Return to Learn: After School Planning
All 21st Century Community Learning Center sites across Iowa are looking for new and inventive ways to continue to serve youth and families during this global pandemic. This webpage is designed to support your program as you implement, adjust and respond to your individual site’s Return to Learn: Out of School Time Plan. You will find recorded webinars, planning templates, links to virtual supports, and resources from other state and national entities to help you and your team make the best possible decision for the youth you serve. Information is updated frequently using the best information at the time. Please remember that it is an allowable expense of 21st Century funds to operate programming on Saturdays if that benefits the youth and families served by your grant. We’re all in this together.
*This page is designed to be informational to you and your program. It is not intended to be guidance, nor is this an endorsement of the Iowa Department of Education. Please use this information to work with your school or site administration to make the best possible decisions for your out-of-school time program.
Resources:
Reopening and Returning to Afterschool
U.S. Department of Education Releases COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students' Needs
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) released the COVID-19 Handbook, Volume 2: Roadmap to Reopening Safely and Meeting All Students' Needs to provide additional strategies for safely reopening all of America's schools and to promote educational equity by addressing opportunity gaps that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Building off of Volume 1: Strategies for Safely Reopening Elementary and Secondary Schools, which focused on health and safety measures that schools can use to successfully implement the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) K-12 Operational Strategy, Volume 2 of the Handbook focuses on research-based strategies to address the social, emotional, mental-health, and academic impacts of the pandemic on students, educators, and staff, such as how to address any potential anxiety or depression some may face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and nearly a year of remote learning.
Additional resources:
Mizzen by Mott
Mizzen by Mott is a new app built with and for afterschool professionals to provide high-quality, engaging learning content and tools to the field.
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources and Activities for the Afterschool Field
The IAA has compiled resources to support out-of-school time programs during this pandemic. These are published by state and federal agencies and other reputable sources and provide national health, child care, education, employment guidance and resources as well as academic and enrichment activities for youth and families. Click here to view.
Helpful Websites
For additional COVID-19, afterschool, and child care resources, visit these pages: