Sustainability- Financial Management in Afterschool
Coaches: Jenifer Gager Holland and Rachel Scott, The Finance Project
Leaders of high-quality afterschool programs are often managing a whole host of responsibilities: program design, staffing, evaluation and the like. Each of these elements has associated costs and revenues that must be planned for, tracked, and reported on effectively if the program is to be sustained over time. This strand will equip program leaders with a sound foundation of fiscal management skills; and provide opportunities to apply general fiscal management principles and practices to real-life situations in your program. The training does not attempt to make program leaders into accountants. Rather, participants in this strand will receive tools, training and help to: increase their financial management skills and knowledge; understand how to configure their organization’s financial operations; and set expectations for board members and staff. Afterschool leaders that participate in this training will become better prepared to fulfill their leadership role, meet their accountability responsibilities, and support decision-making that produces and sustains good results for children, families, and communities. This strand is appropriate for K—12 programs.

Video Production to Promote Afterschool
Coaches: Luke Stafford, Mondo Mediaworks; and Sara McKellogg, Gypsy Carolina Mediaworks
With the proliferation of high-speed Internet, video-sharing sites like YouTube, and relatively inexpensive video gear and editing software, online video has exploded in the last decade. People not only watch videos for entertainment, they look to them for information. This offers a new medium to communicate with the world in an intimate, engaging way. This strand will teach the basics of online video production, covering everything from turning on a video camera to audio and lighting techniques; interviewing methods to how to tell a story in 2 minutes or less (the online attention span is THAT short); to how to upload to video sharing sites and maximize search engine exposure.  Trainings will cover the following topics in depth: digital storytelling, video production, editing, and uploading online.  Luke Stafford will lead the ISS-AP trainings and individualized support will be provided by Sara McKellogg and will include technical queries and support around the storytelling aspect of video production.  This strand is appropriate for K—12 programs.

Youth Program Quality Intervention (YPQI)
Coaches: Holly Morehouse, Vermont Center for Afterschool Excellence working with Trainers from the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality
Many high-quality afterschool programs work to help children and youth build positive developmental assets. However, programs often struggle with how to measure outcomes related to areas such as social-emotional learning, self-confidence, or youth voice. The Youth Program Quality Intervention (YPQI) offers a research-based tool and methodology for looking at program practices and environment through a youth engagement lens. This strand will teach programs how to use the Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA) tool to evaluate their program practices. Using this information, programs will then self-select areas of improvement, develop a plan of action, and access relevant staff trainings to help them get there— ultimately leading to improved outcomes for children and youth. This is a site-based strand involving a full pilot of YPQI and is limited to 10 sites. Sites that are ready to conduct an honest assessment of their practices and that are open to implementing program improvement changes should participate. One or two leaders per site (e.g., director and site coordinator or assistant) should participate in the workshops and webinars. This strand is appropriate for programs serving all grade levels and is particularly recommended for middle/ high school programs (grades 4—12).

Create Capacity to Engage, Teach and Build Community
Coach: Jen Stanchfield, Experiential Tools
Build an “Inspired Program.” Join in this interactive and collaborative strand and explore: (1) Methods to build a program structure that increases student engagement, community building, and experiential approaches to learning; (2) Techniques to help your staff consistently provide opportunities for youth to learn and practice important social and emotional skills day to day; and (3) Reflective tools and techniques that your program can use to create lasting lessons with students and tell the story of your successes. Educators will gain tools and strategies for increasing community building, collaboration and involvement during staff training, family night events, student leadership programs, and summer programs. Experiential approaches to delivering program content blended with active reflection techniques will help programs meet curricular goals and increase connections between the school day and after school.  Reflective techniques will cultivate connections between the after school program and future learning and will help programs create a permanent record of outcomes. Staff training will be offered as a component to the individualized support offered through this ISS-AP strand.  This strand is appropriate for K—12 programs

Setting a Vision for Excellence in Summer Programming
Coach: Jennifer Brady, JBrady Consulting
Research and practice tells us that summer programming needs to look and feel different from the school day and from the afterschool program. But how do you create and run an engaging, high-quality summer program? This strand will address the planning and preparation needed to offer top notch experiences for young people and will also provide real-time guidance on challenges faced in the summer. Participants in this strand will explore what makes summer special, what the research says youth need, and what programs are doing to make a difference. Workshops will be spent identifying areas of need in Vermont and diving into challenges and solutions. The focus of this strand will be on program design and development.  This strand is intentionally being offered in fall 2011 to allow ample time for planning to occur for summer 2012. Information presented within this strand is appropriate for directors who currently run summer programs, as well as those who are planning to start a summer program. This strand is appropriate for K—12 programs.