Ideas for Helping New Summer Programs

February 2, 2017

Ideas for Helping New Summer Programs

Resource  for  Summer  TA  Providers

TA  Providers  Summer  2015  Planning  Meeting
February  25,  2015
Summer  Matters Outcome  #1:
There  are  new  summer  learning  programs  created.
Role  of  the  Summer  TA  Providers:
Summer TA Providers funded by the Packard Foundation are tasked to help other summer learning programs.
What  does  “new”  mean?
In  2015,  the  Summer  Matters  Campaign  has  a  goal  that new summer  programs  will  be started throughout the
state. “New” means they have never built or offered a summer program before; or  possibly they had a summer program in
past years but it went dormant and they’re now interested re­starting a summer program.
Activity
On 2/25/15, TA Providers sat in groups of 4‐5 and discussed the task of how they might provide technical assistance/support to a brand new summer program. The “host” of the table wrote ideas generated from discussions, and those have been transcribed below as a resource for TA Providers.
TA Provider Recommendations
  • Seek first to understand
  • Build awareness; summer learning loss (national vs. CA)
  • Galvanize all opportunities happening in a community; assess community needs
  • Show a “new” program an existing program: visit it; film it!
  • Support Superintendents to be able to better talk about the data. What has had impact?
  • Ask teachers to survey youthat the beginning of the year (they already do it at the end of each year)
  • Start-­‐up guides; e-­‐learning (high tech, low tech, no tech); case studies of different programs’ stories; start up stories
  • Developmental stages of summer program
  • Getting summer learning to be part of the district’s budget
  • Cohesion piece between regular day and summer learning -­‐a hybrid program
  • Look at resources and best practices
  • Site visits; visit a high quality summer program or have parent participate in a site visit
  • See data and use it as a flashlight
  • Show them your toolkit
  • Assist with creating a professional development plan and get equipment ordered
  • Partner a “newbie” with an existing well-­‐run summer program.
  • Bring district leaders to visit/observe really good programs in operation.
  • Develop a model with steps necessary to move the needle; key outcomes
  • Unleash “parent power”; get parents to be advocates (LCAP)
  • Create parent advocates; have parents participate in organize summer programs; give them enough tools to take back
  • Money, money, money; 21stCentury funding; identify revenue streams; community mapping for revenue streams and what might their interest be in supporting programs
  • LCAP conversations to include summer learning programs; how do you tap into LCAP?
  • Advocacy work needs to be done -­‐how do programs with no money get supplemental funds?
  • Crowd-­‐type funding campaign
  • Translate materials
  • Multiple, regular touch points from associate superintendent to parents:
    • Site visits
    • Communication
    • Models of how to use money
  • Messaging various stakeholders who make or advise on decisions to inform the new program and help build value
  • Tailored messaging for stakeholders, school administrators and districts
  • For programs with funding, provide them with resources and tools to start and maintain quality summer learning programs (i.e. timelines, locations for program, professional development, etc.)
  • More campaigns like Summer Matters
  • Create a follow-­‐up calendar for those who say “no” at the beginning. A “touch calendar”, offer other services, create a “systematic timeline”
  • Partner with summer school and provide summer learning programs afterwards, to extend the program.
  • Outreach to key stakeholders (i.e. superintendents, committees, mayor, etc.) to create value relationships. Schedule appointments; be intentional

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