-
Develop a program improvement plan using a program evaluation tool.
Assessment Strategies
Complete a program assessment
Write an improvement plan
Write observational notes on effectiveness of improvements
Complete a follow-up program assessment
Write a continuous improvement plan based on program goals
Criteria
Use a program evaluation tool (SACERS or other credible tool) to do a program assessment.
Develop an improvement plan based on your assessment.
Use observational notes to determine the effectiveness of the improvements
Re-assess your program
Develop a plan for continually working to meet these goals
-
Implement a health and safety plan for an after school program.
Assessment Strategies
Complete a health and safety evaluation of your program
Write a health and safety improvement plan
Write three new activities that promote health and safety
Write a statement about your role in the health and wellness of the children you serve
Evaluate your programs safety and emergency plans
Write an updated safety and emergency plan
Facilitate a new employee orientation to at least one other person from your class related to health and safety in an out-of-school program
Write a field trip plan and include all of the health and safety concerns to be addressed
Criteria
Assess the health and safety of your program your space, and activities using DCF Regulations and the Active Early/ Healthy Bites
Develop an improvement plan based on your assessment and include this in your portfolio
Develop three new activities based on Active Early/Healthy Bites.
Read your programs safety and emergency plans and determine if there is anything missing.
Develop a new employee checklist of topics to discuss with all new employees working in a youth program.
Plan a field trip and consider all of the health and safety concerns for the trip
-
Develop communication plans conducive to an after school program.
Assessment Strategies
Document family communications in your program for one week
Write an assessment of how you might change your current communications strategy with families
Write a family communication plan/schedule with special considerations
Write a plan for a community building event with a desired outcome
Document school/classroom teacher communications for one week
Write an assessment of how you might change your current communications strategy with the school/classroom teachers
Write a school and /or classroom teachers communication plan
Submit a binder of community resources for families
Criteria
Log your communications with families in your program for one week.
Describe a communication plan and schedule to include all types of family communication- daily, weekly, conferences, etc. including special concerns with each type of communication
Plan a community building event, including all of the factors to consider, barriers, how to work around these barriers, and the desired outcome
Keep a log of the different types and frequency of communication with the children's school/classroom teachers for one week.
Develop a plan for improving communication with the school and or classroom teachers.
Assemble a binder of community resources for families and children.
-
Create a professional development plan.
Assessment Strategies
Write a paper about your strengths and three areas you would like to improve upon
Complete the self-assessment tool to make a list of goals for yourself
Write a professional development plan for yourself
Write about a situation where the NAA Code of Ethics would be a useful tool
Write about one positive teacher/mentor from your own childhood
Write a personal philosophy of yourself as a positive teacher/mentor
Criteria
Read the NAA Core Competencies and assigned section of Half a Childhood
Read Bringing Yourself to Work
Identify your strengths and three areas you would like to improve in reference to NAA Core Competencies and Half a Childhood
Create a professional development plan for yourself-1, 5, & 20 years
Examine a situation when the NAA Code of Ethics would be a useful tool
Recall one positive teacher/mentor from your own childhood and what made them a good teacher/mentor.
Develop a personal philosophy of how you see yourself as a positive teacher/mentor and how you have grown or what you have learned through the credential courses
-
Design activities and schedules that incorporate the unique needs of school-age children.
Assessment Strategies
Take observational notes of your program and the likes, dislikes, moods, and interactions of the enrolled children
Write an improvement plan for how you will address each child’s needs in your program through the daily schedule including transitions and ongoing, long term activities
Write a comparison of a well-planned transition and a poorly planned transition and include ideas about planning for transitions in your program.
Complete the program checklist from Half a Childhood, and make a list of you would change about your program
Write a plan for an activity for a variety of age groups describing the developmental differences that you considered
Write a plan for three community service projects that will help with the ethical development of the children in your program
Write a comparison of child-centered & project based approaches to learning and other traditional approaches
Compose an argument for why it is important to consider different learning styles when planning activities
Write a personal reflection about how you have grown and changed through the Afterschool and Youth Development Credential
Criteria
Observe the children in your program as a group, noting what is working well and what is not working well.
Design a daily schedule for your group that meets children’s needs, with special consideration for transitions.
Compare what a well-planned transition looks like, and what a poorly planned transition looks like.
List what you observed in your program and what you would change about your program.
Plan activities for groups of 6 year olds, 8 year olds, 10 year olds, and 12 year olds and describe their developmental differences.
Plan three community service projects and describe how the ethical development of the children in your program will be affected.
Compare the child-centered & project-based approaches to learning and how they differ from traditional approaches to learning.
Describe the different learning styles and why it is important to consider different learning styles when planning activities.
-
Incorporate final required components into After School and Youth Program Credential Portfolio.
Assessment Strategies
Complete required portfolio elements according to portfolio guide
Add required portfolio elements under the appropriate tab
Manage portfolio regularly with required components for eventual submission
Submit completed portfolio for final review
Correct and re-submit portfolio, as needed
Criteria
Identify components required for final submission to the Credential Commission
Review and update portfolio for final submission