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Working in an afterschool program involves taking on many roles and interacting with a variety of people, including staff, parents, and children. This article from the National AfterSchool Association outlines effective communication techniques that afterschool practitioners can use to help maintain a clear vision of the program's goals, clarify expectations of staff and students, and assure parents that their children are in good hands.

The beginning of the school year provides an opportunity to meet new school-day staff and renew relationships. This blog post from the Center for the Collaborative Classroom offers ideas and strategies for coordinating with school leaders so you can make the most of your afterschool program.

In 2003, The Wallace Foundation began an initiative to help five cities develop afterschool systems, a coordination of efforts and resources among government agencies, private funders, and afterschool programs. Growing Together, Learning Together, a Wallace Perspective report, focuses on the four components of afterschool system building that the most current evidence and experience suggest are essential: strong leadership from major players, coordination that fits local context, effective use of data, and a comprehensive approach to quality.

Good attendance is key to student success, and afterschool programs can play a critical role in partnering with schools to support and reinforce good attendance habits. To help educators promote good attendance year round, Attendance Works is hosting its annual September is Attendance Awareness Month. The Attendance Works website has planning tools and promotional materials available for schools and other organizations to use.

Common sense and research suggest that students are more likely to attend school when they feel connected to caring adults or fellow students who notice whether they show up and can help them overcome challenges to attendance. The Power of Positive Connections, a resource from Attendance Works, outlines a strategy that educators can use to identify the students and families most at risk and helps them build positive relationships that promote regular attendance.

The website eLearning Infographics has a variety of free infographics on topics ranging from the value of extracurricular activities and ways to improve study habits to making homework fun and cyberbullying. Educators can also submit infographics to share on the site.

Hosted by the U.S. Department of Education’s You for Youth (Y4Y) website, this webinar presents strategies and best practices for setting up parent advisory boards. It also outlines tools and resources that afterschool programs can use for advisory board development.

This spring the Afterschool Alliance has hosted several new webinars to help practitioners improve afterschool instruction and programming. Recent topics include social media, keeping students active and healthy, building literacy, and using traditional and social media to support fitness and healthy eating. Free registration is required to access the webinar recordings.

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Team in the Division of College and Career Readiness at ISBE and the Illinois Quality Afterschool Team invite you to participate in our webinar, High School Afterschool: Challenges and Opportunities. This webinar will highlight innovative strategies used by high school afterschool programs to successfully navigate common challenges such as student recruitment, retention, maintaining quality staff, and developing meaningful partnerships. The webinar takes place on August 20 at 10 a.m. CDT. Register on the Illinois Quality Afterschool website.

Partnerships between schools, expanded learning programs, and community-based organizations can play a key role in supporting school improvement and student learning. This resource guide from ExpandED Schools by TASC offers a guide to the strategic questions school teams might ask themselves and their potential partners to have the best outcomes for young people. The guide includes questions and a scoring rubric.