2020-2021_AES_ExecutiveSummary

The BERC Group EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY 2021
21 st Century Community Learning Center:
Boys and Girls Clubs of Skagit County
Allen Elementary School
YEAR 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
KERI LEVINSON M.ED.
RONAK PATEL, PH.D.
STACY MEHLBERG, PH.D.
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Executive Summary
In 2019, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Skagit County (BGCSC) extended their 21st
Century Community Learning Centers (21 st CCLC) program into Allen Elementary
School in the Burlington-Edison School District. Allen Elementary had previously been
the site of a 21 st CCLC successfully run by the school district from 2014-2019. Based on
the continued needs of the students in this community, the school district and BGCSC
collaborated to develop a continuous service model to extend programming an additional
five years.
The mission of the BGCSC is to “To enable all young people, especially those who need
us most, to reach their full potential, as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”
(BGCSC Website, 2020). The organization prioritizes three areas: Academic Success,
Healthy Lifestyles, and Good Character and Citizenship (Learn, Live, and Lead). The
main goals of the program include providing services and promoting academic growth for
“students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools” (Department of
Education website, 2018). The grant proposal states a range of expected outcomes,
including:
• Improved academic performance
• Enriched learning experiences
• Increased family engagement
During interviews staff were asked to share their perceptions of student outcomes during
Year 2. Once students returned to school for a more consistent in-person school schedule,
the Allen ES 21 st CCLC staff continued to support students in the afternoons, providing
Power Hour and enrichment opportunities. One staff member shared, “During power
hour, we would do reading sometimes, either individually or I would read to them. We
built educational aspects into all of the enrichment programs. We tried to have them learn
something without them knowing.” The site-coordinator also noted that staff tried to
maintain relationships with teachers in order to better support students and used SeeSaw
to identify missing assignments.
In addition to a focus on improving academic outcomes for students, Allen ES 21 st CCLC
staff were committed to providing enrichment activities that promoted social-emotional
well-being and connection to others. Staff were acutely aware of the challenges their
students were facing as a result of limited interaction with peers and a disrupted schedule.
Program staff developed several activities that would be successful with the cohort
model, and encouraged student engagement, voice, and leadership whenever possible.
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The BERC Group EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY 2021
They acknowledged, however, that student choice became more difficult as a result of
staffing and restrictions to movement.
Staff felt that their STEM programming was successful during the 2020-2021 school
year, introducing STEM challenges, STEM Tech, and STEM Explorers. Activities
included building bridges with toothpicks, 3-D shapes with marshmallows, building a
robot and making it follow a path, making slime, a mock oil spill activity, crystal
growing, and working together to develop survival skills, including building a shelter and
filtering water to make it potable.
Art was also a successful program throughout the year, and staff incorporated art history,
art appreciation, and social-emotional expression into lesson topics.
Program leadership and staff shared that most of the challenges during Year 2 were
directly related to the pandemic. Staffing and student behaviors and engagement were
cited as the main challenges related to Covid.
Interviews with program staff and leadership revealed promising practices that emerged
during Year 2, including building relationships with students, developing a strong 21 st
CCLC team, and remaining flexible in order to serve as many students as possible during
a particularly challenging year. Staff acknowledged, however, that many of the practices
implemented during the COVID response were not intended to remain forever, and they
hoped that program would return to pre-pandemic operations during the 2021-2022
school year. Despite this, staff felt proud of their ability to meet the changing needs of
their students by spending time with them during their school day and supporting them
with academics. Staff also appreciated the time and effort their site-coordinator made to
provide training, build comradery amongst the staff, and adopt a team approach to
programming that helped staff feel supported throughout the year.
To continue to make improvements, we suggest the following recommendations:
• Identify incentives to help attract and retain quality program staff.
• Continue to address student behaviors and communicate with families and
students regarding the safety of the program space.
• Increase student reflection in projects.
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