Here are my five takeaways from participants at the Colorado Afterschool Partnership Conference.
- When looking at Job Quality elements, there were many conversations around acknowledgment — those in leadership found it less essential for them to be recognized but most important for staff.
- Many conference attendees voiced the need for a registry of afterschool staff and national or state job posting boards.
- Career development, mentoring, and coaching were areas where providers felt they fell short but found it critical for the field.
- Attendees also suggested partnerships with higher education institutions to create an OST pipeline for staff and future OST educators.
- There was a concern amongst the attendees that funders did not want to fund higher wages and benefits.
Most of these statements reinforce discussions we are hearing and factors we are considering when building our Thriving Workforce Initiative. To learn more about NAA’s work in this area, check out the latest issue of AfterSchool Today, which highlights current field efforts showing progress and promising practices in building a future that values OST and provides professionals with job quality commensurate with their contributions and impact.
Check out these NAA resources:
- The Afterschool Professional's Guide to Self-Care
- The Afterschool Leadership Landscape: Supporting and Strengthening Racial Equity
- Influencing Stakeholders to Increase OST Job Quality
Contributed by Angelica Portillo, Director of Advocacy and Workforce Initiatives, National AfterSchool Association
