Sustainability and Continuity in Expansion of Resources | 21st CCLC Integrated Service Delivery
Developing a more integrated service delivery system requires expanding supports and opportunities to meet the needs of students and families. The 21st CCLC-funded programs involved in the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Integrated Service Delivery Study relied on a variety of strategies to meet this goal.
This whole infrastructure came out of the student success model funded by United Way in the early 2000s. And the first thing they did was an inventory of who were all the people that were interacting with students in the schools and how do we bring them together... What came out of that I think was [that] every organization has their culture [and] they’re getting better at not competing.
— Quality Advisor
For some grantees, developing a more comprehensive service delivery system required being consistently attentive to emerging needs in the community and seeking out additional sources of funding beyond 21st CCLC to enhance service provision.
Other grantees have been building integrated service delivery systems in their community for years and have become extremely adept at braiding 21st CCLC funding with other sources of funding to sustain and expand the service delivery system. For example, some grantees strategically partnered with service providers as part of the grant application to provide complementary services to the afterschool and summer learning programming supported by the grant.
Each of these efforts is predicated on a collective vision of providing a multifaceted service delivery system to the community’s students and families in ways that address barriers to learning and promote positive development and well-being.
Related Briefs
Expanding the Pool of Available Resources
AIR’s series of interviews with 21st CCLC program directors and site coordinators revealed several promising approaches and strategies related to expanding resources, including combining (or braiding) funding; identifying independent funding sources; and cultivating new relationships.
Community is baked into the name of the 21st CCLC program. However, as part of this study, we learned about some grantees that are using the program as a platform for broader community renewal, a theme we explore more fully in this brief by focusing on 21st CCLC grantees in Oklahoma and Illinois.
The Role of the Backbone Organization in Strengthening 21st Century Community Learning Centers
Learn more about how backbone organizations in the cities of Newport, Rhode Island and Chicago, Illinois have partnered with 21st CCLC programs to expand access to culturally competent and holistic services and supports for students, families, and community members.
