  Almost any passion can be used to create a 21st CCLC class that incorporates academics, youth development and family engagement.  Here is a list of favorite offerings at the 4 regional Listening and Learning Sessions:

  1. *Active Classes: Yoga, Dance, Cheer, Sports, Open Gym, Folklorico/Mariachi, Biking
  2. *Youth Development Classes: Cooking (on-site kitchen), Gardening, A Better Me, JA Biz Town, Sewing, Odyssey of the Mind
  3. *STEAM Classes: Art, Lego/Puzzle Club , E-Sports/Gaming,  Robotics
  4. Adult English Classes https://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/family-engagement or  https://www.azed.gov/adultedservices
  5. Afterschool Meals Afterschool Care Snack Program and At-Risk Afterschool Meals | Arizona Department of Education (azed.gov)

*If certain clubs do not have enough enrolled participants then either combine with other similar clubs or consider intentional recruitment strategies to ensure the 21st CCLC Program will meet its regular attendee requirement and program goals.

2. What is going well at your 21st CCLC Sites?

 

It is important to acknowledge and celebrate the successes of 21st CCLC programs in Arizona.  When site coordinators, building principals, and central administrators are in the middle of the running the programs, it can be easy to miss an opportunity to celebrate.  Here is a list of what is going well from the 4 regional Listening and Learning Sessions:

  1. Kids are enthusiastic about 21st CCLC programs (love the interactive opportunities)
  2. Teacher participation is high at our site
  3. We are providing hot meals at our site Afterschool Care Snack Program and At-Risk Afterschool Meals | Arizona Department of Education (azed.gov)
  4. Partnerships with community members: business partners are providing some funding/donations & families are volunteering to coach/read with students 1:1
  5. Having 2 co-coordinators is helping our site complete all of the required reporting and we can cover for each other as needed
  6. Student attendance is high because we offer high interest clubs, sports, and blended learning clubs (academics/youth development)
  7. We decided to take attendance and offer snacks in a central meeting space
  8. Family engagement is high and we are taking attendance at the events
  9. Summer Planning is in full effect
3. What additional support do you need to run an effective 21st CCLC program?

 

Time: there are not enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished.  Something always comes up after all of the students have eaten their snacks and are with their afterschool teachers. Here are some ideas to consider:

  1. Consider hiring co-coordinators:  Having co-coordinators will help accomplish all of the requirement of the 21st CCLC grant by splitting the duties based on the distribution of hours per coordinator.

  2. Consider hiring non-certified support for clerical (attendance input & collecting payroll documents), snack distribution & dismissal duties. This may free up time for signing paperwork, ordering supplies, and completing required reporting.  Please communicate with your Human Resources and Payroll departments for more guidance on allowability and wages.  21st CCLC subgrantees must follow the most restrictive policy.  It is allowable to hire non-certified staff to perform these duties as long as it does not affect the 21st CCLC thresholds for instructional and administrative limits.   For more information, contact your assigned Education Program Specialist

Policies and Procedures: Each subgrantee should have policies and procedures in place for site coordinators to complete their duties as site coordinators.  It should include information about how to start the hiring process, how to process payroll, how to order supplies, where is the afterschool safety plan, monthly checklist for deadlines, and other information to run a 21st CCLC program.  If your organization does not have a policies and procedures manual, please contact your assigned Education Program Specialist. 

Professional Development: We heard from each of the regional Listening and Learning events that 21st CCLC staff want more time to connect with others.  The 21st CCLC Team at ADE will take that input and start to think about ways for 21st CCLC staff to meet in Networking meetings.  If you are interested in hosting a Networking event at your school site in the 2023-2024 school year, please contact your assigned Education Program Specialist and we will work with you to get something on the Professional Development Calendar.

4. What is the role of the Building Principal in the 21st CCLC Grant?

 

The Principal plays a critical role in the 21st CCLC program.  Site coordinators are the “Afterschool Principals” but the regular day principal will support as the Visionary and Ultimate Supporter of the 21st CCLC Grant.  Here is a brief summary about the principal’s role in 21st CCLC, principal's role in 21st CCLC.  Site Coordinators and Principals should be meeting on a regular basis.  The frequency of those meetings will depend on where you are in the grant cycle:  I am a Rookie (I’m getting started) or I am in the middle of the grant (this is not my first rodeo) or I’m a Veteran (I’m hitting my stride).  As in all relationships, communication is the key to a successful collaboration.

5. How do you prepare for the end of year reporting season?

 

LEAs and the appropriately assigned departments shall prepare and submit all reports required by the Arizona Department of Education in a timely and accurate manner.  All required documentation (including reports and continuing application) must be submitted on or before due dates to maintain substantial compliance. Due dates may be found on the Reporting Calendar.  Failure to submit by the due date will move your grant to “Out of Compliance” status which may impact continued funding.  Here are some ideas to help you be ready for the reporting season.

  1. Start early with templates
  2. Create checklists and timelines. There are some resources on the   21st CCLC Required Reporting Website such as the 21st CCLC Checklist
  3. Review the guidance and templates at the 21st CCLC Required Reporting Website
  4. Review the 21st CCLC objectives and communicate with all stakeholders who can support in reporting those outcomes. Set regularly scheduled meetings to check in on progress
  5. Set earlier internal deadline before ADE deadlines to review & edit reports as needed
  6. Open Internal Office Hours between Central Administration and 21st CCLC Sites to support coordinators in the reporting (remember that ADE also offers Office Hours for all who wish to participate)
6. What is the "Most Restrictive Rule" requirement?

 

All expenditures must apply the “most restrictive rule” to procurement requirements for when expending federal financial assistance (grant funds) subject to the federal Uniform Grant Guidance (2 C.F.R. 200, Subpart D) (“UGG”). When expending federal grant funds, local education agencies (LEAs) are required to follow their “own documented procurement procedures which reflect applicable state, local, and tribal laws and regulations, provided that the procurements conform to applicable Federal law and the standards identified in this part.” (2 C.F.R. §200.318(a)) In other words, LEAs must comply with the “most restrictive” procurement requirements of both federal and state law as well as their own local policies.

  1. Example 1: can we pay for planning for 21st CCLC teachers?  First you must determine if it is allowable in federal regulations.  If it is allowable, then you must check with state regulations.  Finally, you must check with local (district) policies.  If any of those regulations do not allow paid planning, then it is not an allowable expense for your 21st CCLC grant.  Therefore, it is possible that paid planning is allowable in one district and not allowable in another district (per local policies). 
  2. Example 2: local policies will allow field trips to an amusement park for entertainment to reward students for good behavior and attendance.  However, state/federal regulations state:  All field trips require pre-approval from assigned Education Program Specialist AND costs of entertainment, including amusement, diversion, and social activities and any associated costs are unallowable.  Therefore, field trips to an amusement park are not allowable with 21st CCLC funds.  Sites may look at other funding sources to pay for those types of field trips.
  3. Caution: do not assume that all expenditures are allowable.  When it doubt, it is advisable to seek pre-approval prior to expending the funds.  Some expenditures may require a fiscal revision to move funds to pay for the new expenditures.
7. Why has attendance and reporting requirements become such a heavy burden?

 

The 21st CCLC Reporting Requirements have always been in place with the 21st CCLC Grant.  When the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) receives requirements from the United States Department of Education (ED), it is our responsibility to collect those data points.  Starting in the 2021-2022 program year, new reporting requirements have been implemented for the federal 21st CCLC Annual Performance Report (APR), which is required by ED to be completed for each 21st CCLC program each year. The ED compiles data from these APRs and submits reports to Congress so Congress members understand the impact of the 21st CCLC Title IV-B funds they authorize each year.

The Annual Performance Report collects data about student level outcomes per the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). There are five GPRA Outcomes required for 21st CCLC programs, and each is reported for a specified group of grades. The new GPRA Changes went into effect in the 2021-2022 program year. As a result of the changes, ADE made the transition to collecting some data points via AZEDS and the APR Data Reporting system.  This shifted some of the burden of reporting from the sites to the various systems.  In any systems change, there will be challenges to navigate.  As a response, the ADE 21st CCLC Team is offering Office Hours at various times of the year,  Attendance Forums to discuss common practices and brainstorm procedures, and Reporting Think Tanks to look at Reporting as a compliance requirement. 

In addition, based on the Listening and Learning sessions, we plan to host more Networking opportunities to collaborate and support each other.  If you are interested in hosting a Networking event at your school site in the 2023-2024 school year, please contact your assigned Education Program Specialist and we will work with you to get something on the Professional Development Calendar.  

 

8. I was not able to attend one of the regional Listening and Learning events, what were some of the discussion questions? Can I comment on those questions?

 

Here is the link to the Slides from each of the Listening and Learning events- Listen and Learning Slide Desk Nov./Dec. 2022

Here are the questions during the Listening portion of the event:

  1. What is working well this year that you want to share with other 21st CCLC subgrantees?
  2. What is something the 21st CCLC Team should keep doing or stop doing that will best support sites when implementing the grant requirements?
  3. What is something about the 21st CCLC grant that you would change if you could change it?
  4. What questions do you have for ADE?

If you would like to submit a question or comment on one of the questions, please send an email to the 21st CCLC Inbox [email protected]