Students Served
The 21st CCLC program categorizes groups of students based on the number of days they attended. The charts that follow show these groupings for each site and for Federal Way overall:
- Students attending less than 10 days likely receive few benefits from the program
- Students attending 10-29 days may receive some benefits
- Students who attend 30 or more days are likely to receive some benefits and are referred to as regular attendees
- Regular attendees who attend 60 or more days are believed to receive the most benefit
The 21st CCLC program aims to serve a meaningful number of students at each site with a meaningful intensity of service. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures, each site had the following objectives:
- Enroll 120 students
- At least 75% will attend at least 30 days (known as regular attending students)* (2020-21 priority)
- 60% of regular attending students will attend 60 or more days by the end of the school year* (2020-21 priority)
The program served fewer students in 2020-21 than in prior years, while the percentage of regular attendees (defined as attending at least 30 days) grew. The program served 72 students in 2020-21 compared to over 200 students in past years and falling short of their goal to enroll 120 students overall. Wildwood served 54 students this year, and Sunnycrest served 18. Overall, 36% of 2020-21 participants attended regularly, compared to 9% to 16% in past years. At Sunnycrest, 66% of students attended 30 days or more, and at Wildwood 27% of students did. Furthermore, 81% of regular attendees attended at least 60 days, exceeding the program’s goal of 60%. (More data available)
Both Site Coordinators note that enrollment was a challenge in 2020-21, with fewer opportunities to connect with students due to school closures and students’ and families’ “Zoom fatigue” from online learning. At the same time, they affirmed that regular attendance (defined as attending 30 days or more) was a strength.
As the Wildwood Site Coordinator noted “During the school day, [students] are not able to socialize with their peers. The after school program provided them a safe place to relax, connect, and laugh with new friends and caring adults.”
The Sunnycrest Site Coordinator notes: “We have been delighted with the remarkable consistency in attendance of many of our scholars. Adults working from home have been struggling staying focused with all the distractions found in a home environment but many of our scholars have stayed consistent with attendance despite these similar distractions.”
Attendance dropped off towards the end of the year, with the start of nicer weather and increasing Zoom fatigue. The Wildwood Site Coordinator noted that students were consistently asking about and anticipating a return to in-person programming in the Summer session, and were disappointed that the program has remained even as they returned to in-person school in the spring.
