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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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We Are: Supporting Self-Awareness and Self-Management |
0.75 |
As staff, our understanding of how youth’s negative responses affect emotions and behaviors is a key lever in how we create opportunities for young people to develop social-emotional and character skills such as self-awareness and self-management. During this course, participants will learn about how young people’s responses affect personal emotion and behavior, and how group agreements can support safe environments. Participants will reflect on current strategies and will learn about resources to support the development of young people’s self-awareness and self-management skills. |
