National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment Resource Library

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/ 

The Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School Time (VPOST) developed a map of OST programs and the relationship with population density, poverty, and Social Vulnerability Index in Virginia as a way to highlight gaps in the availability of programs. The OST Access Map project is now being used as an advocacy tool to expand access to more children. This project could serve as a model for other states.

This video series by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence consists of seven staff development videos plus companion reflections and activities for both staff and youth that are being released in batches in winter/spring 2023. They teach adults the skills and tools of emotional intelligence, specifically, how to learn/improve and then teach youth RULER skills--Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions.

This study by the Institute for the Study of Resilience in Youth, commissioned by the National Summer Learning Association, was designed to help practitioners, policymakers, and researchers understand the youth perspective on two kinds of summer experiences—structured and unstructured. This representative sample of youth found that youth in structured programs reported feeling more happiness, positive emotions, interest, and better school preparedness than youth in unstructured settings. This could be used to help build the case for more structured summer learning opportunities for children and youth.