Deeper_Dive_into_Afterschool

the Beacon Center that helped foster positive relationships include staff interacting personallywith students, using positive behavior management techniques, and being fair and inclusive.Prepared StaffDedication to staff development is an integral part ofemploying quality staff and helping staff buildpositive relationships with students. The New YorkCity Department of Youth and CommunityDevelopment’s (DYCD) Out-of-School TimePrograms for Youth (OST) initiative providestechnical assistance and professional developmentworkshops through the Partnership for After-SchoolEducation. 100 Staff meetings, internal stafforientations and external workshops are used asadditional sources of professional development.Higher Achievement in Washington, D.C., alsounderstands the importance of providing their staffwith the support they need. New hires have anumber of trainings over their first 90 days with theorganization to help ready them for their work withstudents. 101 Summer staff take part in a seven-dayorientation before they are placed in classrooms withstudents.“The challenge is more trying toget staff to think like the studentsthink if we are going to have aprogram that’s successful. Staffdon’t always get that. The staffneeds to learn to speak to middleschool kids. They aren’telementary students and theyaren’t high school students. Youhave to approach themdifferently. You can’t make themdo anything. The staff needs tothink, how did I think at thatage?”— Beacon Community CenterDirectorHigh Quality StaffThe Beacon Community Centers, located throughout New York City, are extremely intentionalin their staff hiring and in assigning staff member responsibilities. 102 College students andcertified teachers are hired to design, implement and lead academic activities. Specialists, suchas artists and dancers, are responsible for content-specific activities. A number of BeaconCenters also employ a master teacher or an educational specialist, in addition to program staff,to assist with curriculum development.Effective School PartnershipsThe Schools & Homes in Education (SHINE) afterschool program in rural Pennsylvaniacollaborates with school day teachers to align their programming with school day lessons andtarget their resources to best support the needs of their students. 103 SHINE program staffcommunicate regularly with school day teachers to help develop each student’s individualizedInstructional Plan. The plan—which is constantly updated and revised based on classroomteacher and guidance counselor input—allows the afterschool program to tailor their activities26