Implementing and Evaluating 21st Century Community Learning Center After-School and Summer Programs When Schools Are Shut Down

• In Event: Impacts of Community- and School-Based Interventions

Abstract

Communities continue to explore ways to support children after school and during the summer to enhance the impact of classroom education. The U.S. Department of Education funds 21st CCLC programs to provide students who are at-risk of academic failure with opportunities for academic and personal enrichment. These 21st CCLC programs offer safe environments for students during extended learning time, primarily after school and in the summer. This paper reports on the implementation and evaluation of such after-school and summer programs serving children in the poorest communities of Washington DC, once schools were closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 public health crisis. These after-school and summer programs went virtual, becoming distance enrichment (April – May) and online (June – August) programs.

Author

• Suzanne Raber, Raber Education Research Consulting