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This brief presents key findings about state policies and guidance that support students' social and emotional learning (SEL). It showcases the increasing emphasis on SEL, finding that as of 2022, 27 states offer free-standing K-12 SEL competencies and 44 states offer state-specific resources and tools for SEL implementation. It explores reasons for the growth in SEL interest and provides a link to an interactive map that displays SEL competencies, resources, and websites by state.
Out-of-School Time (OST) plays a critical role in supporting working families and in providing children and youth with meaningful relationships, enrichment activities, and social and emotional learning (SEL), which lead to positive developmental outcomes. Additionally, there is a greater-than-ever focus on the potential for OST to support pandemic recovery efforts. To achieve that potential, there needs to be a new investment in the OST workforce.
This brief from the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment provides information, research, and examples of equitable strategies to support recruitment, retention, and rejuvenation of the Out-of-School Time (OST) workforce, a top concern for OST programs.
Child care providers must view their meaningful work as a business and plan and prepare for its sustainability and growth. This tip sheet will provide ideas and resources to support sustainable, quality school-age care. Readers will gain a fundamental understanding of budgeting, marketing, and staffing business practices. Additionally, this tip sheet provides a resource that aids in writing survey questions that will accurately measure the opinions, experiences, and behaviors of the communities providers serve.
This issue brief captures lessons learned from a learning community about early educator compensation in seven states (WA, IL, MA, NC, NM, VT, WI) sponsored by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. It explored how we can create sustainable strategies on compensation as the deadline for spending ARPA funds approaches. The strategies and examples include laying groundwork for compensation reform; salary scales and cost modeling; funding mechanisms to address compensation; and building capacity for data collection. A three-page executive summary called State Actions on Early Educator Compensation is also available here https://cscce.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Executive-Summary-Table_Learning-Community-Brief-2023.pdf
This slide deck shares the first findings released from the National Summer Learning and Enrichment Study conducted by Westat about school-run summer programs in 2021 and plans for summer 2022. The representative findings are drawn from 309 Local Education Agencies. 94% of schools offered some kind of summer programming, serving 18% of students enrolled in school the previous year, with finding staffing as the biggest challenge. 76% used ARP funding, with 75% focused on learning recovery and 57% supplementing with social-emotional learning. 80% also indicated plans to offer programs in summer 2022. A final report will be shared in mid-2023.
This collection of resources from Every Hour Counts is designed for afterschool intermediaries, providers, educators, families, and community leaders. It includes information on building racial equity, integrating youth voice, advancing policy and advocacy, and creating and sustaining a thriving workforce. This resource supports equity.
On March 23, 2023, the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment hosted “Using Data to Support Equity in Out-of-School Time” webinar to introduce a new NCASE brief designed to support CCDF lead agencies and partners in their collaborative work to expand equitable access to school-age child care for families using child care subsidies. Participants also learned about and shared examples of the types of data that can be used to promote equitable access to school-age care, and gained an understanding of promising practices shared by statewide afterschool leads and the National Workforce Registry Alliance.
This issue brief from the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) directs attention to the importance of representation of OST/school-age child care in data. To ensure equitable access, experiences, and positive outcomes for all child care participants, there must be applicable data collection, with an opportunity to address identified disparities and obstacles for programs and initiatives. This brief identifies data landscape scans, data mapping, and cost model estimation as practical strategies to analyze relevant information and identify needs for equitable results for OST/school-age child care programming.
Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) agencies are required to consider cost information when setting payment rates. Many meet these by doing a narrow cost analysis. This three-part series of issue briefs includes helpful information on: (1) Defining narrow cost analysis; (2) Approaches to narrow cost analysis including cost models and cost surveys; and (3) Using a narrow cost analysis to inform payment rates. These resources can help OST leaders understand how CCDF is moving toward the true cost of quality, equitable staff compensation, and increasing payment rates. This resource addresses equity.
This issue brief from the Sperling Center for Research and Innovation (SCRI) explores qualitative findings from surveys with summer 2021 staff to identify strategies to help in recruiting and retaining staff. Strategies include a focus on relationships and collaboration, supportive leadership, ensuring flexibility and autonomy, opportunities for personal and professional growth, and additional support staff. A companion toolkit called the Staff Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention Guide includes tip sheets, a rubric for hiring enrichment staff, and other planning tools; it can be found here. https://www.sperlingcenter.org/resource/staffing-toolkit-for-out-of-school-time-learning-programs/