Archive - 2022 Illinois 21st CCLC Virtual Spring Conference
May 2–4, 2021
Online
Description
The conference provides a forum for Illinois 21st CCLC grantees, program partners, program evaluators, and other afterschool professionals to learn about and share best practices, strategies, and information relevant to quality afterschool implementation. The conference is organized in three major strands comprising topics integral to our work of developing high-quality afterschool programs:
- Academics Afterschool
- Continuous Improvement
- Afterschool Enrichment
Conference Objectives
- To draw on the knowledge and experience of Illinois 21st CCLCs
- To share evidence-based practices and emerging promising practices that support 21st CCLCs in achieving their program goals and meeting state program requirements
- To create opportunities for networking and to increase communication across 21st CCLC programs
Handouts
Presentations
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Preconference Students’ Perspectives on Afterschool Participation and Recruitment What motivates students to participate in the afterschool program? What can programs do to recruit more students? Afterschool participants in middle and high school share their views about what motivates them to participate in the 21st CCLC program and how to increase student recruitment. |
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Opening Session and Keynote Presentation Student Voices: What I Like About Afterschool We asked elementary school students participating in the four 21st CCLC programs listed above to tell us what they like about afterschool. Listen to what they told us. Welcome and Greetings Creating Conditions to Support Afterschool for All The most critical mainspring of social change isn’t coalition building or problem analysis, it’s healing: deep, whole, and systemic—inside and out. Dr. Ginwright’s keynote examines the disproportionate impact of crises on already adversely affected communities and explores the roles that culture, agency, relationships, meaning, and aspirations play in creating conditions that support young people and the adults in their lives. When combined, these roles provide a roadmap for youth development professionals to provide context for healing within their organizations and supporting afterschool for all in their communities. |
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| Family Engagement Via Zoom with Hands-on Lego and Art Clubs Arlene Sanders, Club Hub Instructor, Indian Prairie School District 204, Aurora, IL Indian Prairie’s Club Hub program began during the pandemic and featured hands-on elementary Zoom clubs to engage families. Schools are open, but we’re still Zooming! Club Hub’s Family LEGO and Art Zoom Clubs are a hit! Club Hub instructors will share lesson plans and materials used to engage more than 100 families, ranging from 9-week evening Zoom clubs to Zoom workshops offered during school breaks. Free LEGO Education sample kits are available to interested participants. |
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| Connecting the Dots Afterschool Brianna Buchanan, 21st CCLC Site Coordinator, Project Success of Vermilion County, Danville, IL Project Success team members will share resources and tips used to make the afterschool program run smoothly including strategies for scheduling day-to-day activities, engaging students and families, and encouraging student voice. Learn how to employ creative ideas and games to gain student interest and keep them engaged. |
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Local Evaluation . . . Now What? Have you ever wondered what to do each year with your local evaluation? We are here to help. Join us to analyze, use, and understand all the data. By the end of the session, you will have the tools to create and implement action plans. Discover the importance of follow through to improve your program. Bring your own data for immediate application of the tools shared during this session. |
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| Best Practices for 21st CCLC Program Success Michael Hannan, 21st CCLC Community of Practice Facilitator, Cook County & Surrounding Areas Hot topics affecting 21st CCLC programs in 2022 include staffing, student recruitment, family engagement, and budgetary spend down. During this session, join your 21st CCLC community of practice facilitators for a discussion of best practices and strategies that programs across the state are using to navigate these issues successfully. |
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| A One-Stop-Shop: A Toolkit for You, Your Programs, and Your Teams Gislene Tasayco, Technical Assistance Consultant, American Institutes for Research, Gaithersburg, MD Are you a new afterschool professional? Have you been in the world of afterschool for as long as you can remember? Regardless of how much experience you already have, join this interactive session to connect with peers and learn about resources, tools, and tips to strengthen your efforts. We will break down how to make the Beyond the Bell tools work for you, your program, and your teams as you navigate the world of afterschool and its role in advancing equity. |
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Creating a Positive Learning Environment What is the culture and climate of your 21st CCLC program? Is your program a positive place where all students have opportunities to learn and grow? If you’re not sure about your answer, this is the session for you! We’ll identify the characteristics of a positive learning environment, review strategies for building trusting relationships, and plan for positive behavioral management. This session is a great learning opportunity for all 21st CCLC staff, and we will highlight many free Y4Y resources that you can leverage to build a positive learning environment for your entire program. |
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Building a Transformative Organizational Culture To transform organizational culture and lead inclusive teams requires focus on critical areas including self- and social awareness, collaboration, transparency, and trust. This session engages participants in collaborative practices for establishing an inclusive and collaborative culture. Through this workshop participants will learn how to deepen connections and trust within their team; explore individual and collective values; support meaningful connections across and within identity groups; and discuss leadership styles and power dynamics. |
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Civic Learning and Engagement Join the You for Youth (Y4Y) technical assistance team to learn the ins-and-outs of Civic Learning and Engagement; including how to plan and implement projects that enhance the knowledge and skills of students. Come explore methods and strategies that encourage student voice and dialogue in the out-of-school time space. Participants will leave ready to design and facilitate youth-led CLE projects. |
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Day II General Session General Session Keynote Believing that every individual is uniquely gifted to affect the world, Nathan Houston shares his passion for afterschool and the principles behind the #iAmImpact philosophy that inspires us to be all that we can be and to understand the power of our connectedness. |
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Advancing Equity and Youth Engagement Through Collective Impact Take your collaborative partnerships to the next level during this interactive workshop focusing on youth and community engagement. Learn how you can implement the Collective Impact process to address youth needs and gain an understanding of the Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) approach to support youth leadership in this endeavor. |
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Methods to Capture Student Voice and Choice How can 21st CCLC programs effectively capture student voice and choice data to drive activity selection and development? Join the U.S. Department of Education’s You for Youth (Y4Y) technical assistance team as we discuss different methods to capturing student voice and choice information. We’ll also discuss how to incorporate and embed that student input during program activities. |
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Re-Focus Your Lens: Viewing Behavior as Communication There are many ways to look at behavior. During this session, participants will explore four common lenses used to view and think about behavior, focusing on how to view behavior as communication and accurately interpret the messages children and youth send with their behavior. What changes when we use, “Behavior is Communication” as our perspective? Recommended for staff working with school-age children and youth wishing to enhance their inclusive practices. |
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| Evaluation and Equity: Strategies and Perspectives
Sophia Mansori, Research Scientist, EDC, Waltham, MA In this session, the statewide evaluation team at EDC will share information about culturally-responsive evaluation and strategies for implementing an evaluation that does not just consider but values the diverse perspectives and experiences of program participants. EDC will also share approaches to using your evaluation data to understand your programs’ progress with respect to inclusion and meeting the needs of diverse students and families. |
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Health and Wellness With Y4Y What do you think of when you hear “health and wellness?” Every person has their own definition and how it applies to their own life. In this session, we’ll help you develop your own sense of health and wellness along with an awareness of its place in out-of-school time programs. Supporting health and wellness is crucial for students’ academic and personal wellbeing, but there often isn’t enough time to focus on these concepts during the school day. We’ll talk about how out-of-school time initiatives can supplement school-day offerings to promote student, staff, and community wellbeing. We’ll also address how you can leverage school day partnerships to create meaningful, standards-aligned health and wellness programming. |
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It’s In The Bag: Creating a Bag Of Tricks for Success With Real-World Challenges Working with children takes flexibility and thinking on your feet. Participants will learn about tangible tools that can be used to support children and youth with disabilities or behavioral challenges as well as those who may just be having a rough day. This session also introduces tools you can use when you feel stuck, and programming isn’t going as planned. Recommended for staff working with school-age children and youth wishing to enhance their inclusive practices. |
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Social Emotional Arts & Radical Community Healing (S.E.A.R.C.H.) Social Emotional Arts & Radical Community Healing engages participants in liberation psychology and restorative practices, including the Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation Youth Institute (TRHT-YI) model. This session highlights strategies that empower individual and collective wellbeing through engaging in a Community of Praxis. Participants will learn and work collaboratively to explore culturally responsive healing practices that infuse arts, restorative practices, SEL, and a PYD approach for ongoing work with staff and young people. |