21st Century Advancing Family Engagement (21st CAFÉ)

The purpose of the 21st Century Advancing Family Engagement (21^stCAFE) is to increase the expertise and aptitude of program staff to implement high-quality family engagement strategies in Ohio’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) programs. Ultimately, this project will lead to improved family-program partnerships to support the needs of the whole child using a comprehensive approach consistent with Ohio’s Whole Child Framework. 21^stCAFE will bridge 21st CCLC programming between the school day and home life and provide benefits for both 21st Century program staff and students.  Key aspects of high-quality professional learning in family engagement include:

1. seminars in family engagement tailored for out-of-school-time professionals to build and enhance skills, knowledge, and confidence
2. a community of practice to promote continued implementation through professional networks of support and shifts in beliefs and values about families
3. a website to provide infrastructure for dedicated resources and tools for out-of-school-time family engagement.

Funded by The Ohio Department of Education

Project Leader Dr. Hadley Bachman