Much of our work is focused on coordinating efforts around professional development, program quality initiatives, and overall elevation of the afterschool and youth-serving field by:
- Providing professional development to afterschool, summer, and out-of-school professionals
- Delivering quality coaching and technical assistance to programs
- Offering leadership opportunities
- Helping programs start and sustain
- Promoting best practices
- Coordinating statewide systems and connection
Professional Development Opportunities
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.
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. Some workshops can be provided in a virtual format. The cost of trainings is typically $120/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.
And visit our Event Calendar to find upcoming scheduled workshops.
Vermont Afterschool offers Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Methods workshops that have been developed to help adults improve their practice in supporting social, emotional, and cognitive development in their programs.
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.
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.
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.
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 individual self-advocacy to empowering community level youth leadership, this series will walk participants through an Empowerment Model for creating youth-led change, while supporting them in creating their own youth leadership development plan.
This series will provide participants with knowledge of adolescent development, leadership, and relationship content relevant to each phase of the empowerment model, and will present key principles and activities of youth empowerment, while supporting participants to develop their own youth leadership goal and accompanying plan to achieve that goal. Culminating in the presentation of participants’ youth empowerment project plans and the design of an evaluation of their effectiveness from the youths’ perspective, this series provides the content and experiences for developing and planning a youth-led change initiative in partnership with youth and empowering their leadership development as change-makers.
- Micro-credential course overview, Introduction to the Awareness Phase and the Power of Relationships | Thursday, October 26, 2023 (10:00 AM–4:00 PM | in-person at our South Burlington office
- The Visioning Phase, Leadership Practices and Youth Voice Frameworks | Thursday, November 16,2023 (3:00–5:30 PM) | Virtual
- The Transformation Phase, Supporting Leadership Development and Creating Change | Thursday, January 18, 2024 (3:00–5:30 PM) | Virtual
- The Growth Phase, Laying the Groundwork and Preparing the Adults for Youth-Led Change | Thursday, February 22, 2024 (3:00–5:30 PM) | Virtual
- Project Presentations, Peer Evaluation, Reflection, and Celebration | Friday, March 22, 2024 (10:00AM–2:00 PM) | in-person at our South Burlington office
Cost: FREE
Registration: Contact Becky Wilcke (becky@vermontafterschool.org) for more information.
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.
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.
Vermont Afterschool regularly hosts field forums on different topics relating to out-of-school time providers and professionals including health, safety guidance, funding, advocacy, and more. Visit our Event Calendar to find upcoming field forums to attend.
Registration is now OPEN for Vermont Afterschool’s 14th Annual Conference scheduled for Thursday, November 2 (1:00-5:00 PM) and Friday, November 3 (8:00 AM-4:00 PM) at Lake Morey Resort in Fairlee.
The conference will once again bring together over 200 of Vermont’s out-of-school time directors, staff, educators, and partners for a full day of learning, a keynote from Lana Hailemariam, networking, and celebration of the important work you do for Vermont’s children, youth, and families.
Visit our conference webpage for more information and to register for our 2023 conference.
The afterschool and youth work field is dynamic and filled with passionate, caring, and innovative individuals that enter the field through a variety of avenues. Whether you are new to the field, an emerging leader, or a veteran looking for new opportunities, there are many pathways to help you grow your skills and make this your career.
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. Click here for more info and to register.
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.
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.
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.
Through Vermont’s Agency of Human Services, Child Development Division, those working with children and youth outside of school hours can tie into a statewide career development system through core competencies for the afterschool professional, an afterschool professional credential, and an on-the-job training program.
What is a high-quality afterschool program?
Research has demonstrated that youth benefit from high-quality afterschool programs. According to the National AfterSchool Association report, Why Afterschool Quality Matters, high-quality afterschool programs:
- Foster positive relationships between program participants and staff
- Offer a blend of academic and developmental skill-building activities
- Rely on data-driven best practices and standards
- Promote high levels of student engagement
- Provide appropriate levels of structure as well as opportunities for autonomy and choice
We provide a variety of quality improvement resources for afterschool program staff and the community, including:
Quality Improvement Assistance
Our team implements an ongoing cycle of continuous improvement and assessment to support quality improvement efforts of afterschool programs throughout the state. Available services include coaching, training, consultation, observations, and more. Contact Us
Program Evaluation Tools (PQA)
An essential factor in increasing program quality is determining how a program is implementing best practices. We recommend the Weikart Center’s Program Quality Assessment (PQA) tool to empower you to evaluate the quality of your youth program, giving you the tools to identify your program’s strengths and target areas for improvement. The PQA tool is nationally recognized as the leading tool to promote high-quality out-of-school time programs. There are two versions: the Youth PQA (programs serving youth in grades 4-12) and School-Age PQA (programs serving youth in grades K-6). Currently, we provide targeted support to 21st CCLC and licensed afterschool and child care programs for YPQA.
- Youth Program Quality Assessment (PQA): A validated instrument that is designed to measure the quality of youth programs and identify staff training needs.
- Social & Emotional Learning Program Quality Assessment (SEL PQA): The Program Quality Assessment (see above) has recently been expanded to include the SEL PQA with a greater focus on the quality of social emotional learning (SEL) instructional practices and growth of students’ SEL skills. The SEL PQA is applicable to both school-age (grades K-6) and youth (grades 4-12).
Professional Learning Opportunities
Highly trained staff better understand the goals and objectives of programs and are able to build stronger relationships with the youth, families, and communities they serve. Afterschool professionals from the front lines all the way up to the administrative level can take advantage of our conference, workshops, and online learning opportunities.
Evaluation Data
Vermont Afterschool partners with the Vermont Agency of Education to evaluate 21st CCLC program data and research to determine program outcomes and ultimately inform the best practices and standards we recommend.
Quality Research & Resources
American Institute for Research – How students spend time outside of the classroom—before and after school and during breaks and summer vacation—has a tremendous impact on what they achieve in school and in life. Quality expanded learning opportunities extend learning and positive youth development beyond the school bell and engage students who might otherwise be left behind. Our work in the afterschool and expanded learning field supports the creation, evaluation, improvement, and maintenance of high-quality afterschool and expanded learning programs in a variety of ways.
Beyond the Bell: Turning Research into Action in Afterschool and Expanded Learning – A series of briefs and tools focused on how afterschool programs can support the social and emotional development of young people. AIR designed these resources to make research on the afterschool and expanded learning field accessible, easy to read, and ultimately useful in practice.
Beyond the Bell Toolkit 4th edition – A suite of professional development services, products, and practical tools designed to help afterschool program leaders and staff members create and sustain high-quality, effective afterschool and expanded learning programs.
Search Institute – The Search Institute offers research-based tools and resources to translate the passion and commitment of your youth development staff into effective developmental relationships that help young people thrive.
Afterschool Alliance – Delve into the Alliance’s vast collection of research resources that shows afterschool programs are keeping kids safe, inspiring learning, and helping working families across the country.
National AfterSchool Association – NAA is pleased to offer the afterschool professional a wide range of tools and downloads designed to both grow your career and strengthen your program.
Expanding Minds and Opportunities – Studies have shown that high quality expanded learning programs link to student achievement. The tools and research summaries here outline some of the most compelling research on the impact of expanded learning on student achievement, attendance, and classroom behavior.
Afterschool and summer learning programs are uniquely positioned to provide kids with enriching academics, social-emotional support, caring mentors and trained educators, healthy meals, physical activities, and opportunities to explore careers and gain workforce skills. These programs engage students in enriching, hands-on projects that provide more time for deeper learning. They provide intentional focus on social-emotional learning and kids’ mental health. And they keep kids safe.
We offer a number of free resources to strengthen the field and help Vermont’s afterschool and summer programs provide the expanded support kids and families need to emerge from the pandemic crisis strong, resilient, and hopeful.
HELPFUL LINKS
- Re-Boot Camp – Virtual Training Series for Summer Staff
- Summer Activity Guides
- Summer Program Start-up Guidebook
- Family Engagement Messaging & Toolkit
- Health & Safety Guidance
- Summer Meals
- American Rescue Plan Resource Center
- About Your Child for Summer Enrichment (from VT AOE for parents and caregivers to fill out prior to your summer program)
- Summer Access and Inclusion Self-Assessment (from VT AOE for summer programs)
FIELD FORUMS
We host regular field forums on different topics relating to out-of-school time providers and professionals including health, safety guidance, funding, advocacy, and more. Sign up for our e-newsletter to get advance notice of the next field forum.- June 6, 2023: Understanding the New Core Knowledge and Competencies for Afterschool Professionals with Tricia Pawlik (watch recording here)
- May 23, 2023: Pronoun Use and Making Spaces LGBTQIA+ Inclusive with Amber Leventry
- May 16, 2023: How Do I Talk to Kids about LGBTQIA+ Topics? with Amber Leventry
- May 4, 2023: Understanding Trauma and Recovery with Beth Martell