Professional Development

Vermont Afterschool is offering a 3-part Community of Practice series to support afterschool programs in Vermont through the STARS process. Participants are encouraged to attend all three sessions. Session 1: Vermont STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS) Overview Facilitators: Courtney Isham, Child Care Quality Program Administrator (Child Development Division), Dacia Ostlund and Kathleen Bray, Vermont Afterschool... Read more »

Vermont Afterschool is offering a 3-part Community of Practice series to support afterschool programs in Vermont through the STARS process. Participants are encouraged to attend all three sessions. Session 1: Vermont STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS) Overview Facilitators: Courtney Isham, Child Care Quality Program Administrator (Child Development Division), Dacia Ostlund and Kathleen Bray, Vermont Afterschool... Read more »

Do you want to support a group of youth to create change in their lives? Helping Them to Lead the Way is a five-part workshop series on the knowledge-base and skill sets for raising up youth voices and supporting them to create the change they see is needed in their lives, schools, and/or communities. From... Read more »

Youth Thrive is an evidence-informed framework for approaching our work with youth ages 9-24. Instead of a sole focus on limiting risk factors or maintaining a problem-free environment, Youth Thrive teaches youth work professionals and parents to recognize, support, and build on protective and promotive factors. Based in strengths-based and positive psychology, this approach can... Read more »

Children, like adults, have emotional emergencies—they just look different from ours. Using a child-first, relationship-centered mindset, this module teaches us that strong behaviors are no mystery, and that all feelings make sense. In this workshop, discover …

Have you ever found yourself showing up in a way that is less than your best? You may be extra reactionary with the youth in your program. You snap at your co-workers. The voice in your head screams "I'm DONE! What if you could learn to PAUSE before getting to this point? When we learn this invaluable... Read more »

This training expands upon the evidence and research supporting the practice of a daily circle in summer camp programming. Participants will learn about how to incorporate SEL into opening circle structure, why these few minutes are so important for setting the tone for the rest of the day, and how to build consistency in your... Read more »

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth. This training gives adults who work with youth the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to children and adolescents (ages 12-18) who may be developing a mental... Read more »

We all have emotional hot buttons that cause us to show up as less than our best. Once we see and recognize these triggers, we can regain control over them. One important part of the process is to understand what sets us off. When we add clear action steps for what to do in these... Read more »

Every behavior starts with a feeling. This workshop offers practical solutions and strategies to navigate the landscape of strong emotions—how they can present in unusual ways, and how we can support youth when they’re in the thick of what they’re feeling. In this workshop, discover...