Sample Daily Checklist for School Age Programs

Are you currently open for school age child care during the COVID-19 outbreak? Thinking about opening? Take a look at this sample daily checklist from the YMCA. Click on the document to open both pages in a separate window where you can download it. Special thanks to our colleagues in Santa Clara County, California!

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SEL for the Provider

Hello! My name is Mary and I am a part-time Professional Development Specialist with the Network. It’s day five of working from home and I have to say I’m going a little stir crazy. Even though there’s plenty to do, there’s something about suggesting social distance and discouraging in-person human interaction that has me going […]

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Covid-19 Information for After School and Child Care Providers

The Centers for Disease Control has released information to help after school, child care, and schools plan, prepare and respond to the coronavirus. You can find this information here: https://tinyurl.com/qutmzgh. Please read this information, share it with your staff and partners. And consider helping the children in your care to understand the best way to […]

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Wait, I’m Working Remotely?!

Well that escalated quickly!   Here are 9 articles sharing information and resources about what you can do to prepare and care for yourself, your family, and your work in the coming weeks when it comes to some of the social and emotional aspects of being homebound.  Here are some resources to help make this […]

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Creating Culture in a Cafeteria Classroom – Chains

A Chain is Only as Strong as Its Weakest Link For many years, my extended Connecticut family has shared in an October multi-generational tradition. We choose a weekend before Halloween to go pumpkin picking together. We take a hayride, select our squash, and head home for some communal carving. These Pumpkin Pickin’ Days hold my […]

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Creating Culture in a Cafeteria Classroom

“Reel” Life Lessons for OST Success When I was a little girl, my Poppa wanted to teach me the virtues inherent in fishing as a hobby; patience, perseverance, and pride. He took me out to the local lake as soon as he thought I was ready. I remember very specific parts of this day vividly. […]

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The 4 Burners Theory

I belong to a cloud app called “pocket”.  It allows me to download interesting articles to save and/or read later; it also suggests interesting reads on my google page. I was intrigued when I came across one article called “The Downlside of Work Life Balance”.  Hmmm, the work-life balance.  We all struggle with that one. […]

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Creating Culture in a Cafeteria Classroom

The Allegory of the Oxygen Mask I have been flying on airplanes since I was a very young child.  Spending my mid-80s childhood-summers in Kansas, I would often fly alone to and from the Midwest; armed with a chapter book, a stuffed animal, and a super-secret safety word to ward off questionable strangers. I witnessed […]

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SEL Series:A Pooch at your After-school

Let’s take a look at the Mutt-I-Grees SEL curriculum I recall sitting in a meeting with one of our education coordinators, and he pitched the idea of dogs coming to 20 West, our middle and high school learning center. At first, I thought what? Dogs!?! I hesitated because I know most kids love dogs, but […]

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Social and Emotional Learning / After School & Summer Working Group

New Working Group Forming First meeting June 8th Interested in how afterschool and summer programs can better help kids and families in terms of social and emotional learning and behavioral health? The Connecticut After School Network is forming a new working group to help us implement a new grant to expand our trainings and resources […]

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