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Creating an Inclusive Program |
2.00 |
With planning, training, and support, program staff can successfully include many children with special needs. Program staff must develop the skills necessary to assess the environment, materials, equipment, and activities to make the necessary modifications and accommodations so that all children and youth in their programs are successful. During this course, participants will discuss the law regarding inclusion as well as the attitude and reasonable accommodations needed to create an inclusive environment for children and youth with special needs. |
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Including Children and Youth with Disruptive Behaviors |
2.00 |
When working with children and youth, we encounter a wide range of behaviors. Effective behavior guidance strategies can help reduce the amount of time and energy spent addressing disruptive behaviors in the program. During this course, participants will explore the challenges of children and youth with disruptive behavior and learn strategies for effectively addressing these behaviors. |
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Effective Communication with Children and Youth |
2.00 |
We are constantly communicating with the children and youth in our program through our words and actions. It's important for program staff to think critically about their communication skills and habits in order to communicate effectively. During this course, participants will learn about effective and dynamic communication tools, strategies to check for understanding, and activities that engage children and youth in communication. |
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I Belong: Supporting Social Awareness and Interpersonal Skills |
2.00 |
We all have lived full lives with varied experiences, both positive and negative. Whether we are aware or not, our experiences, including our social, political and cultural beliefs and background, affect our practice with youth. During this course, participants will learn about how culturally grounded beliefs and background affect our practice with youth, how to help raise our awareness of those factors, and reflect on current and new strategies that support the development young people’s social-awareness and interpersonal skills. |
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I Can: Supporting Growth Mindset and Self-Efficacy |
2.00 |
We all have areas in our life that we approach with a growth mindset and others we approach with a fixed mindset. In order for us to be positive role models to youth, we as adults need to reflect on our own mindsets and how they may impact how we behave at work and with youth. During this course, participants will learn about what self-efficacy and growth mindset are, explore our own mindset and the potential impact it has on youth, and reflect on current and new strategies to support the development young people’s growth mindset and self-efficacy. |
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Exploring Curriculum Activities |
2.00 |
Today, more than ever, programs are being asked to integrate academic activities into programming. Improving academic performance and achievement requires us to intentionally create opportunities for children and youth to learn and discover their own interests, strengths, and talents within the academic areas. This course offers an overview of the six curriculum areas as defined by the California Department of Education, provides sample activities that address these curriculum areas, and explores the importance of including academics in a well-balanced program. |
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Leading with Head and Heart |
2.00 |
Those in leadership positions have a responsibility to both lead and manage.During this course, participants will understand the differences between the leadership and management, and the steps we can take to cultivate both. Participants will explore how leaders create safe, supportive environments by modeling self-awareness, interpersonal skills and growth mindset in how we lead and manage. |
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Understanding the Behavior of Children and Youth |
2.00 |
The development of children and youth can cause them to behave in ways that can be trying for even the most knowledgeable and experienced staff. When staff understands what is driving the behavior, they can help to guide and encourage acceptable behaviors. This course will provide participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to prevent unwanted behavior by meeting the needs of children and youth before they act out. |
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Homework Assistance |
2.00 |
Supporting children and youth with their homework is a basic element of nearly all out-of-school time programs, yet it is something that can be challenging for many OST professionals. During this course, participants examine the importance of homework assistance, as well as strategies and skills to provide effective homework assistance. |
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The Role of the Site Leader |
2.00 |
Supervising adults is challenging under any circumstances, but in out-of-school time, supervision can be even more challenging because those supervised needs to be independent workers who are creative, energetic, enthusiastic and calculated risk takers. The afterschool site leader must have an arsenal of skills and strategies to be both a leader and a supervisor. This course offers a basic overview of the roles and responsibilities of the site leader or supervisor and how those roles support a culture of team excellence and mutual support. |
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Introduction to Evaluation |
2.00 |
Quality programs operate with the idea that they will change, improve, and grow. Knowing how to identify areas needing improvement is the key to program quality, which must be continually evaluated to identify strengths and weaknesses. In this course, participants will learn what evaluation is, why it is important for programs, and ways they can evaluate their own programs. |
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Creating Respect and Safety |
2.00 |
Out-of-school time programs provide a safe space for children and youth, both physically and emotionally. Staff need to understand how to create safe environments to ensure that children and youth feel safe in order to fully participate in the program. This course will provide participants the opportunity to explore their own relationship to safety and support, set group agreements for the series, and discover their FRAME. |
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Incentives and Motivation |
2.00 |
Motivation, incentives and rewards can help pull a team together and keep a successful staff on track. In our profession, incentives rarely come in the form of extra earnings, so we have to be creative in designing incentives. During this course, participants will look at several strategies for providing meaningful incentives for staff, as well as techniques to determine what motivates them and their staff. |
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Cultural Competence: Diversity, Identity, and Engagement |
2.00 |
Many programs engage children, youth, families, and staff from diverse cultural backgrounds. In order to best serve their community, out-of-school time program staff need to develop the vocabulary and skills to engage with people from different cultures. During this course, participants will explore how culture can impact and shape individuals, examine their own cultural identities and how these identities may impact their interactions with others, and levels of engagement with diverse groups. |
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Supervising with Head and Heart |
2.00 |
Like young people, our own social-emotional and character competencies are important to reflect on if our desire is to create environments in which adults can successfully support young people in developing such skills. In this course, participants will explore social-emotional and character skills that support supervisors, as well as the personal roadblocks, power and potential pitfalls that supervisors may experience. Participants will also become familiar with a management framework to strengthen their supervision. |
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Knowing Yourself as a Leader |
2.00 |
Leadership in out-of-school time programs ranges from simple observation to active participation in program design and implementation. Leadership is an on-going process involving continuous learning, and taking time to discover their values, goals, skills, talents, and strengths will help staff to understand the type of leaders they are and the type of leaders they desire to be. In this course, participants will learn to develop a personal mission statement and identify strengths and weaknesses in skill development. |
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Coaching with Head and Heart |
2.00 |
Leaders and managers need strategies to support others in their own growth and development. In this course, participants will be introduced to a coaching process that supports individuals to make more conscious decisions, build off their strengths and internal resources and take new action. Participants will understand when coaching is needed, the mindset required, and the critical skills needed for effective coaching, including deep listening and inquiry. |
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Going Deeper: Supporting Social-Emotional Learning and Character Development |
2.00 |
It is important for staff to reflect on the practices they are implementing throughout the program to create environments in which young people can experience social-emotional learning and practice character skills. Just as important, staff must reflect on their own personal social-emotional and character competencies and how they demonstrate those in the program, acting as a role model for program participants. During this course participants will complete a self-reflection tool to identify actions they can take to strengthen their abilities to support social-emotional and character skill development. |
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Integrating Academics and Enrichment |
2.00 |
It is essential that skills presented during the instructional day are reinforced by the learning opportunities presented in out-of-school time programs. Presenting materials in alternative learning formats encourages children and youth to participate, and it is through this participation that programs help promote mastery. During this course, participants will develop an understanding of the California Content Standards for Public Schools, including the Common Core Standards, and explore how to integrate them into a balanced afterschool program. |
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Developmental Trends 101 |
2.00 |
In order to provide developmentally appropriate programming, it's important to understand how children and youth develop physically, emotionally, and cognitively. This course will provide information about the developmental trends that are associated with different age-groups (K-8) and how these trends relate to day-to-day programming. |
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The Role of Staff in Behavior Guidance: Middle and High School Students |
2.00 |
Guiding and managing the behavior of youth are some of the biggest challenges that out-of-school time program staff face.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand your reactions to the behaviors of children and youth, and learn to use this information to respond more effectively.
- Learn to use behavior guidance strategies at the appropriate time. |
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The Role of Staff in Behavior Guidance: Elementary Students |
2.00 |
Guiding and managing the behavior of children and youth are some of the biggest challenges that out-of-school time program staff face. Staff needs to be actively engaged in supporting children and youth in:
1. Building inner self-control.
2. Making and fostering friendships with children and youth from all backgrounds.
3. Making responsible, age-appropriate choices.
4. Understanding natural and logical consequences for behaviors.
5. Taking responsibility for behaviors.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand your reactions to the behaviors of children and youth, and learn to use this information to respond more effectively.
- Learn to use behavior guidance strategies at the appropriate time. |
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Community Resource Mapping |
2.00 |
English Learner families can often benefit from accessing low-cost/free services such as legal services, English classes, food banks etc. Afterschool Programs often do not have the resources to provide all of the services that they would like to provide to English Learners and their families.
This course serves as a compliment to Healthy Cultural Identities and Engaging Families and Communities, an in-person training offered through CalSAC's English Learner Training and Professional Development Project. This online course can also be used by a wide audience to help participants engage with an example of what Community Resource Mapping looks like. |
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Communicating with Families |
2.00 |
Communication and positive relationships with families improve when program staff recognize family members as partners. Staff can benefit from acknowledging their feelings about families and identifying how these feelings help or hinder working with families. This course provides participants the opportunity to identify their attitudes towards families, consider how their attitudes can enhance or detract from their ability to develop positive relationships with families, and examine how a program’s overall environment supports strong staff-family communication. |
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Creating a Quality Summer Program |
2.00 |
CalSAC partnered with the Summer Matters campaign to create our Quality Summer Program training series. Summer months bring unique opportunities for learning outside the traditional school year and walls. High quality summer learning programs change students’ lives for the better with an opportunity to improve their academic achievement and readiness to learn. Developing quality programs requires intentional, ongoing development. Engage in activities that will help identify and strengthen the quality of your summer learning program.
Creating a Quality Summer Program is the first module in the Quality Summer Programming Training series. In this module, participants will learn about the importance of high quality summer learning programs for youth, elements of high-quality summer programs and effective tools to guide programs in their ongoing development of quality programming. |
