Written by UCI researchers Maggie Dahn, Seth Corrigan, Mizuko Ito, and Kylie Peppler of the Connected Learning Lab at UC-Irvine in collaboration with Ignite Afterschool in Minnesota partners, Keem Anderson, Associate Director and Kari Denissen, Executive Director
In this case study, we describe how Ignite Afterschool in Minnesota strategically aimed to expand its reach across the Minnesota STEM Ecosystem by deepening family engagement with STEM and strengthening in-school and out-of-school STEM program partnerships. Leaders in Minnesota came to this focus after identifying a key problem of practice centered on a lack of authentic incorporation of family and parent perspectives on STEM education and possibilities for STEM in their children’s future. In response to this problem of practice, Ignite Afterschool uniquely engaged parents and families in their STEM work to better understand their perspectives and support connections to STEM organizations, career opportunities, and future pathways. Questions that drove the work of Ignite Afterschool described here include:
In what follows, we outline the context of Ignite Afterschool, describe a problem of practice that the network leaders identified, discuss their approach to designing for that problem of practice, and highlight key ways they leveraged their approach to make connections to improve their impact.
Below, see an overview of the implementation timeline for the project with key milestones:
Keem Anderson, Associate Director of Ignite Afterschool, described the overall mission of Ignite Afterschool as eliminating “race or geographic-based barriers to access to out-of-school time and summer programming for young people across the state of Minnesota.” Elaborating on the “3-pronged focus” on policies, quality, and partnerships, he explained that their role as a state network is to:
1) Advocate for policies that advance the interests of out-of-school time and after school programs; 2) Engage in quality work, which includes a continuous program improvement model, making meaning with multiple data sets, professional development, and partnering with our members and the after school community to promote high quality effective after school practices; and work to 3) Strengthen partnerships” (Ignite Afterschool, 2025)
— Keem Anderson, Associate Director of Ignite Afterschool
Keem said, “We exist to make the ecosystem of after school a thriving ecosystem. We’re partnering with organizations and our coordinating councils to advance our mission and youth development.”
The partnership for this project was intentionally designed to be both collaborative and adaptable, centering the voices and expertise of local program partners in North Minneapolis and Duluth. At the state level, Ignite Afterschool served as the project lead and convener, with Kari Denissen, Executive Director, and Keem overseeing the overall project design, partner engagement, facilitation, and resource development. Kari and Keem coordinated the work, created the listening session framework and facilitation tools, and ensured alignment with the broader goals of the making connections project. Local partners led the community engagement efforts, hosted listening sessions, and provided crucial feedback on what approaches would best fit their unique contexts. Their leadership was essential in tailoring the project to reflect the needs, timelines, and cultures of their communities. In terms of communication and decision-making, the network and its partners stayed aligned through regular check-ins, relationship-building meetings, and shared planning documents. Decisions were made collaboratively. Each partner had the autonomy to shape how listening sessions were conducted and how caregivers were invited to participate. The network adjusted timelines and processes in response to partner input and community readiness. This flexible, trust-based structure allowed the project to evolve in a responsive way while maintaining shared goals and accountability.
As a state network, Ignite Afterschool began exploring frameworks that center families and youth, aiming to model authentic parent engagement. Their approach sought to help families envision futures in STEM by recognizing their role as partners. Keem emphasized the importance of culturally relevant strategies to deliver meaningful STEM education in their communities, and described how he and Kari developed a tailored approach to engaging families in Ignite Afterschool’s STEM-focused work:
Something was missing from how we think about STEM in afterschool in Minnesota – in contrast to how the corporate world thinks about STEM, how nonprofits think about STEM. And we were having this feeling that STEM wasn’t connecting with who we wanted to connect with – underrepresented young folks and young people from marginalized communities. How do we truly engage those people to introduce them to STEM and have a cultural shift in terms of how folks in the communities think about opportunities in STEM similar to how they think about opportunities in sports?
— Keem Anderson, Associate Director of Ignite Afterschool
Keem called the move a “cultural shift” in terms of shifting and broadening perspectives on the possibilities for STEM. He further elaborated that they “might not see the fruit of our labor for a generation or two, but this is something we’re really wanting to go to the roots and then build out.”
Kari acknowledged that they learned through this work that their initial assumptions about family interest and engagement in STEM were not entirely accurate. She initially believed that parents might be “intimidated by STEM” or had “negative past experiences with it.” However, after participating in a listening session focused on families’ perceptions and feelings about STEM, Kari realized these assumptions were somewhat misguided. Kari reflected on what they learned:
Parents were very much seeing STEM as an opportunity for young people, and they did want to figure out how their young person could be more engaged in STEM. But this is less known. There’s more information about how to help your kids navigate sports, leagues, more than STEM. They might value it, but they didn’t necessarily know where to go next with it.”
— Kari Denissen, Executive Director of Ignite Afterschool
Kari and Keem thus refined the problem of practice around which they designed – it’s not just about broadening conceptions of what STEM can be but also about supporting parents and families in navigating how to support pathways to engagement and future opportunities. Many families – especially from communities historically excluded from STEM opportunities – face systemic barriers in accessing high-quality OST STEM programs. Despite their central role in youth development, families are often sidelined in program design and policy conversations. Ignite and its partners recognized that engaging families in culturally sustaining and meaningful ways is critical to ensuring equitable STEM learning opportunities. As Keem explained: “We think that parents and families have a lot of untapped potential, as far as how we can engage them to better benefit young people in the field. We see parents as partners in STEM.”
To guide its work, Ignite developed a four-tiered Family Engagement Framework, which Keem described along a spectrum of light engagement toward more robust, involved engagement. They defined the following four levels:
Keem explained that they approached the design of programming for families much in the same way they designed programming for young people through an asset-based approach that centers learners and participants. He elaborated that like young people, parents and families “want to feel belonging, they want to feel connected in a way that’s meaningful. They want to build relationships with one another.”
A centerpiece of Ignite’s approach is the design and facilitation of Family Listening Sessions. These sessions aim to build trust with families through culturally responsive practices, create space for families to share hopes, concerns, and barriers related to STEM learning, and identify opportunities for co-creation and deeper partnership. Keem described the sessions as a way to shift the power dynamic: “We want families to feel like they could guide the work, not just respond to it.” Through an adaptable hour-long session, families engage in a series of icebreakers and activities that focus on building relationships among the group as well developing their shared understandings around STEM and STEM education. Listening session questions included: 1) What motivates you to encourage your child’s STEM education? 2) What challenges do you face in accessing STEM programs and activities? 3) How do you view the role of afterschool and summer STEM programs in your child’s learning? 4) What kind of support would you need to engage more effectively in STEM activities with your child?
These sessions were guided by design principles of belonging, reciprocity, and cultural relevance. Sessions were co-hosted with trusted community partners, offered food and childcare, and invited storytelling and reflection rather than survey-based feedback. Keem explained that his most fulfilling moments as a facilitator is when he witnesses a change in learning or development for participants in family listening sessions––for example, movement from the expectation of just listening and taking in information to being an active participant:
“Oh, they’re actually asking me what I think, and you know having this kind of a-ha moment. When it works, it’s a quality session when parents are engaged in that way. They’re not used to that level of engagement, like, really kind of, you know, asking them what they think, or asking them to participate in a session similar to what the young people are going through.”
— Keem Anderson, Associate Director of Ignite Afterschool
Promising findings from this project support continued inquiry into the family engagement strategies that Ignite is testing through their work. Across four Family Listening Sessions in collaboration with their partners in North Minneapolis and Duluth, they engaged 25-30 family members from diverse communities in the listening sessions. Insights from these sessions directly informed the development of their culturally responsive Family Engagement Framework. Based on the information Ignite gathered, the Framework they developed can help programs understand and support different types of parent and caregiver participation in STEM learning environments. An additional key outcome included the development of the Family Listening Session facilitation guide, which included a facilitator script and listening session process that can be replicated by other organizations seeking to elevate family voice in STEM program design. Finally, Ignite received interest from several partner organizations who plan to integrate the Family Engagement Framework into their programming and training in the upcoming year, signaling potential for long-term impact.
The table below describes a few key challenges and solutions Ignite encountered during the implementation period of this project. Each offered important lessons about what it takes to implement an authentic family engagement strategy across different community contexts.
| Challenges | Solutions |
|---|---|
Recruiting parents and caregivers to attend listening sessions | Ignite worked with partners to leverage trusted relationships, offer incentives like food and stipends, and create a welcoming environment that honored families’ time and input |
Limited family engagement infrastructure in Minneapolis, especially in drop-in or school-based programs | Reimagined program design alongside partners and helping them consider how to create structures to support their ultimate visions of what high-quality family engagement could be |
Communication and trust-building in Duluth, especially due to constraints of physical distance | Gave the partnership time to grow and gradually build trust, set clear check-in times, used email and phone strategically, and leaned into partner’s readiness to lead on the ground |
Implementation of the family engagement model was supported by a braided funding approach, which integrated diverse but complementary funding streams to support sustainability, and was intentionally aligned with Ignite Afterschool’s ongoing Professional Development Exchange (PDX) initiative, a statewide platform that emphasizes parent and family engagement. While the making connections project provided the foundational support needed to develop partnerships and conduct listening sessions, much of the work involved in designing the framework and creating supporting resources, such as the facilitation guide and engagement framework, was done through staffing and planning time supported by the PDX initiative. This approach allowed Ignite Afterschool to maximize the impact of both efforts without duplicating work or straining a single budget.
The primary investment for the project was in staff time, which was dedicated to coordinating with partners, developing tools, and fostering meaningful relationships with community-based organizations and families. To further support local implementation, Ignite provided small stipends to program partners to assist with coordination efforts. Additionally, essential costs related to the listening sessions – such as food, childcare, and participant stipends or gift cards – were covered to ensure equitable participation and access.
This model demonstrates how thoughtful alignment across initiatives can extend the reach and impact of a project, strengthen organizational infrastructure, and support the development of high-quality, community-informed tools.
Ignite’s work illustrates how OST systems can move beyond outreach to foster transformative partnerships with families. Their strategy – rooted in culturally sustaining practice and authentic listening – offers a roadmap for other networks committed to STEM equity. As Keem put it, “We believe families have the right to be in this conversation, and not just to check a box. We’re building a shared vision for what’s possible when families, programs, and youth move forward together.”
Next steps include scaling the Family Listening Sessions across more sites, refining tools with partner feedback, and deepening cross-sector partnerships with schools, libraries, and museums to build a more connected STEM ecosystem. Keem and Kari explained that their long-term vision for the Family Engagement Framework is to embed this strategy into the fabric of their statewide professional development system through their Professional Development Exchange (PDX). Ignite Afterschool plans to continue to sustain and grow this work through the following:
Ongoing Training and Capacity Building: The Professional Development Exchange (PDX) will serve as the primary delivery mechanism for ongoing workshops, mini-trainings, and technical assistance focused on authentic family engagement. This structure helps ensure that the tools developed through the project remain accessible, actionable, and relevant to practitioners across the field.
Braided Funding Strategy: By aligning this work with complementary initiatives, Ignite Afterschool is able to braid funding in support of both content development and training delivery. This approach reduces reliance on any single grant source and increases sustainability.
Fieldwide Integration: As more organizations participate in PDX training, Ignite is working to establish family engagement as a core quality practice rather than an optional add-on. This includes supporting program staff in reexamining their internal systems and strategies for building trust and partnership with families.
Scalable Tools: The Family Listening Session model and engagement framework were designed to be flexible and low-cost, making them adaptable across a wide range of program types and community settings. This adaptability supports long-term adoption and integration across the field.
By anchoring this work in PDX, Ignite Afterschool is ensuring it remains live, learnable, and shareable – supporting both sustainability and scale over time.
STEM Next and the Connected Learning Lab at UCI have partnered to support state and regional out of school networks as they develop and strengthen an ecological and connected approach to STEM learning. The case studies series represent real world examples that are part of a larger effort to develop and improve connection strategies that strengthen STEM learning ecosystems, centering the experiences, mobility, and futures of individual learners and their families across state and regional networks.
For more information on the project and the strategies, visit https://stemnext.org/stem-pathways and connectedlearning.uci.edu/projects/making-connections/
