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For more than two decades, NIOST has been the national leader in providing highly interactive, research based training for directors and staff, school administrators, community leaders, and others committed to providing high quality after school programs for children and youth.
All of our training, except for our annual Summer Seminar series, is conducted in the field upon request. Clients arrange a local training event with NIOST that typically draws 20-40 participants. Two NIOST Training Associates plan and deliver the training, while a local sponsor, such as a Resource and Referral Agency, State Government Agency, City Agency, or State or Local Provider Association, coordinates the publicity and logistics. This model allows for maximum local participation. If a client has a small number of potential participants, it may make fiscal sense to send the group to the annual Summer Seminars series in Boston.
Opportunities for individual participants to attend NIOST trainings include our annual Summer Seminar series held in July in Boston. NIOST has been hosting its annual Seminars since 1999. The goal of our Summer Seminars is to provide training for after-school professionals from all over the country which can be attended as individuals. In addition, this series of events allows participants to connect with other professionals outside of their community, and thus create a potential national network among the field.
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Project Based Learning Workshop
The National Institute on Out-Of-School Time is pleased to announce its new two day experiential, hands-on Project Based Learning Workshop for Afterschool Program providers.
SAYO
The SAYO Evaluation System provides reliable information on how program participants have changed and what gains they have made over the course of the year. More information.
A project based learning activity approach to organizing afterschool curriculum is designed for those who want to provide opportunities for children and youth to apply knowledge and skills learned in school to the in-depth, long term designing and implementation of project ideas.
The workshop covers the strategies for conducting child/youth run projects: how to begin; what to expect; methods used to coach the learners through a project; how to assess child/youth's efforts; determining the ways involvement in projects supports and meets children and youth developmental needs; determining the learning standard links to literacy development, science, math, problem solving, arts, and social studies within the project; and mapping the project components, directions, phases, and outcomes.
In order to learn NIOST's project based learning approach, workshop participants will map and develop potential project based learning experiences; watch video tapes of children involved in a project; analyze the processes and phases of typical projects; brainstorm the potential directions of one project tailored to the needs of your after school program, and generate potential project titles relevant to your site.
For more information contact Kathy Schleyer at kschleye@wellesley.edu.
The NIOST Quality Advisor Training prepares participants to provide technical assistance to programs working on program improvements. We recommend that Quality Advisor training participants have 3 or more years experience as a school-age care practitioner, staff supervisor and/or consultant.
Goals of Training:
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Learn to build a mentoring relationship with each program. |
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Learn to support programs at all developmental stages. |
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Learn to use observations to identify areas for program support. |
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Build confidence and skills as a Quality Advisor through a hands on learning experience. |
Targeted Audience:
Programs working on program improvements.
Training Content:
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Two days of training on content areas identified in the training goals above. |
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In addition, there is a review session on the ASQ process, NAA Standards, and NAA Program Improvement and Accreditation System. |
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Includes a supervised site visit to a local program for each group of approximately 5 participants to practice observation skills and tool use. Plus a facilitator led debriefing session that begins the practice of learning how to implement technical assistance. |
Connecting the Multiple Worlds of Children
School, after-school, home, peers, and community, each shape the lives of young people. Time children spend at out-of-school programs should complement the other aspects of their lives. This training will provide tools for creating after-school programs that effectively connect children's multiple worlds, building on the latest research on topics such as resiliency and homework support.
Communication and Coordination with Schools and Families
School-age programs are coming under increased pressure to become academic in nature, more of an extended school day. Yet we know kids need a balance of work and play in their lives. This training will focus on strategies school age programs can use to communicate and coordinate effectively with schools and parents about children’s learning, building on the latest research on engagement and motivation.
Goals of Training:
To learn strategies for increasing out-of-school time learning supports for children and youth through:
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Increasing Youth Motivation |
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Communication and coordination with schools |
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Family involvement |
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Community partnerships |
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Homework Centers |
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Tools for learning |
Targeted Audience:
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Site Directors |
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Program Leaders |
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21st CCLC Coordinators |
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School Administrators |
Training Content:
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Two days of training or |
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Custom 2 1/2 day training. On the 1/2 day following the 2 days of training, supervisors and school administrators work together on implementation plans for Links to Learning activities. |
Our highly-regarded Effective Management in Out-of-School Time: A Directors' Retreat training includes the option of different tracks: one for executive directors of multi-site agencies, and the other designed for directors and coordinators of single site programs. The Directors' Retreat supports out-of-school time program directors by developing leadership and advocacy skills and establishing a peer network.
Goals of Training:
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To create a climate that celebrates diversity, fosters learning, and models teambuilding. |
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To give participants a window into guiding program improvement. |
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To expose participants to contemporary leadership and change theories. |
Targeted Audience:
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Directors ready to increase their management skills. |
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Directors who are new or from programs experiencing staff turnover or parent dissatisfaction. |
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Directors seeking to make changes. |
Training Content:
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Two days of training. |
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The training can be customized for two tracks of participants: one designed for directors and coordinators of single site programs, and the other designed specifically for executive directors of multi-site agencies. |
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Trainers assist directors to begin to set goals for staff development, marketing, family responsiveness, and other quality improvements. |
The First Steps Training will familiarize participants with standards for quality after-school programs and begin a process of making program improvements which reflect those standards. Through interactive group sessions and hands-on activities, participants are introduced to the six elements of quality: Human Relationships, Indoor and Outdoor Environments, Activities, Safety, Health and Nutrition, and Administration.
Goals of Training:
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Learn tools to ensure continuous quality improvement. |
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Learn team-building skills that will support these improvements. |
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Create improvement strategies which are individualized to the participants specific programs. |
Targeted Audience:
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Program teams composed of one director and one staff member. |
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Programs interested in taking action to improve quality. |
Training Content:
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Three days of training. |
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Follow-up technical assistance available. |
TeamsWork! Training is designed for program teams comprised of program directors, staff, parents, hosts, or other program stake holders interested in making targeted program improvements. Training provides a comprehensive review of the elements of quality and the ASQ (Advancing School-Age Care Quality) process of self-evaluation.
Goals of Training:
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Learn program observation techniques to rate programs according to NAA Standards for Quality School Age Care |
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Learn to work on program improvement as a team. |
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Use new skills to develop a collaborative vision to guide the development, implementation, and evaluation of targeted action plans. |
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Review the NAA accreditation process and procedure. |
Targeted Audience:
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Program teams of four or more members including director, staff, and parent(s). |
Training Content:
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Two days of training. |
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Overview of ASQ |
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Leadership Styles |
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Teambuilding |
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Conflict Resolution |
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Learning to Use the Program Observation Tool |
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Working as an ASQ Team |
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Action Planning |
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