People too often associate leadership with a status to be earned, or a title that bestows power. Certainly, under some circumstances, those definitions are accurate. But I like to think of leadership differently.
Over the years, one of the biggest and most consistent concerns and struggles I've heard from program administrators concerns how to engage parents and families. Many times, program staff reach out and get limited response or involvement.
When Jackie Cushman's daughter started kindergarten in fall 2014, she attended an afterschool program and came home every night with awesome projects and stories to share. Jackie noticed two things: first, her daughter would enthusiastically list facts about a new theme each week; second, her daughter was learning a lot by having a lot of fun.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math—the subjects called STEM—continue to be a major focal point in education. This urgent focus on STEM came from the growing concern that education was not providing the building blocks necessary for students to achieve successful future employment in an increasingly technical world.
Out-of-school time providers are in a unique position to support or hinder healthy eating and physical activity for youth.
One million Americans will come together at 8,000 events on Thursday, October 20, to celebrate the 17th annual Lights On Afterschool. Registration is now open. Join in to shine a light on the impact your program is making!
The NAA Core Knowledge and Competencies (CKCs) for Afterschool and Youth Development Professionals were designed through the collaborative efforts of NAA, the Child & Youth Care Certification Board, and the National Institute of Out-of-School Time.
A strong afterschool workforce is key to program quality and positive youth outcomes. Can competency-based recognition in the form of micro-credentials and digital badges help develop the skills, confidence, and careers of afterschool professionals? We think so! This cool infographic helps explain how.
Last year, I felt like a Gen Xer living in a millennial's world. Wait—who am I kidding? That's exactly what I was! This year is different. I realized that I'd somehow grown from latchkey, Doc Martens, and MTV of the '70s and '80s to afterschool for all, casual Fridays and Twitter for the 21st Century!
YouTube now has more viewers ages 18-49 than television. It currently streams over 6 billion hours of video every month and they are in no danger of running out of content with 400 hours of video being uploaded every minute. Thankfully YouTube has matured and is not just for cat videos anymore!
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