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Core Trainings

The Center's professional development is geared primarily to directors, leaders, and those responsible for training or supporting the work of others. Our training emphasizes two key dimensions of quality, with customization as needed:

The Center gets to the point of what to do rather than spending a lot of time discussing what needs to be done. We’re all aware of what needs to be done; we need to know how to do it. -Afterschool educator, Washington State

Time for Professional Learning

Trainings may be scheduled as 90 minute to 2-hour workshops, as half-day or full day sessions at state and regional conferences, or may be held at your site. Several topics may be combined into day-long or multi-day institutes.

 

 Afterschool Education in Practice

  • Afterschool Education: Essentials of Practice
    Fundamentals and how-to of afterschool education, with techniques and tools for linking with school content while keeping that engaging afterschool style. Academic Content, After-School Style: A Notebook and Guide provides core concepts, practical tools, plain language school content standards for all grades, content-linked activities and projects ideas, homework help tips, resource lists, and more to support ongoing program development at your site.

    Half- or full-day session

    Take home resource: Academic Content, Afterschool Style: A Notebook and Guide 

  • Remake Homework Time for Learning
    Make homework time work well for students' learning and success across all grades and through those critical transitions from middle to high school and beyond. Gain strategies and techniques for an engaging homework time that builds study skills, work habits, teamwork, creativity, independent learning—and gets schoolwork done!

    Take home resource: Homework Time Action Pack and/or Academic Content, Afterschool Style: A Notebook and Guide 

  • English Language Learning in Afterschool:
    More Than Just Talk
    Make afterschool a time for English language learners to develop their English language skills and knowledge for success in school and beyond. Learn core principles, gain techniques all staff can use, and make activities to engage all children—including native speakers—at all levels. This training can be customized for directors, trainers, and lead staff to fit varying needs, experience levels, and time frames. May also be conducted as a series over time, with online coaching or as training of trainers.

    Take home resource: More Than Just Talk: English Language Learning in Afterschool

  • Youth Voice and Choice
    Make your program engaging—and effective—by maximizing age-appropriate youth voice and choice. Learn strategies to involve children in meaningful ways to develop and conduct programming that also builds confidence, leadership, independence, and skills.

    Take home resource: Academic Content, After-School Style: A Notebook and Guide

  • GraffitiWall®: Fast Games for Learning
    See how to use fast, easy-to-make guessing games, puzzles, and activities posted on the wall to quickly engage kids of all ages. Learn to maximize the fun and social skills while reinforcing literacy, math, science, social studies, and more.

    Take home resource: GraffitiWall Style Guide (grades 3–11)

  • Global Literacy Jumpstart with Global GraffitiWalls
    Get kids of all ages thinking about, connecting to and learning from the world around them. Start with quick, easy games and activities that any staff member—and the kids themselves—can do on poster paper on the wall. Learn to create, adapt, and expand games with the Global GraffitiWall Style Guide to deepen the learning and keep it fresh all year.

    Take home resource: Global GraffitiWall Style Guide (grades 4 –10)

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Staff Development and Quality Improvement

  • Do-It-Yourself Professional Development for Afterschool Educators
    Build staff skills as afterschool educators with your own in-house trainings, even with limited time and resources. Learn to use the ready-to-go staff development trainings in Afterschool Style in Practice: 25 Skill-Building Meetings for Staff. These detailed plans, complete with handouts and templates, enable directors and trainers to provide hour-long sessions in effective afterschool education techniques and strategies. Plan a series, and make ongoing staff training a regular part of your quality building program.

    Take home resource: Afterschool Style in Practice: 25 Skill-Building Meetings for Staff.

  • Quality: Know It, Show It, Grow It
    What is 'quality' in afterschool programming? What does quality look like at your site or across multiple sites? With your children, your resources? This session works with participants to identify site-specific priorities, clarify indicators of quality that fit your program, set targets, and build a culture of quality assessment and continuous improvement.

    Take home resource: Quality Assurance System® (QAS®) 

  • Family Engagement Across Cultures
    Tapping family and community resources creates invaluable learning opportunities for all children and staff. Gain strategies to engage families, the community and children of diverse backgrounds to increase awareness and understanding of different languages, cultures and ways of life.

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Custom Training and Technical Assistance

Tailor a training program to fit your needs and resources. Plan sessions within your state or regional conferences. Combine sessions and topics for day-long or multi-day Institutes. Build your on-site capacity for sustained quality-building or, combine in-person training with online follow-up or coaching for maximum accessibility and impact. Fees are based on time, materials, travel and number of participants.

For more information about custom training opportunities, contact the Center.

Up Next: Learn more about Credit Bearing Courses.

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