Funding is inarguably one of the biggest concerns for any 21CCLC program director. When it comes to securing funding for the future, whether in one year, three years, or five years, making sure after school programs maintain their funding is imperative.

One of the best ways to make sure funding is renewed is to give after school staff members — both administrators and educators alike — the tools they need to maximize their time and efficiency. Since most educators report lack of time as their biggest challenge, it falls to those in charge to help them maintain a clear vision of the future. Here are a few ways to give after school staff members the support they need to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.

1. Update outmoded forms of documentation.

Many school districts or programs might still be using spreadsheets or paper forms to keep track of enrollment, budgets, spending, and more. No matter which they might be using, these forms of data management tend to be not only tedious and time consuming, but also leave programs at risk for reporting inaccuracies, which could have a major impact on funding in the future. When it comes time to apply for new state funding, education boards want to see solid evidence of current program success, and the best way to demonstrate that is through accurate data management and reporting. 

While there are many different software solutions available, there are only a few dedicated solely to education record keeping. After school data management software helps mitigate the losses districts might see from budget cuts.

2. Focus on current successes.

Compiling reports of past and current successes, whether qualitative or quantitative, can help motivate staff to keep pressing on when resources are constrained. Educators don’t enter this field for the money; they enter it for the value they can provide to students because they have a real passion for the work. Focusing on the successes of students not only helps remind staff of the difference they continue to make, it can also help prove the value of after school programs to state education boards.

3. Have a clear plan for the future.

Every educator has valuable ideas about programs and opportunities they’d love to give to their students; usually funding is the biggest roadblock to seeing these ideas come to fruition. It can be useful to have teachers define their own goals, then help them acquire the tools they need to achieve those goals. These tools could be anything from more space, to better school supplies, to more time to complete day-to-day tasks, such as lesson planning. If educators and administrators are consistently given the tools they need to help students succeed, it will be easier to keep them motivated during times when resources do become a little constrained.

While educators and administrators always face challenges with funding, many challenges can be overcome or mitigated with tools that make their work more efficient. To learn more about the future of after school programs, and how to use after school data management software to help preserve them, .