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This issue brief highlights the ways afterschool and summer learning programs help develop youth college and career readiness by increasing attendance rates and academic achievement, and by building college and career opportunities. This topic is an important focus area for out-of-school time, given that lack of awareness, experience, and exposure to current college and career options can lead to delayed employment or unemployment. It includes six city examples.
This issue brief identifies four things to keep in mind to support the five percent of children in our care who are--or will grow up to become--gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning. It also provides a link to an online module about this topic and to other positive youth development modules by Better Kids Care. This resource supports resiliency.
This resource includes a video and a brief summary of a mindfulness program in the Baltimore Schools, where students were trained in breathing techniques and yoga poses for 45 minutes, 4 times a week for 12 weeks. Johns Hopkins University is conducting an evaluation about the effects of mindfulness training in urban elementary schools and has found that students can respond to stress with less emotional arousal following the training. Video and brief are both available in Spanish. This resource supports resiliency.
This important report from the Aspen Institute's National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development explores how the development of social emotional skills and competencies are essential for children and youth to thrive in school, career, and life. The report provides research and strategies on six key recommendations in areas such as creating safe and supportive learning settings, building adult expertise in child development, and aligning resources and leveraging partners to address the whole child. It includes research, practice, and policy agendas that incorporate many promising practices in cities and states.
This issue brief analyzes the alignment of state statutes and regulations with the Whole School, Whole Community, and Whole Child (WSCC) model that is developed by Centers for Disease Control and ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development). It includes a national overview as well as state-by-state profiles of how policy reflects the ten domains of social-emotional-physical health of children, including recent issues of concern like childhood obesity and bullying. This resource is focused on school policy, and can inform state system planners on afterschool as they collaborate with schools.
This issue brief describes Extended Day Treatment (EDT) or therapeutic afterschool programs. This is an intermediate-level service that allows children to receive intensive behavioral health services in a structured therapeutic milieu while remaining at home and in school. It outlines the 11 service components that include assessment, treatment plan, therapy for individuals, groups, and families and activities with a therapeutic focus. This resource supports resiliency.
This toolkit was developed as a companion to a three-hour training building social-emotional learning. It is intended to be used primarily with youth in middle school, though it can be adapted for other ages. It has a user-friendly design that includes activities, templates and tools for four purposes: (1) equipping staff; (2) creating the learning environment; (3) designing impactful learning experiences; and (4) using data for improvement.
This database provides information on state laws and regulations applicable to camps. It identifies the governing body, provides license information, notes if a license is required for both day and residential camps, states what type of background checks are needed (e.g., criminal record and sex offender records), and describes requirements about minimum wage and overtime pay. The American Camp Association regularly updates the information.
This issue brief provides an overview of the prevalence of mental health issues for children and youth. It explores how schools are often the de facto mental health system for children; therefore, schools could be a first step for afterschool programs wanting partnerships for support on mental health needs. It provides tools and ideas about conducting assessments of mental health needs and services. This resource supports resiliency.
This resource provides a review of tools that programs can use to measure youth outcomes. The outcomes selected include communication, relationships and collaboration, critical thinking and decision-making, initiative, and self-direction. The review includes cost and evidence of reliability and validity.