Resource Database

Every year, college students work in summer and afterschool programs, but they rarely continue as career professionals in the field of expanded learning. “The Value of Mentoring,” an article in AfterSchool Today, the National AfterSchool Association's official publication, explores the role that professional mentoring plays in encouraging young expanded learning staff to become career professionals. The article outlines the traits of good mentors and mentees and explains how mentoring represents an investment in afterschool programs. 

It is always important for afterschool programs to make the case for afterschool and highlight ways our programs support students, their families, schools, and the community. This archived webinar from Afterschool Alliance brings together perspectives from several afterschool programs to discuss how they have raised awareness and generated support for their programs in challenging times.

These tip sheets from the Child Welfare Information Gateway are designed for service providers to share with parents and caregivers in the context of a particular concern or question. The tip sheets provide a starting point for a discussion between parent and provider that is grounded in protective factors. The information is easy to read and focuses on concrete steps that parents can take to strengthen their families.

As schools offer remote instruction or a hybrid of in-person and remote instruction, educators must find new ways to engage students and their families. This article from the Global Family Research Project shares lessons learned from online learning and outlines strategies that educators can use to engage families.

Keeping It Real in Family Partnership is a video storytelling project that aims to inspire conversations about how out-of-school time (OST) practitioners and families from diverse cultural backgrounds partner to support children. The stories highlight promising practices and explore the experiences of families and OST professionals. Each video story is supported by a series of guiding questions that families and OST professionals can reflect on as they develop stronger partnerships. The series also has a facilitators’ guide with resources to use with OST staff.

When students creatively engage with historical materials, they can find the study of history more meaningful. This article from Edutopia provides examples of inquiry-based learning history projects such as podcasts and photography. The article shares strategies and lessons learned from the activities.

School closures have exposed deep inequities in education. An article on KQED’s Mind/Shift shares principles of culturally responsive instruction that educators can use during remote instruction. Strategies include deepening background knowledge, cultivating cognitive routines, and building word wealth.

In response to events that have highlighted ongoing systemic racism and violence against the Black community, CASEL has offered a webinar series to prioritize equity and explicitly discuss racial injustice and equity through the lens of SEL. Topics include cultivating and communicating commitment, adult SEL to support antiracist practices, elevating student voice and vision, authentic partnerships with families and communities, and policy and data practices that dismantle inequities.

Since transitioning to remote learning, schools have drastically changed how staff, students, families, and communities engage with one another. From Response to Reopening: State Efforts to Elevate Social and Emotional Learning During the Pandemic, a new brief from CASEL, provides recommendations for states to continue their support of social and emotional learning (SEL) as schools prepare for the fall.