SEARCH FOR RESOURCES
This toolkit offers an overview of the opioid problem and how OST programs and communities can respond. Part I includes an introduction to the opioid crisis, along with assessment and planning tools for designing a prevention initiative based on local needs. Part II provides a menu of prevention strategies–for staff, youth, families, and school and community partners–that could be included in a plan, and resources to help with implementation. The suggested strategies support positive youth development and social-emotional learning, in general, so could be adapted for other content too (e.g., pregnancy prevention). This resource supports resiliency.
This updated toolkit provides hands-on activities that can be used with youth or adults to build social and emotional skills, including self and social awareness, self-management, responsible decision making, and relationship skills. It includes three types of activities: (1) welcoming rituals and inclusion activities; (2) engaging strategies, brain breaks, and transitions; and (3) optimistic closures. This resource supports resiliency.
This issue brief describes the importance and impact of involving families in youth development programs. It presents examples of how programs that are part of the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development have used three strategies to engage families: communication, participation, and partnerships. These best practices may inspire others on how to tailor their approach to meet the specific needs and opportunities of each program/community.
This journal article documents one OST director’s journey through the process of becoming credentialed. It explores fears and challenges and what she—and her program participants, families, and staff—ultimately gained from the process. This story can bring a personal experience to life for state system planners creating or supporting a school-age credential.
This tool is designed to assist states and territories with calculating the annual and monthly State Median Income (SMI) and Federal Poverty Level (FPL) used to determine income eligibility and family copayments for child care subsidy programs. The tool connects to excel spreadsheets to calculate the SMI that is available by emailing [email protected]
This article explores the challenges and potential of school-afterschool partnerships. Based on interviews with school administrators, afterschool leaders, and front-line staff in three schools, the findings reveal both disconnections and opportunities for fuller communication and collaboration. This article would be helpful to OST system builders as well as practitioners/programs looking to enhance their relationships with schools.
This issue brief explores how strategies for increased support for expanded learning programs can help reduce the disparities in educational outcomes between student populations. It provides examples from California's efforts to use local funding to enable more lower-income students have access to enrichment opportunities in out-of-school time. Strategies include increased funding for continuous improvement, more professional development, and increased coordination between out-of-school time and the school day by increasing the number of staff who work across both settings. This resource supports resiliency.
This Practice Brief, the fourth in a periodic series published by the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE), was developed following a Peer Learning Community (PLC) designed to strengthen workforce systems to advance both individual career development and program quality.
During the PLC, state teams shared best practices on using data to make decisions about how to increase access to professional development; supporting the workforce through technical assistance, recruitment, and retention strategies, leadership support; and creating and leveraging partnerships to move the work forward. The brief also highlights examples from participating states, including New Hampshire and New York.
This video is a keynote speech delivered by Dr. Shawn Ginwright. He explores stories and research related to his healing-centered framework to overcome trauma by building hope through relational, restorative, and political strategies. He believes that this asset-driven, culturally-grounded approach goes beyond trauma-informed practice and helps youth and their adult caregivers move beyond trauma together. This resource supports resiliency.
This video on social-emotional learning (SEL) examines core capabilities known as executive function and self-regulation skills. It explores what these skills are, why they are important, how they develop, and how they are negatively affected by stress for children, adolescents, and adult caregivers. This resource supports resilience.