SEDL Ships Free Resources to 21st CCLCs

SEDL is helping more than 10,000 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) afterschool sites meet their professional development needs with a new set of instructor's and professional development guides. These resources were created with the support of the U.S. Department of Education as part of the National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning project to supplement the online Afterschool Training Toolkit and are being distributed free of charge to 21st CCLC programs.

Used with the award-winning online Afterschool Training Toolkit, these new guides give afterschool professionals the resources they need to build fun, innovative, and academically enriching activities that engage students, extend their knowledge in new ways, and support academic achievement. Also included is the third edition of SEDL's popular Resource Guide for Planning and Operating Afterschool Programs, which includes information about resources related to developing afterschool programs and activities and organizing, managing, and sustaining afterschool programs.

Afterschool practitioners who have received the resources are responding with great enthusiasm. "They look wonderful. I'm really excited to dig in and start using them," said one program director from Chicago. "They look like a tremendous resource for our work," said another director.

A limited number of these print materials are available to afterschool programs that are not 21st CCLCs or to those 21st CCLC programs that would like additional copies. They may be ordered by visiting SEDL's Web site. There is no charge for the materials, but a shipping and handling fee is required.

SEDL is available to assist afterschool professionals in using these materials and learning how to implement them in their afterschool programs. Please contact Joe Parker at 800-476-6861 to learn more about how SEDL can help in your professional development efforts.

"They look like a tremendous resource for our work."

AFTERSCHOOL DIRECTOR
Chicago, IL

"Make professional development
a priority in the budget and
calculate enough that it will be
worthwhile and [the effects]
lasting."

Linda Barton
executive director

Lights On in Lander
Lander, Wyoming

Lights On in Lander is a 21st Century Community Learning Center afterschool program offering activities for students in grades K–12 in Fremont County School District #1. Directors at Lights On face many of the same challenges as those at other afterschool programs: finding the time and money to send staff to professional development events, arranging for substitutes to cover for staff when they are at training events, and making time for follow-up activities to reinforce what staff have learned. Afterschool directors address these challenges by collaborating with the district office and arranging for afterschool staff to attend relevant professional development sessions. They especially try to attend sessions on homework help and tutoring to help tutors understand classroom and district curriculum, says executive director Linda Barton.

Barton offers advice for afterschool programs seeking to expand professional development opportunities. She suggests that they hold short, 15–20 minute training sessions twice a month if they can't find time for longer training events. She also recommends on-the-job training such as job shadowing and mentoring to allow new staff to learn from experienced instructors. Adequate funding is also important. "Make professional development a priority in the budget and calculate enough that it will be worthwhile and [the effects] lasting," she says.

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