Professional development for after-school program staff

Recognizing the significance of Native American culture is something we as educators should strive to incorporate year round, but November shines the spotlight on it with Native American Heritage Month. OST professionals have an opportunity to be even more thoughtful and inclusive about incorporating these silenced voices and meaningful accounts that have been left out of the historical record. Summer is a period of opportunity and concern when it comes to children and youth.

However, a new report from the RAND Corporation commissioned by The Wallace Foundation shows that collaboration among community stakeholders can help identify and prioritize high-quality summer programming. The report, which focuses on the experiences of four cities, demonstrates that building successful summer networks requires a shared vision, strong leadership, coordinated action, funding for sustainability, and diagnostic data.

Currently over 10 million children and youth--many from historically-excluded groups--participate in afterschool and summer programs nationwide. At the National AfterSchool Association NAA , we believe every young person deserves quality, enriching experiences outside of school that positively impact their development and help them thrive, however, currently there are multiple systemic barriers that impact access. To help students catch up on lost instructional time during the pandemic, schools and afterschool programs are taking advantage of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief ESSER funding to implement new learning programs.

You can also connect with other after school professionals through networking opportunities or personal learning networks PLNs to share ideas, challenges and best practices. The after school field is changing is for the better. The key is to continue learning and growing as an after school professional to maintain a high-quality, successful after school program for your students.

What professional development resources do you use to grow your skills and expertise? From providing a safe, nurturing environment to offering students opportunities to learn new things, after school programs across the country have the opportunity to highlight the diverse ways they support students. The start of a new year is typically a time when most people set resolutions, or goals, for the year ahead. Contrary to popular belief, many educators do not spend their summers sleeping in or lounging by the pool.

For most, the summer months are the busiest of the year as…. Share This Article. Related Articles. After School Advocacy. This workshop will assist staff in learning how to create a classroom environment where children are cooperative and engaged. It teaches strategies on managing children without subjecting them to harsh punishments, threats, and time-outs.

Project-Based Planning Curriculum Development. This workshop will focus on project-based learning as designed by the Buck Institute for Education.

Seen as the Gold standard in project-based learning, this research-based model will assist staff in delivering long-term project-based learning in an engaging and fun way.

Participants will learn the art of developing strong goals and focus on strengthening skills that encourage learning. Meeting the Developmental Needs of Children and Youth. This session will offer staff an understanding of the 4 developmental needs of children: physical, social, cognitive, and emotional.

This session teaches staff the art of creating a comforting and welcoming environment that is fit for parents. Staff will learn how to work with families to support the development of children who are in the program. Covers OCFS topic 4. Dignity of Children supports Darkness to Light's Stewards of Children curriculum, which is an evidence-informed child sexual abuse prevention training.

In this training, your staff will learn how to identify, prevent and handle reported instances of child sexual abuse. In addition, they will also learn about New York's child abuse identification and reporting law.

This workshop will focus on teaching children how to make responsible and well-informed decisions, and that their actions have consequences. This session will focus on offering your staff the right tools to reinforce teamwork at all levels including staff and participants. Participants will walk away with a clear understanding of how to use a creative process to develop a curriculum that meets the developmental needs of their children.