Queen Anne’s County Public Schools (QACPS) is a mid-sized rural district on the eastern shore of Maryland, stretching from Kent Island in the Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware border. The district serves 7,300 students across eight elementary schools, four middle schools, and two high schools. Through a Maryland State Department of Education Maryland Leads grant, QACPS engaged FourPoint Education Partners to support expanded learning opportunities for their students. This work is directly tied to the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future – specifically, Pillar 4: More Resources for Students to Be Successful. OST programs are one such resource, and provide valuable opportunities for young people, especially those in underserved communities, to extend their academic and career learning. By developing a full, sustainable ecosystem of OST programs for QACPS students, the district is actively responding to the goals of the Blueprint.

The project focused on strengthening and sustaining out-of-school-time programming in the county. The following report highlights key aspects of this journey and shares several applicable recommendations for other districts and leaders to sustain and expand similar programs.

Background Information on Out-of-School Time in QACPS

QACPS has a rich history of providing quality out-of-school time (OST) programming for students. Most notably, the district managed Partnering for Youth (PFY), a program that engages elementary and middle school students throughout the county in a variety of activities, including sports, enrichment clubs, academics, arts, STEM, character education, and much more. The PFY program had a track record of excellence, but like many districts across the nation, QACPS had experienced sustainability challenges due to funding cuts, staff transitions, and rising costs. Specifically, the district was aware of the upcoming “fiscal cliff” they were approaching with MD Leads funding (via ESSER) expiring in September 2024. It was clear that PFY could not continue to operate in the same way it had in the past. 

At the same time, OST programs led by local organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs, The Edge, YMCA, AlphaBEST, and Parks and Recreation were eager to better coordinate and collaborate with the school district to support students. QACPS engaged FourPoint to find a way to strengthen and sustain the entire ecosystem of OST programming across the district. The goal was to ensure QACPS students had access to robust options for after school and summer programs for years to come. 

FourPoint’s Sustainability Process

All of FourPoint’s work with QACPS was informed by our Sustainability Framework. For programs to be sustainable, they must create a financial plan that incorporates multiple funding streams. But true sustainability work goes beyond money to consider organizational capacity, partners, leaders, results, and other stakeholders.

FourPoint began by conducting an in-depth Needs Diagnostic, analyzing OST program enrollment numbers and program quality data, and interviewing 25 OST stakeholders. From the needs diagnostic, FourPoint produced an OST Programming SWOT Analysis and an Ecosystem Map, showcasing the type and scope of programs available to students across the district. FourPoint then partnered with district leaders to form the QACPS OST Strategic Working Group. This group brought together all of the key OST stakeholders including local youth-serving organizations, teachers, funders, QACPS’s Assistant Superintendent, and other district leaders. This group, the first of its kind in Queen Anne’s County, worked together to create a vision for advancing OST in QACPS while building the trust and relationships necessary to make it happen. With input from the OST Strategic Working Group, FourPoint developed a guiding document – Recommendations to Strengthen and Sustain OST in QACPS. FourPoint then worked shoulder-to-shoulder with district leaders and OST partners, providing Implementation Support to bring the recommendations to fruition. 

Recommendations to Strengthen and Sustain Out-of-School Time in QACPS

Recommendation 1: Transition OST program management from the district to high-quality local partners. In QACPS, the primary OST program, Partnering for Youth (PFY), was not sustainable under district management. FourPoint worked with the district to identify two experienced local OST organizations, Boys & Girls Clubs and The Edge, to take over the management of PFY. Boys & Girls Clubs became the new lead for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant, leading programming for the three Title I elementary schools. The Edge became the lead for PFY programming at middle schools and non-Title I elementary schools. FourPoint worked with the district to galvanize interest amongst potential partners, vet them for quality, and support the change management process in a way that would make the programs even better for students and families in the future. 

Recommendation 2: Develop a financial plan that incorporates multiple funding streams. In order to be sustainable, a program must use multiple funding streams from a variety of sources. With FourPoint’s support, QACPS’s OST partners secured a $1.2 million State Department of Education grant (paid over 3 years), an increase in local government funding from the Local Management Board, a new corporate funder in AT&T, and increased commitments from local philanthropists. These diversified funding streams are critical for the continued financial sustainability of the programs. Additionally, FourPoint built budgetary tools to guide the scaling of programs in the future, based on the funding that is available each year.   

Recommendation 3: Create a centralized online hub for stakeholders to stay informed of all OST opportunities in Queen Anne’s County. The QACPS OST webpage was revamped to promote all OST programs in the district including Boys & Girls Clubs, Parks and Rec, the YMCA, high school athletics, dual-enrollment courses, and more. The new webpage became a one-stop-shop for students and families. Program offerings were listed by age group to make it easy for everyone to find what they were looking for. The page also is useful for teachers looking to work after school and donors looking to support OST in the district. 

Recommendation 4: Create infrastructure for data, evaluation, and feedback. In order for OST partners and the school district to collaborate effectively, it is critical to ensure that there are plans in place for data, evaluation, and feedback. FourPoint worked to create data-sharing plan and procedures between the district and its partners. The OST Strategic Working Committee collaborated to define standards of excellence for OST, which informed program- and district-level evaluation plans. Care was taken to ensure adherence to FERPA guidelines in the handling of sensitive student data. Structures were put in place to ensure ongoing feedback from key stakeholders, which along with broader evaluation efforts, created the inputs needed for continuous improvement. 

Recommendation 5: Adjust the district’s management and coordination role within the ecosystem of OST programming. In prior years, QACPS staff poured time and effort into the day-to-day oversight of the largest OST program in the district. With shifting management of PFY to partner organizations, QACPS was able to shift its role to focus on supporting the entire ecosystem of OST programming in the county, coordinating the use of school facilities, amplifying recruitment efforts for students and partners, and supporting data sharing and evaluation. 

Recommendation 6: Establish a steering committee that brings together OST program leaders, families, district leadership, funders, and other key stakeholders. Creating a formal structure for shared accountability, learning, and planning is critical to sustainability. The steering committee will meet three times a year to review pertinent information, such as evaluation reports, enrollment data, and fundraising progress, with the goal of driving continuous improvement and broad stakeholder buy-in. The establishment of the steering committee also provides a way for key district personnel to efficiently provide oversight and direction to their OST partners. This structure was designed to meet the needs of all the key funders involved without being overly burdensome on the program operators. 

Conclusion 

There was a time this year where it was unclear if QACPS’s largest OST program, PFY, would continue. After 27 years the program was in danger of not surviving. But thanks to bold leadership by QACPS, OST partners who were ready and willing to step up, and FourPoint’s strategic guidance, the future of OST in QACPS is brighter than ever. As Superintendent Dr. Patricia Saelens notes, “We are thankful for the dedication of so many to ensure programming can continue in QACPS.  We all agree, participation in these programs result in immeasurable benefits for our students.  We are looking forward to a great year ahead.”

For other school districts working to support OST programs and other initiatives, we encourage you to consider the whole picture of sustainability when making decisions: how to best leverage your partners, how to develop strong internal and external infrastructures, whether to strategically adjust the role of the district, when to establish systems that bring key stakeholders together, and how to stimulate a diverse array of funders to support the work. 

To learn more about how FourPoint can guide your district on its sustainability journey, please email Dr. Rudy Ruiz, Vice President of FourPoint Education at rudy@fourpointeducation.com. 

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