It's our goal to provide a broad array of quality learning opportunities for those who work with youth in the third space and out-of-school time. We also want to emphasize that many of the trainings are for anyone working with youth, and we hope you will find something that lights you up and helps you further your career, hone your skills, and improve outcomes for youth.
Professional Development Opportunities
These 1.5-hour workshops are designed for brand new staff in afterschool, summer, third-space, and out-of-school programs. It’s a great way for new staff to orient to the field and learn basic best practices in their work, as well as for returning staff to further their own professional development goals. These real-time online trainings are FREE for anyone working with school-age youth in out-of-school time programs, and are approved by Northern Lights at CCV.
This four-part series is for leaders of licensed programs in the afterschool field in Vermont and is specifically designed for experienced directors and site coordinators who are looking for that next level of growth and development.
Afterschool Essentials is an accelerated half-year program that Vermont Afterschool offers FREE for afterschool staff working in licensed afterschool programs. It is designed to meet the needs of the professional with limited experience in the afterschool setting and is connected to our Afterschool Foundations Certificate.
Vermont Afterschool partners with the Child Development Division (CDD) to offer FREE 3-credit, online courses for afterschool professionals through the Community College of Vermont (CCV). This is a tuition-free opportunity for those who are currently working in a regulated child care setting.
At any point in the year, afterschool program directors, site directors, or other authorized individuals charged with securing professional development trainings can request to schedule a specific training. All workshops can be provided in a virtual format. The cost of trainings is typically $100/hour (minimum 2 hours per training) though pricing may vary according to training length and partnership agreement. Licensed school-age programs are eligible for a cost reduction of 50% (limited reduced funding is available per year). Additional training costs may apply.
The Afterschool and Youth Work Certificate is offered by the Community College of Vermont (CCV) as a way to help youth work professionals advance in their careers. The certificate provides students with essential skills to develop, support, and administer high-quality afterschool and youth programs for young people ages 5-18. Emphasis is on developing programs that use youth voice, active learning, planning and reflection, and supporting effective collaboration with families and community partners. Vermont Afterschool worked with CCV to develop this certificate, which can be completed fully online for a total of 24 credits. Scholarships are available.
If you work with adolescents, are a parent or caregiver of a kid age 12-18, or are wanting to learn how you can support youth experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or in crisis, please consider taking this free 8-hour workshop.
In recognition that we have so much to learn from each other, we offer different types of community of practice as a way for staff to come together and reflect on how they can improve personal and program practices. Learning comes from facilitated discussions with each other. These monthly communities of practice are FREE.
We were thrilled to bring back our statewide professional development experience in November of 2021! This year’s virtual conference offered three hours of quality training plus time for hearing from state leaders and special guests, networking with other programs and providers from around the state, and raffle prizes! Our 2021 conference offered 6 workshop selections that focus on best practices in out-of-school time programming, youth development, social emotional learning, and expanded learning opportunities. We kicked off the day with an interactive session keying off of the Universal Afterschool and Summer Summit as we envision the future and your role within the system.
We look forward to our next conference in Fall 2022. Stay tuned for more details!
