Illuminate — 2020 Year in Review

Like many in 2020, we were forced to pivot and prioritize how we engaged with the after school industry. This pivot prompted us to tell stories, share information and cultivate any resources we could — as fast as we could. Things moved fast in 2020, but we did our best to keep up, so you could too. This journey brought us to create Illuminate, an online resource hub for after school innovation and collaboration. A place to see what leaders in before and after school are saying and doing.

While approaching the new year, we wanted to compile all the resources we produced in 2020 and call out the impact each piece can have along your journey. In our 2020 year in review, we encourage you to reflect over the last nine months while planning ahead for an important year to come, and most importantly, explore any of the resources you may have missed.

Looking ahead, 2021 is a critical year for the child care and enrichment industries. In response, we’re planning a big year for Illuminate. Throughout the year, expect more data, webinars, panels and trends pertinent to your program’s success. If you haven’t already, subscribe in the upper right or at the form below to receive monthly updates and be notified of upcoming content, webinars, networking opportunities and more. If you already subscribe, please share it with your team!

Susbscribe today and receive updates in the new year!

For now, explore the year 2020 through the lens of Illuminate.

The Future is Here… or so we Thought

Jan. - Feb.

In what seems like longer than 11 months ago, our year began with crafting resources focusing on innovative trends in the after school industry. Specifically, we highlighted how child care and enrichment programs could better prepare for the future by catering to the needs of the modern 24/7 parents in their community.

Key Content:

2020 After School Report
A long-form study of our conversations with nearly 60 school districts and additional market research compiled in our 2020 After School Report.

The 24/7 Parent Webinar
This webinar explores how the child care and after school landscape is evolving. Families expect more flexibility from your programs, placing new pressure on districts to innovate.

Crisis Management at the Onset of COVID-19

March - April

In mid-March, everyone’s world stopped. Stemming from fresh conversations about the future of the after school industry, we too had to stop, reset and pivot to do whatever we could to become an immediate resource. Our resources largely took the form of an ongoing live blog for child care and enrichment professionals with tips on various areas of the pandemic that could help programs get through their day-to-day.

After a few weeks into our new normal, we were able to bring enrichment programs together and facilitate a discussion about managing programs during the pandemic, socially distanced course offerings and the tall task of looking ahead.

Key Content:

LIVE BLOG: Resources for Community Ed and Child Care During COVID-19
Updated weekly with the latest insights we could collect, this blog shared the most pertinent information needed to move forward at the onset of COVID-19, including communication, team management, staffing and community engagement.

COVID-19 Panel Discussion: Position Your Programs to Elevate Your Community
This one-hour panel-driven webinar covered how community ed and child care programs can engage their communities during the coronavirus pandemic.

Preparing for a School Year Unlike Any Other

May - Aug.

As our industry adapted to aspects of work and life during the pandemic it suddenly became time to try and prepare for an unprecedented fall and back to school for 2020-21. How could child care and enrichment programs position themselves to make the most of what is traditionally one of the busiest seasons of the year? How could they plan for the unknown?

We needed to continue learning. As we learned, we created tools and shared thoughts on how programs can leverage the current circumstances to attain success.

Key Content:

Registration Workbook
This PDF will guide you through a strategic registration plan fit for your after school and child care programs. Leverage information from the past to prepare for the future. A solid guide for unsteady times.

Preparing for a Variety of Scenarios this Fall (2020)
For the community education and child care industries, scenario planning examines a certain set of realities as to what your programs could look like in the near future upon reopening. This is more important now than ever.

The Book of Reports
A complete resource guide to Eleyo reports, including customer favorites, and more importantly, how they can all improve your program with informed decision making. For non-Eleyo users, this guide serves to inspire more data-driven decision making.

Five Ways COVID-19 is Shaping Digital Expectations for Consumers
We continued our study into how families in your community are yet again shifting their online expectations in our new reality with this short-form blog.

Successfully Delivering Hybrid Child Care Options
This webinar explores how school districts stay adaptive to hybrid child care schedules with technology.

Reflecting and Turning to a Better Future

Sep. - Dec.

Moving into the fall, our team began to turn to the new year with optimism, but before we did, we wanted to reflect and be sure we learned as much as possible from our experiences. We previously discussed how the 2020-21 school year would represent a strange, challenging time for districts. First, we wanted to see how the industry processed the back to school experience. Then, we just took some time to listen to the after school industry. As we continued to hear their stories, we quickly became inspired by the resilience and ingenuity of the industry.

From this inspiration came a variety of industry discussions celebrating all that has been accomplished this year. And while every program has its own unique story, so many came out of this stronger than they went in. That was our focus.

Key Content:

2020 Back to School Study
To discover and acknowledge the adaptability of school-age care programs, we surveyed districts around the country to learn more about how they reopened.

Inspire: A Celebration of Before and After School Programs
In the spirit of connection and collaboration, we listened and shared stories of resilience in the after school industry.

Coming Soon: Coffee and Inspiration: A brainstorm of new marketing strategies for 2021
In this brainstorm-styled discussion on December 17, 2020, @ 10 am CST, we’ll cultivate how programs are embarking on new marketing strategies. Sign up and participate in the discussion by clicking the link above!

Coming Soon: 2021 After School Report
2020 was a unique, challenging year to the after school industry. Despite fluctuating circumstances, we're asking leaders in child care and enrichment where their focus is entering 2021. Eleyo’s 2021 After School Report will help you learn more about how your peers are forging ahead in the coming months. Stay tuned!

We hope something we produced in 2020 helped guide you through one of the challenges of the year. We encourage you to stay tuned as we work to provide more tools and insights to help you throughout an important 2021. Stay tuned by subscribing to Illuminate.