Creating a strong CED&P program at your school from the ground up can be daunting, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. We are here to support you on your journey with guidance and tools to help you succeed.
Getting Started
Sample First School Year
Getting started can be overwhelming. Guide your first year with our suggested list of activities for each month. Feel free to change and add any deadlines that require action on your part. Remember to check the current CED&P calendar.
August
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Read all resources about CED&P and become knowledgeable about the program.
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Learn about school process behind starting a club / team.
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Identify an initial core group of students who will be the founding members of the group.
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Set goals to achieve in the upcoming school year.
October
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Complete official registration for CED&P competition events.
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Continue to promote CED&P within your school, via email distribution lists, on social media, and etc.
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You are now holding consistent group meetings. Remember to make an impact on social media by capturing important team moments to post on social media. Tag #CED&P !
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Start fundraising for CED&P registration fees and expected group expenses.
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Brainstorm ideas for IMAGINECareer.
Sample Monthly Goals And Activities
September
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Recruit a Faculty Advisor for club / team.
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Promote CED&P on social media, within classrooms, school paper, and school bulletin boards.
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Participate in Club Fairs and spread awareness about your group.
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Complete official school process to form club / team.
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Hold Information Session and first meeting to introduce CED&P, highlight events or activities your group will execute, and promote competition events.
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Register your group with CED&P by starting the process here.
November
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Begin writing draft for IMAGINECareer.
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Consider having a professional speaker at your school to share their career experience.
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Confirm your school is officially registered with CED&P and payment of fees are finalized.
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Strategize fundraising efforts for the upcoming holiday season.
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Share important team moments on social media. Tag #CED&P !
December
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Conduct a mid-year club / team progress evaluation.
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Plan and execute a social activity (e.g. a pizza party) to celebrate all the progress achieved thus far.
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Execute fundraising efforts for the holiday season.
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Keep members engaged through social media through holiday season. Tag #CED&P !
February
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Organize meetings with lessons, inter-group competitions, offer competition training, and post tips on social media regularly.
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Consider having a professional speaker at your school to share their career experience.
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Remember to make an impact on social media by capturing important team moments to post on social media. Tag #CED&P !
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Continue fundraising for CED&P group expenses.
January
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Hold first New Year meeting to welcome students back and to reflect on overall progress.
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Celebrate achievements made last year and recognize students who made significant contributions to the group last year.
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IMAGINECareer competitors will finalize essays and make their submissions.
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Complete official school process to form club / team.
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Organize meetings with lessons, inter-group competitions, offer competition training, and post tips on social media regularly.
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Consider having a professional speaker at your school to share their career experience.
March
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Organize special meeting for reveal of the New York Regionals results.
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Celebrate achievements and recognize students with a social activity (e.g. a pizza party). Capture special moments to post on social media. Tag #CED&P !
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Spread the news of your group's achievements through the school paper or school announcement.
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Share the details of your school's performance at the CED&P New York Regionals with local news or press.
April
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Organize special meeting for reveal of the New York State Competition results.
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Celebrate achievements and recognize students with a social activity (e.g. a pizza party). Consider inviting family and friends to attend. Capture special moments to post on social media. Tag #CED&P !
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Spread the news of your group's achievements through the school paper or school announcement.
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Share the details of your school's performance at the CED&P New York State Competition with local news or press.
June
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Thank sponsors and mentors for their contributions to your students.
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Recognize members' contributions and achievements.
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Conduct annual evaluation of your club / team. Identify areas to improve how it is run and organized.
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Incoming high school Student Leaders will introduce themselves to members and share vision for running the club / team going forward.
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Faculty Advisors will encourage high school alumni to maintain relationship with the CED&P community. Learn more here.
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Submit an end-of-year report which highlight pride points to Faculty Advisor, school administration, and students.
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Keep members engaged on social media throughout the summer. Post memories or highlights to help with recruitment. Tag #CED&P !
May
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Review the evaluation results from this school year's competitions to identify areas for improvement. Work with group members to understand evaluation feedback.
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Promote CED&P on social media, within classrooms, school paper, and school bulletin boards. Remember to highlight your group's achievements this school year.
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Hold Information Session to introduce CED&P to potential new members, highlight successes, and promote competition events.
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Onboard new members to set them up for success next school year.
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Organize meetings with lessons, inter-group competitions, offer competition training, and post tips on social media regularly.
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Consider having a professional speaker at your school to share their career experience.
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High school groups will select new student leaders or officers for the next school year.
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Schedule meeting with outgoing and incoming Student Leaders as well as the Faculty Advisor for a transition session.
Strong school support is the foundation to a successful CED&P club / team.
Establish School Support
Key
Considerations
It is important to build support from your school for CED&P early on. Get buy-in for CED&P from key school administrators and student body leaders by sharing the value proposition of our programs with enthusiasm. First impressions can be critical to success in setting the tone for future interactions with program administrators or oversight bodies, so we encourage you to enter the process having completed research on your school's specific process and prepared all necessary materials ahead of deadlines. Many schools have established processes to obtain official permission to start a new club or team that can be complicated to a novice, so make sure to inquire about all the details as well as consult others who may have experience running other clubs / teams. After gaining formal school recognition and support, you must generate buzz among students as well as the broader school community (including family and friends).
This an ongoing process to ensure that your club / team is sustainable. Support grows over time, so your efforts each school year will compound and you will see your CED&P group's reputation develop positively as a track record is established. School community backing is critical for funding and support throughout the school year.
Student Leaders can use the below sample email template to reach out a student activities advisor or school administrator:
RESEARCH PROCESS
Identify the school's official new club / team formation process and requirements.
NETWORK
Connect with the student activities advisor or an administrator, so you can learn the most effective way you can start the process. Ask for advice about how other groups succeed. Inquire about potential hurdles or pitfalls.
PLAN FUNDING
Plan ahead with a budget for your group's potential financial requirements. Inquire about the process to obtain funding for your club / team expenses from the school. Consider avenues for fundraising in the broader school or local community.
SECURE FACULTY ADVISOR
Form a strategy and sales pitch to approach teachers seeking support for a new CED&P club / team. It is often helpful to ask a teacher you have established a rapport with prior. Learn about a potential Faculty Advisor's bandwidth for supporting your group, as they may have limited time, so a secondary Faculty Advisor might be helpful. Large groups may require more than one Faculty Advisor. It is important to explain the time commitments and responsibilities (here) to a Faculty Advisor.
COMPLETE OFFICIAL PROCESS
Once a Faculty Advisor is found, complete all required registration to become an official club / team at your school. This recognized status will help facilitate fundraising and member recruitment. Ensure your new club / team appears on the official school list of activities or clubs.
Stay on top of important steps to start a successful CED&P club / team.
Formation Checklist
CONFIRM CED&P QUALIFICATIONS ARE MET
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Students must be enrolled in grades K-12 (grades 3-12 for competitive events).
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Students attend a New York school or is a New York State based resident during the school year.
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Club or team must have a Faculty Advisor (i.e. teacher or administrator) recognized by the school.
OBTAIN SCHOOL APPROVAL
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Secured the official support of your school's appropriate leadership group or administrator.
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For elementary and middle schools, this is your school administration team.
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For high schools, this may include official recognition by both the student union and school administration.
COMPLETE CED&P REGISTRATION
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Submit the registration request form (here).
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Provide all the requested information on the form as well as any relevant details you believe will be helpful for us to work with you.
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Once your official registration request is received, you will be contacted by a CED&P team member with details on registration fees and competition information.
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Once you have been contacted, complete all required forms and submit an official list of participating students.
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Submit registration fees to CED&P. If your registration fees are not submitted, your students are not official CED&P participants and will not be able to compete in the program for that school year. Programs for which registration fees are not applicable will be notified of registration completion by email.
EXPLORE AVAILABLE RESOURCES
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You will receive access to materials and resources upon completion of registration.
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Explore our website for resources to learn how to build and grow your school program.
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Student Leadership allows for scholars to grow skills and contribute to success.
Organizational Structure
Student
Leadership
A committed Faculty Advisor, it is essential to overall supervision, management, and liaison purposes, but a lot of responsibility can be delegated to Student Leaders. In fact, they are critical in providing feedback and engaging with the student body. Establish how to develop a strong guiding group that will serve in leadership roles. Define the positions' responsibilities and identify candidates who fit them.
We provide standard examples of club officers in a high school group. You may need to adjust positions to fit your needs. Elementary and middle school groups may consider positions with less responsibilities such as "Team Captains" or "Student Representative".
Here are some tips on how to recruit a strong guiding coalition that will serve as your group's leadership and student management team:
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Your school may require you to have written a carefully thought out charter or constitution as part of the club formation process. Guidelines for this charter may vary at each school. This charter should indicate the leadership structure, roles/responsibilities, and voting rules.
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Seek out students who have have a keen interest in career preparedness.
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It is helpful to reach out to students who have leadership roles or have expressed interest in leadership positions within other clubs or teams. They may have helpful tips even if they are uninterested in a position with your group.
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Your Faculty Advisor or other trusted teachers may have suggestions for students who fit the roles.
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Promote the opening of a leadership position within your club / team or market to the broader student body.
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Reach out to the student activities administrator to determine if the school knows of any student who has experience with CED&P at a prior school.
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Interview all candidates to ensure you can work harmoniously with them as well as consider how well they fit in with the whole student leadership group's dynamic. Analyze the skillsets they bring and how they can positively contribute.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
This the group of high school student leaders. It can also be known as a council or committee depending on the school's tradition. Below are some standard roles and responsibilities of club officers in a high school club.
PRESIDENT
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They should have experience within the club, a vision to move it forward, and a strong belief in the values and purpose of CED&P.
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Presides over club's Executive Board meetings.
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Oversees all aspects of the club’s operations, and providing direction or guidance for other officers to carry out their roles successfully.
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Represents the club to the wider student body, the school, and external organizations.
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Liaises between the members, Faculty Advisor, school administration, and CED&P when appropriate.
VICE PRESIDENT
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Supports President in necessary tasks and duties.
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Assumes duties of the President in their absence.
SECRETARY
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Facilitates club activities through completing administrative tasks.
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Submits all registration, handles information requests, and monitors communication from CED&P to ensure club maintains status as an officially registered participant in CED&P programs.
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Ensures discharge of the all regulations and maintains compliance (e.g. forms) sustaining the club.
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Oversees communication to club members.
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Maintains record of members and club activities.
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Records minutes of all Executive Board and member meetings.
TREASURER
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Manages the club's finances and processes financial transactions.
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Ensures that all registration fees to CED&P are paid in a timely manner.
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Applying for grants, finding sponsors or partners, and assists in fundraising efforts.
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Prepares annual budget and tracks expenditures.
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Maintaining an inventory of the club's property and track supplies.
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Developing and implementing control procedures to minimize financial risk or loss.
Group
Ethos
Members of your club / team share the same passion for career preparedness, but they should also be on the same page about the group's structure and expectations. When you create the group, consider putting together a constitution or charter that enumerates the procedures for election of student leaders and organizational bylaws. Typically, your school will have basic requirements for all official groups, so you will need to ensure that your document is in compliance.
Establish the tone and culture of the club / team. Your group's ethos will align with CED&P's mission and vision. It will also share our community's values. Create a code of conduct and have your members acknowledge that they will abide by them.
Don't delay, take action today
Class Plan
Teach career development and planning by using CED&P's process and materials. Register your class for the Class Plan to access resources and have the included option (not required) to submit top 5 students' work for entry in our IMAGINECareer writing competition.
