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.
Today's youth are experiencing unprecedented levels of stress and anxiety. One way that schools and other youth organizations can provide support is by implementing a wellness room for kids who need space to sort out their emotions. This issue brief outlines benefits and offers tips for creating and using wellness rooms. This resource supports resiliency.
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 Better Kid Care site from Penn State Extension offers research-based online training modules on a range of topics relevant to working with school-age children such as positive youth development and guidance, career preparation for youth, financial planning, and cultural competency and responsiveness. The modules include a combination of slides, video clips, research summaries, practical tips, and worksheets. Most are geared to practitioners. The trainings are free; a professional development certification of completion is $5-10. Some modules are available in Spanish.
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.
Home-based Child Care Networks are seen as a promising strategy for supporting regulated family child care and legally-exempt family, friend, and neighbor caregivers. Home Grown and Erikson Institute created this evidence-based framework with 11 benchmarks to provide guidance to high-quality networks. BUILD provided a related webinar on Embedding Wellness in Home-based Child Care Systems through Strengthening Home-based Child Care Networks.
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.
The Center for American Progress explores the policies that schools can develop to support student mental health. The strategies include creating a statewide mental health task force, organizing interagency coordination, expanding Medicaid coverage of school-based mental health, increasing access to school-based mental health, and investing in school climate through trauma-informed care and building mental health into the curriculum. This is relevant for out-of-school programs as programs often tap into school-based mental health services. This resource supports resiliency.