The Seven Steps to Center Sustainability

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Date: Thursday, August 9, 2007
Time: 10:45 — 12 Noon

Planning for sustainability prepares programs to survive transitions—fiscal, political, and others—and marshal the range of resources that a program needs to thrive over the long term. This session will present participants with an overview of the elements of sustainability, many of which were found to be keys to sustainability for grantees in the U.S. Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC) program which is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to out-of-school time programs. Neighborhood Networks centers face similar challenges with sustainability as 21CCLCs. Participants will also discuss building upon their programs’ strengths and shoring up their weaknesses with regard to sustainability. The session will also provide participants with a tool to take back to their programs to use as a first step in sustainability planning.

Moderator:

Encarnacion “Connie” Loukatos
Hub Director
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Philadelphia, PA

Presenter:

Kate Sandel
Program Associate
The Finance Project

As a program associate at The Finance Project, Kate Sandel focuses on the financing and sustainability of education and out-of-school time initiatives. She conducts research and develops policy tools and training materials for Afterschool Investments, a technical assistance project of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The project supports state and local efforts to provide quality afterschool opportunities, as well as statewide afterschool networks supported by the C.S. Mott Foundation. Sandel also serves as a technical assistance provider for the statewide afterschool networks and is assisting three networks as they go through sustainability planning processes. She is also conducting research on building a professional development system for the afterschool field and developing a fiscal management guide for youth development programs. Prior to joining TFP, Sandel spent several years as an educational researcher with RMC Research, conducting evaluations and providing technical assistance in the fields of early learning, service-learning and 21CCLC. Additionally, she spent a year in the classroom as a pre-kindergarten teacher, utilizing a literacy-focused thematic curriculum she created. Sandel holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago.