Parent Involvement/ Summer Learning Loss

21st CCLC Values Students and Families...

Research has shown that successful after school programming provides various ways for parents of student attendees to be involved in the development and operations of the programs. As such, our 21st CCLC after school and summer learning camp includes parents in the areas of program development, parent education, and parent/child interaction. Each after school site identifies at least one parent to serve on the 21st CCLC Advisory Board. The Advisory Board parental participation is inclusive of all components of program implementation, including but not limited to staffing selection by way of interview panelist, feedback on weekly SY program design, completion of annual parent surveys, and liaison for the 21st CCLC afterschool program and the site PTO. We engage parents from all sites by providing opportunities to participate in a variety of parent education workshops and parent/child interactive experiences. Each school site is accountable for coordinating and implementing at least two parent education workshops and two parent/child/family interactive activities throughout the SY. One of the 1966 James Coleman report findings concluded that student achievement is directly connected to the degree, quality, and frequency of parental involvement. As such, we work with the district's grant funded Family Success Center (FSC) in an effort to provide a wide range of programs that focus on building the capacity of families to support their children academically, socially, and emotionally; as well as strengthening the parents' job, life, health, and parenting skills. In so doing, we send home FSC’s monthly activities calendar and encourage our 21st CCLC families to participate. Parents are given an opportunity to provide input on the topics to be addressed, that more closely meets their needs, through the development and execution of an annual parent survey. Starting 2018, we invited parents to participate in a winter focus group session facilitated by our grant evaluator. We regularly encourage parents to volunteer at each school site in the form of classroom aides, conducting workshops on an identified area of expertise, and chaperoning field trips. We complete a mid-year progress report to inform parents on their child’s progress and each school site sends home a newsletter with program updates and a list of upcoming activities. 

....as well as the importance of addressing summer learning loss

Our 21st CCLC Summer Learning Camp partners with School Based Youth Services (SBYS) to implement 5 weeks, 5 days a week, 8AM-4PM learning experience servicing up to 100 students in grades 3rd-12th at Plainfield High School (grades 3-12). We provide a blended, personalized, project-based learning program through utilization of an arts integrated curriculum, aligned to standards, that supports children and their families. In partnership with various community-based organizations, our summer learning camp boosts students’ motivation to read, generates positive attitudes toward learning, and connects the needs of children and their families to the resources within Plainfield and the surrounding communities. The summer learning camp integrates the totality of the Children Defense Funds (CDF) 'Leave No Child Behind' mission by fostering environments that support children and young adults to excel and believe in their ability to make a difference in themselves and in their homes, schools, communities, nation, and the world too. College aged young adults, many aspiring to become certified teacher, are trained as Servant Leader Interns, assigned to no more than ten students each, to help deliver the integrated reading, history, science, and math curriculum. The college interns are paired with a certified teacher. The End of Summer Showcase is a fun-filled event of the visual and performing arts, referred to as STEAM, where students showcase their projects and/or talent for the Plainfield community as part of the NJ Celebrates After and Summer School initiatives! Check out our #TEAMPPSD You Tube Video: https://youtu.be/NHwdQriP3vs.