Courses

Introduction to the School-Age Care Profession

This course provides entry-level knowledge and skills for individuals as they begin to or intend to care for school-age children in group or family child care settings. This course will provide a foundation for the importance of Out-of-School time programs and explore the philosophy and goals for high quality programs. It examines and identifies the rules and regulations governing group and family child care for school-age children and the responsibilities of the providers.

This course will fulfill the first introductory non- credit course requirements for a school-age group leader (teacher) as specified in DCF Chapters 250 and 251 for family and group day care in Wisconsin's Administrative Code as it applies to school-age care.

Guiding Children’s Behavior in After School Programs

This course explores our individual understanding of behavior guidance and how our experiences and philosophy influence how we guide the behavior of the children.  The importance of relationship building with children is an essential component to behavior guidance will be explored.  This course will also share multiple strategies for dealing with challenging situations and the many techniques we have available to help children gain the skills to regulate and monitor their own behavior. 

This is a Tier 3 training opportunity, carries 15 hours of continuing education credits, is approved by YoungStar, and is part of an alternative pathway to becoming a group leader.

School Age Curricular Framework

School-age Curricular Framework defines and explores curriculum within the context of after school programs and help staff develop the resources necessary to create intentional learning experiences and activities to support both academic and social-emotional learning of school age children.  Participants will gain an understanding of key elements and developmental concepts that go into creating a framework for curriculum and develop strategies for activity and lesson planning.  Developmentally appropriate practice will be explored as well as the creation of desired outcomes and goals and the impact of climate and physical environment that fosters learning.

This training provides 15 hours of continuing education Tier 3 training on the Registry and meets the YoungStar criteria for an optional point and is part of an alternative pathway to becoming a group leader.

Trauma‐Informed Care Approach to Afterschool Programs 

Trauma is one of the key leverage points that can underlie serious behavioral health problems and contribute to problematic behaviors, life circumstances, and community consequences for many children. Early identification of trauma resulting from Adverse Childhood Experiences is critically important. School‐age afterschool programs, equipped with the knowledge of how to be trauma informed and trauma responsive can play a vital role in not only identifying a need for trauma related intervention but provide engaging experiences that build positive adaptive skills and social and emotional skills for kids who at the end of their school day may have exhausted their self‐regulation capacity.

Participants will understand the wide spectrum of adverse childhood experiences and the impact these have on the development and behavior of children in afterschool care as well as understand brain development in early childhood and adolescence and the impact of trauma.  Strategies and resources available to afterschool providers will be explored that can be immediately and effectively implemented within the context of afterschool program.  And how to create an afterschool environment and begin to examine individual capacity that builds supportive relationships with children and youth in order for them to acquire self‐regulation and sensory processing skills to manage their life situations.

This training provides 15 hours of continuing education Tier 3 training on the Registry.

Equity and Inclusion in Afterschool Programs 

This course is designed to help after school programs create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all children and their families. The course will explore our own biases and how they impact our interactions with children and their families and understand inequities from a systemic perspective. This course will open a dialogue and help us gain a growth mindset toward our work on inclusivity.

This training provides 12 hours of continuing education Tier 3 training on the Registry.

Designing and Assessing Child Outcomes