Community of Practice Opportunity: Summer Learning Planning and Implementation—Leveraging Summer as a Time for Opportunity

During the summer vacation, students experience a loss of academic skills and knowledge. This phenomenon, referred to as “summer learning loss” or “summer slide,“ is disproportionally experienced by students from lower-income households. Students from systemically underresourced communities can also face an opportunity gap; they are less likely to have access to the enriching, nonacademic experiences that students from higher-income communities can access. High-quality summer programs can be the great equalizer, as these programs support academic, social, and emotional learning and development in safe and supportive environments.

This three-session Community of Practice will follow the National Summer Learning Association Summer Planning Bootcamp, which will be offered virtually at no cost on March 29^th and 30^th. Led by dynamic, out-of-school-time leaders, the Summer Planning Bootcamp sessions will delve into strategies to accelerate learning, build critical partnerships, and plan successful strategies to scale impact in a sustainable and measurable way.

During the Community of Practice, participants will be provided with a forum to share strategies, promising practices, and innovations for implementing high-quality, engaging summer learning programs with their peers. Participants will also be able to explore resources and examples of successful policies and strategies that support equitable and engaging summer learning programs using the American Rescue Plan and other funding sources. Three 60-minute sessions will take place on the third Wednesday of the month at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) in April, May, and June:

1. April 19: Supporting Staff To Support Youth
2. May 17: Maximizing Funds and Partnerships
3. June 21: Innovative Curriculum and Continuous Quality Improvement.

Who Should Attend
This Community of Practice is designed for state-, territory-, and Tribal-level professionals, including Child Care and Development Fund administrators; statewide afterschool network leads and National AfterSchool Association affiliate staff members; and 21^st Century Community Learning Center leads.