National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment Resource Library

This issue brief is designed to raise understanding and awareness of the need for youth financial literacy and identify ways afterschool leaders can address these issues. Youth today can amass debt quickly in the form of school loans or credit card debt, yet few have access to financial literacy supports. Opportunities are especially limited for youth of color. Afterschool is a place where this learning can happen, and this paper provides resources like reports, curriculum, and resources for parents to support financial literacy starting in the elementary grades. This resource supports equity.  

This issue brief shares a model about a collaboration between Nevada Department of Health and Human Services and Boys and Girls Club (BCG) to pilot behavioral and mental health services for youth in grades 1-12 participating in 13 out-of-school programs. This model used initial SAMSHA funding to bring 2 counselors as well as graduate practicum students into the BGC to provide social-emotional learning, behavioral, and mental health services and to train staff on trauma-informed care, suicide, substance abuse response, and how to make referrals. These supports will be sustained as they fast-tracked the process of Medicaid credentialing. This resource supports equity.

This webinar explores what intermediaries are learning about what it takes to recruit and retain OST staff. The panel is facilitated by Angelica Portillo from NAA with panelists from Utah Afterschool Network, California Afterschool Network, Dallas Afterschool Network, and San Francisco Beacon Initiative. Strategies include hiring bonuses, compensation, flexibility, being involved in decision making, pre-service training and career pathways, and staff nurturing.  

This webinar by the Grantmakers for Education OST Impact group shares how funders, adults, and peers in OST spaces can provide support to LGBTQ+ youth, especially in the current context of attacks on LGBTQ+ identities. Panelists from the Trevor Project, Horizons Foundation, and an LGBTQ+ organization in Florida shared data on mental health concerns and suggestions for ways to create safe spaces in OST programs. A robust list of resources are also included. This resource supports equity.  

This Better Kid Care module about supporting LGBTQ youth in out-of-school-time programs is designed to prepare staff to provide a supportive and inclusive environment. It includes videos of researchers, counselors, staff, parents, and youth who share their ideas and experiences. It also includes a number of helpful handouts, suggestions for wording about policies, and activity ideas. This resource supports equity.

This webinar features authors from the recent volume, The Heartbeat of the Youth Development Field: Professional Journeys of Growth, Connection, and Transformation. Youth development professionals and researchers share how to build relationships that increase engagement that is centered in equity, inclusion, and diversity. This resource supports equity.

On June 29, 2023, the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment hosted the webinar “Social-Emotional Learning and Mental Health Supports for Out-of-School Time: A Conversation on Strategies and Systems” to address the topic of building SEL and mental health capacity for Out-of-School Time programming.  The event included a facilitated discussion with system leaders on the best strategies to equitably address the SEL and mental health needs of children and families, along with consideration for culture, ethnicity, linguistic needs, income, historical context, and other factors.

The National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment emphasizes that OST programs provide measurable benefits to youth and families, demonstrably improving academic and developmental outcomes along with other results such as positive youth-adult relationships and social-emotional learning. The Out-of-School Time Social-Emotional Learning and Mental Health Toolkit (Toolkit) was developed to support OST/school-age child care system leaders, technical assistance associates, and program providers. 

This toolkit provides readers with a general command of:
• Key Terms
• Social-Emotional Learning and Mental Health

The toolkit also provides targeted relevance and resources for system and program leaders on the following topics:
• Trauma
• Social-Emotional Learning and Mental Health Support
• Family Engagement Strategies

We encourage readers to utilize this toolkit as a supplement for OST programming and curricula or as a standalone resource to clarify your
SEL and mental health learning practices and supports.

This issue brief uses data from 2020 National Survey of Children's Health(NSCH) to describe the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in children ages birth to 17. This is important information as children with a higher number of ACEs are at higher risk for negative outcomes for mental health, health, and financial well-being. The brief includes charts of the number of ACEs children have by state, by race and ethnicity, and by health outcomes. This resource supports resiliency.

This profile of innovation is part of a series of innovative initiatives in Child Care Development Fund lead agencies to support social-emotional and mental health as part of pandemic recovery. It includes examples from CO, KY, and SC on expanding mental health consultation and training, provider and director cafes for peer support on stress and trauma, and well-being coaches that help centers establish a well-being plan. An additional profile of innovation, Idaho Community Program Grant, highlights a grant opportunity for programs to receive funding to address student learning loss and behavioral health supports for ages 5-13; it can be found here. https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/new-occ/resource/files/id_profile.pdf.  This resource supports resiliency.