Title IV-B High-Quality Programs & Resources

Cultivating Joy, Connection, and Curiosity through Well-Rounded Expanded Learning

High quality afterschool and summer programs can increase learning, provide opportunities for enrichment, creativity, social connection, and promote mental health and wellness. Attendance in a 21st CCLC program alone doesn’t guarantee these benefits for youth: quality matters. 

A high-quality 21st CCLC program is shaped by the local community and the students and families it serves. There is not a singular pathway or simple formula to follow when creating a 21st CCLC program; instead, there are many evidence-based elements and best practices that should be considered within a local context and infused into programming.  

A Foundation Built on Equity

Equity-driven expanded learning programs:

1. provide child-centered opportunities that support every child with equitable access to safe, inclusive, and welcoming learning environments; 
2. affirm and grow student, family, and community strengths and assets; and
3. create spaces for students to actively make decisions and voice their interest for deepened learning, engagement, and connection.

This foundation is purposefully integrated within each of the six elements of quality programs.

Six Elements of Quality Programs

1. Elevating Relationships & Enriching Environments - A quality program provides positive, supportive connections between students, their peers, and caring adults to create a foundation for rich, stimulating environments that promote and deepen learning.
2. Deepen Community Partnerships - A quality program develops, cultivates and sustains strong partnerships to integrate a common vision and co-create opportunities that complement and address the specific assets, needs, and dreams of the community.
3. Integrate Well Rounded Learning & Work That Matters - A quality program is intentionally designed to include hands-on, collaborative learning rooted in inquiry and discovery where students apply cross-cutting skills to make real-world connections.
4. Ensure Mental Health & Well-Being - A quality program ensures the emotional, social, cognitive, and behavioral conditions where students and staff can thrive and feel safe, supported, and healthy.
5. Engage Students & Families - A quality program employs a multi-faceted approach to outreach and engagement that respects, honors, and values families while fostering student joy and curiosity to promote regular participation.
6. Purposeful Planning & Quality Programs - A quality program has a clear mission, well-developed plans, highly-skilled staff, and clear policies and procedures that support effective implementation for the continuous improvement and sustainability of the program.
   

Leadership and Capacity to Implement

• Program Director Sample Job Description
  
• Center Coordinator Sample Job Description
  

Internal ODE Resources

The guides below were written from evidence-based practices and promising practices which apply to both afterschool and summer learning. 

• ODE Summer Learning Website 
• ODE Jump Start Kindergarten Website
  

Mental Health & Well-Being Resources

• ODE Mental Health Framework and Resources Website 
• ODE Adopted SEL Framework and Standards Website

K-5 Literacy Resources

• ODE Early Literacy Framework Website 
• Oregon’s Early Literacy Framework PDF 
• Instruction Partners’ Early Literacy Implementation Playbook

Middle and High School CTE Resources

• ODE Career and Technical Education CTE Website
  
• ODE Career and Connected Learning Website
• ODE Career Preparation and Training (Work-Based Learning) Website

Mentoring and Tutoring Programs

Supportive mentoring and tutoring relationships can promote resilience and increase mental health and academic development. The Y4Y website offers a webinar focused on 21st CCLC mentoring programs, and the National Partnership for Student Success provides technical assistance on establishing high quality mentoring and tutoring programs. Additional information on the benefits of high-quality mentoring, along with key components of productive mentoring relationships, are available from youth.gov, the National Mentoring Resource Center, and the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments.

Inclusion Resources

• Kids Included Together (KIT)

KIT has quality inclusion resources for grantees and other afterschool providers to provide quality program services through best practice strategies. The mission of Kids Included Together (KIT) is to provide learning opportunities that support recreation, child development and youth enrichment programs to include children with and without disabilities in out-of-school time programs. KIT offers diverse training resources under the National Training Center on Inclusion. KIT is noted for their high quality work and provides many additional inclusion resources.

External Links & Resources

• You for Youth This US Dept. of Education website was developed to provide 21st CCLC afterschool and summer programs that reported they needed to create engaging expanded learning opportunities. Features Include: Courses, Coaching Modules, Peer-to-Peer Exchange, Videos, Adaptable Planning Documents, Resources and Technical Assistance. 
• OregonASK OregonASK supports high-quality expanded learning programs by providing opportunities through connecting partners, supporting policy change, and providing professional development. 
• The 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. 
• Lights on Afterschool
• The Research Institute (TRI) This website was created to support Oreogn’s 21st CCLC Cohort 3 grantees and has been archived. The site has some useful information although some material is out-of-date. 
  
• Wallace Foundation

Oregon Department of Education - Title IV-B Disclaimer of Endorsement

The presentations and documents funded by Title IV-B 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) included in Oregon Department of Education (ODE) conferences, and/or posted on ODE web sites may include links to information and resources created by other public and private organizations. These resources, materials and links are provided for the user's convenience and to benefit program quality in Title IV-B. ODE does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this non-ODE information. The inclusion of these links is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse views expressed, or products or services offered, on non-ODE sites. 

It is a policy of the State Board of Education and a priority of the Oregon Department of Education that there will be no discrimination or harassment on the grounds of race, color, sex, marital status, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or disability in any 21st CCLC educational program, activities or employment. For more information, visit Oregon Department of Education's Anti-Discrimination Policy page.

If you have questions, please email ODE.OR21stCCLC@ode.oregon.gov.