Professional Development

If someone throws you a ball, you'll probably catch it. You'll probably at least reach for it. Even if there's no real reason for you to, you probably will.

If someone throws you a ball, you'll probably catch it. You'll probably at least reach for it. Even if there's no real reason for you to, you probably will.

February 20, 2020 –Inequities persist when it comes to the recruitment, hiring and retention of people of color for leadership positions in afterschool according to a new report published by the National AfterSchool Association (NAA) and authored by Policy Studies Associates.

As employees and human beings, staff members want to feel valuable and valued.

As employees and human beings, staff members want to feel valuable and valued.

Experts agree that a key ingredient in getting young people really engaged in afterschool or out-of-school time programs is giving youth opportunities to develop as leaders. Service is another key ingredient that's intimately linked to leadership—like two sides of a coin, the coin of self-efficacy.

Part of my job at NAA is to communicate the importance of quality.

Still not comfortable with the reality of millennials in the workplace? You may get your mind blown by the Generation Z cohort—your next class of interns. According to Forbes, Generation Z made up 25 percent of the U.S. population in 2015, making them a larger cohort than baby boomers or millennials.

In many learning communities, one of the biggest challenges facing the afterschool profession is the process of aligning programs with the regular school day. Conceptualization of an aligned learning day involves sharing a mission, vision, turf, resources, and core beliefs about where children and youth can learn.

In the 1950s, acclaimed journalist Edward R. Murrow hosted a radio show titled This I Believe.