Show us your program in action.

Building the Field of Afterschool

More than ever, out of school-time is seen as a resource for children's learning and healthy development. But not just any program will do. Research shows that children need high-quality programs with skilled staff.

For all children to have access to programs that make a difference, high quality has to be the norm and the standard, not the exception. As a field, we need to:

Identify best practices and effective content for programs with diverse goals, objectives, and resources
Develop systems of effective education and training for skilled staff at all levels
Establish indicators or standards for quality of programming, staffing, and training
Address national policies and sustainability

The Center works to build the field of afterschool education by:

Contributing to system building for quality efforts to establish and sustain effective staffing and leadership
Developing and building capacity for practical strategies to best reward: using afterschool time to support in-school success
Advocating for afterschool as an additional educational space with distinct approaches

1. SYSTEM BUILDING FOR QUALITY

Professional Development for Afterschool Educators

The afterschool field needs systems of professional development for a pipeline of leaders and a supply of frontline staff. It needs systems of growth and advancement to build and keep leaders.

Such systems will include in-service professional development and training, higher education, and workforce development, embracing non-formal and classroom-based elements.

While higher education follows classroom instructional models within institutional settings, in-service professional development and workforce development use non-formal approaches within a range of settings: on-site trainings, regional trainings, conferences, online sessions, and combinations of these.

Improving the quality of in-service professional development

In-service professional development systems are essential for programs to be most responsive to local communities, children, and resources. In-service trainings need to build staff skills and improve retention within contexts of high front-line turnover. Finally, they must be cost effective and change-oriented, producing improved programs and practices on the ground.

With the support of the The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Center developed and applies a carefully designed evaluation process to look at the impact of our professional development of the practice and programs of participants. Significantly, we have found that even short trainings can produce important improvements in programs when the trainings are focused, practical, and tied to participants' needs and skills.

In addition, professional development is sustained and extended when it includes substantial take-home-and-do tools for implementing new practices, and for tailoring them to one's own programs.

The Center specializes in professional development coupled with user-friendly manuals and guides. Guides presenting afterschool education strategies, methods, and activities also include training plans in the books so that site directors can train additional and new staff.

Linking with higher education for career pathways

Colleges now recognize the importance of afterschool as its own field of learning and study. Credit-bearing college-level courses linked to afterschool provide great opportunities for afterschool staff to expand and deepen their learning.

Several universities now offer certificates and degrees for afterschool educators, as well as widely recognized portable accreditation.

The Center is currently working with Philadelphia's Arcadia University to expand options for afterschool staff to earn college credits by:

Creating a 12-credit certificate in Afterschool Education that uniquely builds from existing Arcadia online coursework and includes an intensive credit-bearing Institute in Afterschool Education
Bringing afterschool research, experiences and approaches into the content of relevant courses
Structurally connecting in-service and applied professional development to existing online coursework (through hours or credit)

In addition, the Center works with organizations to provide continuing education units or similar professional credits for participants in our professional development sessions.

Statewide systems

The Center works with statewide networks and leaders to promote professional development for afterschool educators. Center staff present at conferences and meetings, and provide consulting and technical assistance to address statewide system needs and opportunities.

Up Next: Learn more about the Center's tools and publications.