Lana Learn staff attended the Beyond School Hours Conference to improve its Out of School Time (OST) programs.
As a recipient of the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program (CCLC), Lana Learn is required to attend the Beyond School Hours Conference. The Office of the State Secretary of Education (OSSE) funds the 21st CCLC to assist local education agencies in running programs that take place outside of regular school hours, including afterschool, before-school and summer learning programs. OSSE offers these grant funds to organizations like Lana Learn that work with high-poverty and low-performing schools. This gives students and their families the resources they need to meet state and local performance standards.
The Beyond School Hour Conference is an interactive gathering that allows educators from around the country to connect and share best practices for running Out of School Time (OST) programs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines OST as a supervised program that young people regularly attend when school is not in session. This year, our Program Manager, Maya Burke, was able to attend the conference in Orlando, Florida. While there, she attended professional development workshops that will allow Lana Learn to improve the programming currently provided to students at Cardozo High School.
Workshops and sessions offered at the conference include social and emotional learning (SEL), cooking course resources, dance classes, homework help best practices, team training resources, and partnership building. Organizations specializing in OST programs provided free resources and materials to conference attendees. Maya enjoyed learning more about how Lana Learn can further support students and staff. She described it as a wonderful opportunity to meet other people doing similar work and learn from their experiences.