National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment Resource Library

This self-paced module by You for Youth provides steps and strategies for program leaders to recruit, train, and retain program staff. It includes many resources such as sample job descriptions, human resource policies and staff manuals, and ideas for interview questions and reference checks. It can assist a program leader in creating a plan for improving staff recruitment and retention.  Unless you need a certificate of completion, you do not need to log in to the Y4Y portal to do the module--just click "cancel" when asked to log in and proceed.
 

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 case study highlights the historical context behind the Pay Equity Fund, the vision and goals of the fund, early implementation successes and challenges, and future goals based on interviews with key informants, parents and guardians, center directors, and home-based providers. The goal of the Pay Equity Fund is to improve staff recruitment, retention, and morale and mental health, as well as program quality improvement and child outcomes. These findings can inform jurisdictions across the country as they design and implement compensation improvements for the child care workforce. 

Grantmakers for Education and Out-of-School Time Impact Group held this webinar to hear from key researchers on trends, needs, and opportunities for research in the OST field. The panelists noted that there has been a shift from an earlier focus on academics to an increased focus on SEL, STEM, and social justice. The panelists identified research to read, researchers to follow, and issues that need to be addressed in research.  

This brief summarizes findings from a study about equity in out-of-school-time programs run by school districts. It explores: (1) what equity looks like in OST programs provided by equity-minded districts; (2) what challenges districts face integrating their equity goals and efforts into their OST programs; (3) what actions districts can take to meet these challenges; and (4) what further research is needed to better inform policy and practice. This resource supports equity.  The companion full report can be found here: https://education.virginia.edu/documents/how-do-districts-implement-equity-afterschool-and-summer-programs

This issue brief provides lessons learned from a 2022 Learning Community convened by the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment that included seven states--CA, IL, MA, NC, NM, VT, and WI. States explored ways to sustain compensation efforts begun with pandemic funding. Ideas included compensation reform, salary scales and cost modeling, obtaining dedicated funds and funding mechanisms, contracts and grants, and building data and evaluation capacity.  

This toolkit provides programs with an overview on the importance of youth voice, along with tools and examples.  The key takeaways are to meet youth where they are, train adults to exist in youth spaces and youth to exist  in adult spaces, and let youth take the lead. It also has a section with many resources on culturally responsive voice. Grantmakers in Education featured this resource and examples in this one-hour webinar, Youth Voice Initiative Share-Out and Discussion, found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZnHO1t6fDE 

This brief 15-minute webinar provides an overview of what trauma is, the common responses to and symptoms of trauma at different ages, and data on numbers of youth who have experienced trauma. It includes recommendations for bringing trauma-informed practices into OST settings that can serve as a checklist and reminders for afterschool and summer staff. Resources are provided. This resource supports resiliency.

This journal article in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences examines the role of afterschool and recommends that programs focus on relationships, developing youth interest, identity and social capital. Given the pressure from government and funders to focus on academics, this is an equity issue because research shows that wealthier youth are more likely to be offered enrichment experiences to develop interests and identify, but low-income and youth of color are more likely to have OST as extended forms of child care or schooling. This resource supports equity.