The out-of-school time field (also known as after school, school-age childcare, enrichment, etc.) has a long history, starting in the late 1800’s in response to the Industrial Revolution in order to help give youth a place away from their work in factories as labor laws changed. Few in the field are aware of the rich […]
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The holidays have passed and the cold bleak of mid-winter is setting in. Staffing has stabilized for the most part and you are busy working on the new staff schedules to coincide with the changes that may have been made. January is a good time to reset. To rethink how the first half of the […]
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As program leaders we have all been there. The rush of registration is over, the program is settling in, things are going smoothly, and you finally have a minute before the next wave of holiday parties and supplies are needed. Take a breath, you made it past Halloween and are on the way to Thanksgiving […]
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Being a leader often means that you are the one that everyone sees as the organizer and planner of events. As we all know, it takes a team to pull off any large scale event or production. I remember when we used to do winter plays and each site would be responsible for something (props, […]
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By now, mid-October afterschool programs are moving along at a good pace. Children and staff know established routines, relationships have been formed, and we are rapidly moving toward the holiday season. This is a time to bring together the community, create connections and opportunities beyond the program, and recognize the place your program has within […]
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When we hear the terms “high-quality”, “impactful programming”, “standards of excellence”, “continuous quality improvement” they often sound like a far-off place we would like our programs to get to. An aspiration, something that takes time, effort, buy-in, and money. In the day-to-day of programming, integrating intentional quality improvement efforts are often challenging due to the […]
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By now, most programming is moving along. There may be some bugs to iron out, schedules to adjust, and supplies to buy for the upcoming season. How are you orchestrating all of the parts of the program? Are there key staff that help make it happen? October is a time to step back and recognize […]
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As the new school year starts we have an opportunity to rethink old habits, start new ones, explore interests, and become engaged in the field beyond your program. The Out-of-School Time field has grown and evolved over the past 24 years since the start of the Millenium. The field offers robust opportunities through federally funded […]
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Back in February, Shawna shared a worksheet to help staff create activities based on their own interests, and as promised she’s back with her tie-dye inspired activity, Ice Dye Color Theory. Shawna found her love for tie-dye, especially using the ice dye technique, during the pandemic. We even hosted a team building where the network […]
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This month Shawna had the team help her demo a few Mizzen activities! They gathered to create a call for art for the fall conference using the Teens Curate Teens Collection. The collection is a series of 6 activities, empowering teens to curate their very own art exhibition. The activities begin with developing a theme […]
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