Would you put a driver behind the wheel of a car alone after a single driving lesson? Probably not!

And while kids' healthy development is the most pressing concern in our field, we often do just this—provide a single training to youth workers and expect them to be ready, from becoming a STEM whiz to being trauma-informed. It may be due to a lack of money or time, and certainly not for a lack of concern. There's simply not enough support for youth work professionals trying to help kids thrive.

NAA's fourth Let's Talk the Future of Afterschool conversation, held June 17, 2020, welcomed Jen Siaca Curry of Change Impact, and Alison Overseth of Partnership for Afterschool Education (PASE), and focused on five ways to provide for the other half of education amid the coronavirus.

In the pursuit of equity and inclusion in out-of-school time, it's vital to ensure afterschool professionals are not either intentionally or accidentally perpetuating stereotypes and inequities that hold young people back from being successful.