In this policy brief, TASC proposes creating a sequenced, articulated system of professional development for the afterschool workforce. The brief documents promising approaches and contains recommendations for leaders in afterschool and workforce development.
Professional Development
Program quality is dependent on the knowledge and skills of frontline staff. Every Hour Counts partners promote professional development for community educators—youth workers, teaching artists, AmeriCorps service members and others--and have developed these publications to guide stakeholders as they allocate resources for training and workforce development for the field. Increasingly, school/community partnerships use joint professional development with community staff and certified teachers to more closely align the learning day for kids.
Afterschool Professional Development: Resources, Outcomes, and Considerations
New York State Afterschool Network
This paper seeks to accomplish the following objectives: 1) to outline why professional development is critical and how to maximize opportunities and resources to achieve the most impact on afterschool professionals, programs and participants; 2) to describe and clarify the wide variety of forms, styles and types of professional development; 3) to identify and explain the common factors—regardless of the type of opportunity—that serve as the principles for effective professional development; and 4) to suggest and explore the numerous considerations for decisionmakers in afterschool programs and systems regarding how to best deploy professional development resources and opportunities.
Out-of-School Time: Leveraging Higher Education for Quality
In this paper, TASC and Foundations, Inc. explore why and how partnerships between institutions of higher education and the out-of-school time field can strengthen the quality of children's educational opportunities beyond the school day.
Teen Engagement in Developing Program Best Practices
MIKVA Challenge
Teens in the After School Matters Youth Advisory Council, in partnership with MIKVA Challenge, conducted interviews, surveys and observations to generate recommendations for out-of-school time instructors on how best to engage teens, make them feel valued and encourage their active participation in afterschool programming. They packaged their recommendations into this instructor toolkit and accompanying video.
