GSW Education Partners

The Back to School Sale is officially live.

25% off every GSW Education Partners consulting plan for new partners starting in August. All four tiers. All new partners. First three months at the discounted rate.

We built this for K-12 school districts, education nonprofits, and Parks and Recreation departments that know what they need to address before the school year starts, and want to do it in the window where it is still manageable.

Every new partnership starts with a free 60-minute consultation. No commitment required.

Link in comments. Offer ends August 31, 2026.

A question for the education community:

If your district or program had to choose between putting $50,000 toward new teacher recruitment or $50,000 toward retention programs for your current staff, which would have more impact this year?

We have a strong view on this. But we want to hear from the people doing the work first.

Reminder - the GSW Summer Giveaway closes before August 4.

One Signature Transformation engagement. $5,799 in value. Winner announced August 4.

If you are a K-12 program director, OST coordinator, or district leader: the entry link is in the first comment. Less than 60 seconds.

If you know someone who should enter: share this post with them directly.

A recreation department we partner with just crossed 500 youth served this summer.

They started as a program struggling to reach 120.

The difference was not budget. It was structure: a clear 6-week programming calendar, consistent family communication, and a staff team that knew exactly what was expected each day.

500 kids spending part of their summer in a safe, structured program that is actively good for them.

This is why the work matters.

Something we love about this time of year: the people running summer programs.

The site director who has been there since 7 AM to make sure everything is set before students arrive. The teacher leading the reading block for the third straight summer because she knows what happens to her students' progress when they do not have a program.

Every K-12 and OST program running this summer: the work you are doing right now has a direct, measurable impact on how the school year starts for those kids.

Thank you.

If you are planning your FY2027 program budget and need a structured starting point:

Our free Budget Planner is live. It is built specifically for K-12 programs, school districts, recreation departments, and OST organizations. Covers staffing, curriculum, operations, and grant match tracking.

Takes about 20 minutes. You can email yourself the results at the end and request a free GSW budget review.

With the FY2027 appropriations process still active, having a two-scenario budget built now is worth the 20 minutes.

Link in the first comment.

Question for the education community:

What is the single biggest challenge you are walking into back-to-school season with this year?

Staffing gaps. FY2027 budget uncertainty. Curriculum that needs work. Family engagement. Staff burnout. Something else entirely.

We have been hearing a lot of different answers from the programs we work with this July. Curious what the community here is seeing.

To every educator, program director, youth worker, and school staff member spending part of this holiday weekend thinking about the new school year:

Your work matters more than most people know.

Happy Fourth of July. Rest when you can. August is coming.

Good news for afterschool and summer programs.

The FY2026 spending bill was signed into law. 21st CCLC funding is preserved at $1.329 billion. Programs are funded through the full 2026–2027 school year.

This is the result of sustained advocacy from program directors, families, and education leaders across the country. The funding exists because people made the case for it.

FY2027 is a separate conversation that is still being worked out in Congress. But for this school year, the programs are funded.

What does this news mean for your program's planning for the fall?

Big news from the GSW team.

We are giving away a full Signature Transformation engagement to one K-12 program leader.

$5,799 in value. 40 hours of embedded consulting. A complete program assessment and 90-day road map. One winner, announced August 4.

This is for the program director, superintendent, or OST coordinator who is doing excellent work with limited resources and could use a real partner heading into the fall.

Entry takes less than 60 seconds. Link in the first comment.

Know someone who deserves this? Share this post with them.