Professional Development
NAA publishes fresh, new content every week covering a wide variety of topics related to the field of aftershool. In addition, NAA offers a variety of opportunities for virtual professional development (PD) through meaningful content, conversations and connections. Click here to see full descriptions of virtual PD offerings.
Leading Through Transition
Thursday, 22 June 2017 10:43My daughter just finished her last year of elementary school. Next year, middle school will be a big, scary, exciting (fill in with any adjective you want—I think they all work!) transition for her and our family.
Squiggle Park: An Innovative Tool to Improve Reading through Play!
Tuesday, 20 June 2017 06:30There's a new tool on the scene speeding up the development of reading skills for kids in preschool through third grade—and it's done through a video game!
Finding the Balance Between 'Knew' and 'New'
Tuesday, 20 June 2017 06:21A few weeks ago, I wrote about my visit to our NAA storage facility to go through years and years of organizational files. With NAA's 30th anniversary coming up in 2018, I find myself spending more and more time thinking about how to honor the past of our work, while also looking toward the future.
Spatial Thinking: Essential for STEM Career Success
Tuesday, 13 June 2017 00:00Spatial thinking, or reasoning, is the capacity to mentally or physically understand the location and movement of objects and ourselves in space. It is not a single ability or process, but a number of concepts, tools and processes that work together.
Stop the Summer Slide: Tips to Share with Families
Tuesday, 13 June 2017 00:00Children can lose one to two months of math and reading skills during summer break. Although summer programs help prevent learning loss—also known as the summer slide—families play a key role in continuing their children's learning and combating this loss.
Professionalizing the Workforce in Out-of-School Time and School-Age Child Care
Tuesday, 13 June 2017 00:00On March 21, 2017, the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE) hosted a webinar as part of NAA's Convention in Dallas.
The Arts and Summer Learning: A Transformative Combination
Tuesday, 30 May 2017 10:20The arts are powerful tools for learning in any setting, inside and outside the classroom. Yet when you bring the arts to kids outside of the demands of the school day, their imaginations light up. They use the arts as a creative gateway to success.
Afterschool Is Amazing. Own It.
Monday, 22 May 2017 00:00Last month, afterschool professionals across the nation celebrated Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week, April 24 through April 28. During these few days, we encouraged celebration of those who deliver the incredibly important—yet often undervalued—task of providing direct service in out-of-school programs to youth every day.
Preventing Teen Suicide in Response to ‘13 Reasons Why’
Monday, 22 May 2017 00:00The latest Netflix hit, 13 Reasons Why is based on a novel of the same name by Jay Asher. It chronicles fictional teenager Hannah Baker's death by suicide. Before her death, Hannah records a series of 13 tapes, blaming people—and providing reasons—for her death.
Multisensory Learning in the Digital Age
Tuesday, 09 May 2017 09:00Have you ever danced to learn a new letter of the alphabet? Research shows that employing multiple senses may have significant benefits for learning new skills. Multisensory learning involves two or more senses within the same activity.
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