SEARCH FOR RESOURCES
This tool by The National Workforce Registry Alliance uses 2023 landscape survey data from 45 member registries to illustrate the current state of registries nationwide. Data collected includes information on registration participation; roles and settings; demographics and qualifications; career ladders and competencies; compensation and professional development support; and system integration and workforce well-being. These data may be useful for making policies and investments, as well as doing research on the workforce. This resource supports equity.
This updated policy statement from DHHS and the U.S. Department of Education underscores the urgency in improving services for children with disabilities. It includes the science-based benefits and the legal foundation for inclusion, recommendations for state policies to strengthen inclusion, as well as state examples of promising practices. This resource supports resiliency. This resource supports equity.
This issue brief is the result of several years examining the child care needs of Native American families, based on the first-ever national survey of Native parents, analysis of 184 Tribal Child Care Plans, site visits, and dozens of interviews with tribal leaders, parents, and tribal child care personnel. Tribal child care is systematically underfunded, and although tribal governments would like to support all members, they often lack the jurisdiction and funding to serve the 87% who live outside a reservation. The blueprint includes recommendations to: (1) strengthen communication and collaboration between state governments and tribes; (2) open new approaches for tribes to serve members living off-reservation; (3) reform federal funding to address tribal needs; and (4) address historical trauma. This resource supports equity.
This webinar explored how to better meet the needs of Native American and Indigenous youth and families in OST programs. Panelists representing national, state, and local organizations explored topics such as the goals of OST programs from family and caregiver perspectives. The barriers identified included lack of access to programs, transportation challenges, cost, and culturally insensitive funding streams. Also discussed was the importance of family engagement, the importance of preserving cultural traditions, and strategies to improve programs for indigenous youth. A related resource is the Afterschool Alliance survey results, America After 3 pm for Native American Families. This resource support equity.
This 2023 issue of the Afterschool Matters journal is focused on the OST workforce, specifically, findings from interviews that were part of the Power of Us Workforce Survey. This survey was part of a research study designed to gather data about the experiences of youth-serving workers in a wide range of fields, with the goal of helping communities better understand the youth-serving workforce and ways to help it thrive. The journal explores the insights of professionals in the youth fields on critical issues: community institutions, summer, entry points and recruitment, compensation, career pathways, and recommendations. This resource supports equity.
Child care programs are an essential component of strong communities, yet in rural America families are challenged in being able to access and afford care. The Bipartisan Policy Center worked with Save the Children to create this framework to explore the economic impact of child care gaps and provide innovative strategies and policy recommendations. There is a related webinar on How Affordable Child Care in Rural Areas Can Unlock Economic Potential. This resource supports equity.
This issue brief from the Children's Equity Project examines data from the Yale CARES survey of center-based, home-based, and informal child care providers, including 82,000 in 2020 and 50,000 in 2021. The survey found that 45% of providers reported depression, 27% reported stress, and 60% of providers reported increases in children's externalizing and internalizing behaviors. This resource supports equity. This resource supports resiliency.
This planning tool from STEM Next was created to help OST programs that provide STEM programming to engage with families to support youth learning and success through collaborative culture and practices. The tool is organized by a new framework for family engagement in STEM known as CARE: Connect, Act, Reflect, and Empower. The tool was created through a review of the literature and input from an advisory council as well as state afterschool networks and providers. It can also be used by schools. This resource supports equity.
This issue brief is designed to raise understanding and awareness of restorative justice practices and identify ways after school leaders can integrate them. It provides definitions, principles of restorative justice, strategies for how they can be applied in afterschool programs, and resources. There is also a related webinar on Restorative Justice Practices in Afterschool Programs with experts from CA and FL who are researchers and who are applying restorative justice practices in schools and afterschool programs. See: Restorative Justice Practices in Afterschool Programs
This resource supports resiliency. This resource supports equity.
This issue brief from the National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families has reviewed 35 existing research studies on the strengths and resilience within Latinx families. Some of the key findings include that Latinx children enter schools with strong social skills, that children and families may benefit from bilingual and bicultural status, that children experience high quality parenting that is warm and supportive with good routines and predictability, and that fathers that are highly committed. The brief also makes recommendations on programs, practices, and research needed for the future. This resource supports equity.