Afterschool programs must keep complete and accurate records to show their value to the community and to obtain grants such as those from the 21st Century Community Learning Center program. Without the records, they would be unable to retain funding or attract students.
There is no question that quality afterschool programs provide a valuable service to their communities. According to the Afterschool Alliance, over 1.7 million children and youth from pre-K through 12th grade are served by programs funded by 21st Century Community Learning Center grants. These grants are distributed to over 9,000 schools and community centers, which provide service five days a week, 32 weeks a year.
Not only that, but also these centers have shown that at least half of the students who regularly participate in such a program boost their math and language arts grades by up to 20 percentiles over two years. The rate of homework completion and class participation improved, as did behavior in class.
As for parents, 80% stated that afterschool programs give them peace of mind as well as help them keep jobs.
No Child Left Behind tightened the standards to which programs must comply to continue to receive funding. Without automation, complying with standards becomes a labor-intensive exercise that takes up time better spent on the program itself.
Activities Funded by 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants
21 CCLC grants are used for an array of activities, including:
- Remedial education and academic enrichment
- Arts and music
- Math and science education
- Entrepreneurial education
- Education programs for those who are limited English proficient (LEP)
- Tutoring
Without the help of these grants, many afterschool programs either would not exist or would not be able to provide the hours of service required to meet educational goals.
Compliance Requirements
Emphasis on accountability and proof of public value drives data collection and evaluation. The need to comply with accountability requirements also built afterschool programming into a mature field that demonstrated public value on desired youth outcomes.
To obtain a grant, afterschool programs must provide specific information, like the following:
- Evidence of operation, including staffing, hours, relevance, the intensity of subject areas, attendance, and retention of participants.
- The percentage served of minorities and ethnic populations, students in poverty, and high-need students.
- Confirmation of background checks and TB testing for all employees who work with participants.
- Timely quarterly performance reports on the sub-recipients.
Most states that administer the 21 CLCC grant program require quarterly performance reports about program operation, implementation, enrollment, budget, and other elements of the afterschool program. Also, programs must issue an annual summative report.
Besides collecting data for grant funding, many afterschool programs must meet the objectives for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which was signed into law in 1965. Much of the required reporting data is for improvements in math, English, reading, homework completion, and behavior.
If enrichment opportunities are provided, the program must prove they are of high quality and that they positively affect student achievement outcomes. Programs must prove operational efficiency, as well, by submitting documentation promptly.
Complying with this level of documentation and generating the volume and types of reports requires a robust reporting system with ample storage and easy access. Automation simplifies and streamlines every aspect of documentation and reporting. EZReports offers numerous benefits for a variety of reporting schemes.
APR Reporting
EZReports is compatible with the 21st Century Community Learning Center system. You can generate GPR and APR data rapidly. The software uses built-in data checks to ensure the reports are accurate. It also provides warning notifications of incorrect or missing data.
APR data can be generated by reporting period and on the new activity categories defined by 21 CCLC’s APR system. It provides multi-level security accesses so you can allow different levels of user access to specific data.
The system generates a variety of reports on staffing, activity scheduling, and participation. It also generates outcome reports for all three GPRA indicators.
You can upload data such as test scores via Excel, and you can circulate and collect teacher surveys on mobile devices.
State Department of Education and Management Reporting
EZReports contains over 40 standard reports for state evaluator, program director, and site coordinator review and analysis. The reports analyze multiple student demographic reports, review enrollment lists, and generate survey reports. Also, you can aggregate barcode badge scans to account for registered adults and students.
Easily scan demographic and work summary reports for staff and other providers, as well. State-specific reports are available for multiple states. Also, you can access over 40 different ad hoc reports to be downloaded as Excel or PDF formatted sheets.
Surveys
Surveys are the primary tool for determining program effectiveness and efficiency. EZReports generates and circulates surveys to teachers, parents, staff, and care providers to complete on a mobile device. You can customize each survey and assign specific students to each teacher, so they receive the appropriate survey.
Every survey can be completed online and, upon completion, is updated automatically in EZReports. The system also tracks the progress of each survey and sends reminders when necessary about incomplete results.
Integration with EZChildTrack
You can automate more than data collection for grant purposes. You can automate operations within your centers by using EZChildTrack childcare management software.
EZChildTrack automates many time-intensive administrative tasks that are often fraught with errors. Anytime data must be entered manually, particularly if it must be entered into more than one system, the risk of creating and perpetuating an error increases.
There is also a high risk of some administrative tasks falling through the cracks simply because of the sheer volume of paperwork and the need to keep up with a variety of tasks.
EZChildTrack automates several areas of childcare management, including attendance for students and teachers, invoicing, and payment processing. It eliminates paper by storing all data electronically in a central database, so each application accesses the same data. It even handles agency subsidy payments, crediting the correct students, and adjusting that family's bill accordingly. It also tracks and adds late fees, sends notification of non-payment, and allows you to suspend services.
EZReports easily integrates with EZChildTrack to compile and generate any report you may need for audits, grant applications, and quarterly and annual business reporting. Ad hoc and real-time reporting enable quick business decisions based on the latest information.
The 21st Century Community Learning Center grant program, as well as other educational grants and financial assistance, require accurate reporting to ensure funds are used appropriately and that students are meeting the expected outcomes. EZReports, along with EZChildTrack, simplifies and streamlines documentation, so you have it at your fingertips anytime you need it.
