Building Community-Based Summers (BCBS) Cohort Applications Open Soon!

Save the Date!   Application Period for the statewide Fall 2026 Building Community-Based Summers (BCBS) Cohort Opens Monday, August 17, 2026.  Applications open next week for participating in the statewide cohort facilitated by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Bureau of Libraries for the Fall 2026 Building Community-Based Summers (BCBS).   Seven public libraries will have the opportunity to participate in Wisconsin’s BCBS Cohort.  BCBS participants will actively engage in challenging conversations, reflection, and activities with facilitators and each other to consider transformational concepts that view summer programs and services through a community-based lens. The BCBS learning framework will empower library staff who want to engage community voices and provide summer services and programming to all by equipping them with the knowledge and confidence to co-create accessible services and promote involvement across communities served by their library.   BCBS does not focus on specific summer programs and how to implement them. Rather, this systemic approach asks libraries to consider the ways that policies, staffing, budgets, and other tasks impact their ability to build community-based practices. Participants will engage in deep work to identify the “whys” behind their summer services, examine and reimagine traditions, connect and build relationships in their communities, and measure the impact of their services.    Each participating library will be represented by a team of two staff members. Libraries are encouraged to have staff from various departments and can include Youth Services, Adult Services, Programming, Outreach, or administrative staff.  Participation in the BCBS cohort will require participants to:  Attend six online 90-minute interactive discussions on Tuesdays from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. beginning October 13 through November 17, 2026.  Complete the one-hour online WebJunction “Getting Started with Community-Based Summers” course before October 13, 2026. Participants will need to create a free account to access this course.   Work within your library and community to begin to consider and assess your existing summer programs and services through a community-based approach.  This is expected to be a competitive process, and not all applications will be selected. In building a diverse cohort, the selection process is looking for representation of all library and community sizes, various geographic areas, and demographic community compositions. Applicants will be notified of selection status by Friday, September 11, 2026.  Please contact Jeni Schomber (jeni.schomber@dpi.wi.gov) or Kelly Wochinske (KLWochi@milwaukee.gov) with any questions.