Subject: VPOST Leadership Advisory Council Bulletin, Fourth Edition

July 2021

Edition 4

Field News


The Potential Expansion of Funds for 21st CCLC


More money could be coming to 21st CCLC programs. This week the US House of Representatives continues the FY 2022 appropriations. During this process, Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education (LHHS-ED) and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee will mark up its FY 2022 spending bill. The draft bill includes a $100 million proposed increase to the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) initiative, the only federal funding stream dedicated to OST programs, while President Biden had proposed a $50 million increase for 21st CCLC.  Afterschool supporters should reach out to legislators and spread the word. More here.


American Rescue Plan Update


Dr. Terry Peterson and Dr. Deborah Vandell, who are leaders in research of afterschool programs, have released a report entitled The Evidence Base for Summer Enrichment and Comprehensive Afterschool Opportunities.  The findings are part of an extensive research- and evidence-base that supports local and state leaders’ efforts to address learning loss and acceleration by investing ESSER III and other funds to expand access, as called out in the law, for “summer learning or summer enrichment” and/ or “comprehensive afterschool programs” and to improve existing opportunities in high-need neighborhoods and schools. https://spark.adobe.com/page/synw23DwBdPms/ 


On June 25 the Virginia Department of Education closed public comment of the state plans for implementation of ARP funds. However, as of this bulletin being authored the Federal Department of Education has not yet posted Virginia's plan.

VPOST Updates


  • Summer Training Series: Registration is live and being promoted. We have about 30 participants for each date in July and about 20 participants for each day in August. For those that work in programs, we would love to have your staff attend. The July registration is here and the August registration is here.

  • Build4Good Intern: In June, VPOST began hosting an intern from NYU through the Build4Good Program. The organization works to develop the talent of college students of color by matching them with hosting organizations that need tech solutions. Our intern, Dorothy Zhang has 3 main projects: 1. Helping to build the structure for a revised Resource Exchange website that matches VPOST current website 2. Implementing an automated letter campaign VPOST can post on our website to engage our community in advocacy letters on the state-level. 3. Implementing a mapping project to visually map OST program data against region and other relative data to advocate for funding. The structure is in place for the updated Resource Exchange, which will be based on the Best Practices. As soon as the BP committee revises the Best Practices we will be able to add in the content. The committee was presented the website and was able to submit feedback that was incorporated. The automated letter campaign is in the finishing stages and will need policy committee feedback. Next, Dorothy will be turning her attention to the mapping project. There are about 5 weeks of her internship left.

  • Million Girls Moonshot: The VPOST Equity in STEM coalition met on July 7th and is continuing to identify assets and challenges to STEM equity across the state, as well as sharing resources from the Moonshot. We’ve reached out to Million Girls Moonshot about working with them for conference. While we have had great participation, we are always looking to expand, especially with business/industry partners.

Updates from the Sub Committee:

Professional Development

The committee focused discussion on the recent concerns over workforce pipeline and field sustainability. How can we continue to attract and retain a high-quality workforce? It's very challenging when the pay is low and the field is majority part-time, but the job requires a specialized professional skill-set.

Best Practices

Christine presented a mock template of the a page on the (new, under construction) Resource Exchange website. This included aligning the Best Practices with resources from the Resource Exchange. Other additions included adding a program spotlight along with a link to a self-assessment.


In terms of  sharing this with other state organizations for feedback and buy-in and highlighting through local media. It was suggested that the Best Practices be shared at the VPOST conference on a brochure/flier put in the conference bag and that we create an an invite only workgroup at the VPOST conference to provide feedback on the Best Practices.

Policy and Awareness

Sustainability and Development

Conference (Ad-Hoc)


The conference committee has been meeting weekly to plan for the September conference. The RFP and Sponsor and Exhibitor packet are currently live. The committee needs support in recruitment efforts for these opportunity from all LAC members. The focus now is on timeline, keynote, COVID mitigation and options for virtual engagement.

Upcoming Dates


  • Summer Training Series: July 27-29, August 3-5

  • VPOST Conference: September 20

  • Upcoming LAC meeting date:

    • September: No meeting due to conference

    • November 17

  • Equity in OST STEM Coalition meeting, September 29

Birthdays and Milestones

  • Birthdays 🥳:

  • September 6, Iris Lane's Birthday

  • September 16, Mark Emery's Birthday

Tentative 2022 Leadership Advisory Council Meetings


  • January 19

  • March 16

  • May 18

  • July 20

  • September 21

  • November 16

VPOST, 2644 Hensley Rd, Mineral, Virginia 23117, United States

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