Great things are going on throughout the state of California for Site Coordinators across multiple organizations. Here are just a few of the opportunities that Site Coordinators are being offered to expand their knowledge and to come together to learn and support one another.

California Afterschool Network (CAN) – Site Coordinator Community of Practice Pilot Program

This is an exciting time for expanded learning in California. New Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California have rolled out. Programs and sites are now beginning to implement innovative Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Plans. Quality programs are linked to positive impacts on youth. The California Department of Education – After School Division (CDE-ASD) has recognized the critical role that Site Coordinators play to advance quality program quality.  CDE-ASD has partnered with CAN to offer a new opportunity to Site Coordinator in four regions. The goal of this pilot program is to increase site coordinator knowledge and capacity to implement a CQI process. Participating site coordinators committted to participate in three (4.5 hour) meetings. Over the course of three meetings, site coordinators will learn current information related to Quality Standards, Continuous Quality Improvement, and available technical assistance. Perhaps more importantly, site coordinators will learn and share promising practices from their peers. Through the implementation of this pilot, CAN seeks to surface site-level promising practices, successes, challenges, and needs to successfully implement a CQI process. These activities that target site coordinators will compliment existing efforts to provide information to the field regarding the most recent rollout of the (CQI)².

Central Valley After School Foundation in partnership with ASAPconnect – Site Lead Academy

The Site Lead Academy is a training series focused on building the leadership capacity of professionals responsible for overseeing and managing the day-to-day operations of an after school or summer program.  The academy involves sixteen hours of in-person workshops that can be broken up over a series of full or half days based on the needs of regional cohort.  The initial session focuses on the core tenets of effective leadership, including related qualities and characteristics.  Participants dive deeply into the current context of the field of expanded learning and reflect on their purpose and passion. Follow up workshops target the essential aspects of relationship-building, effective communication and the art of performance-coaching. Subsequent session(s) focus on situational management facilitating more peer-to-peer dialogue and simulation around common challenges faced daily on site. Throughout the Academy, leaders strengthen their understanding and application of the 12 California Quality Standards and their critical role in the continuous improvement process.

Leaders document their personal and program growth plans early in the Academy and garner support for execution from within this ongoing peer network. 

CalSAC- Leadership Development Institute 

The Leadership Development Institute (LDI) aims to increase the leadership capacity of out-of-school time and early education fields to create more responsive programming, policies and services that reflect the racial, ethnic and cultural diversity of California. The LDI is an intensive year long cohort-based program for emerging leaders of color in afterschool, school-age child care, early learning and summer enrichment. Using a multicultural leadership framework, the LDI will equip coordinator to director level professionals with an aspiration for advanced leadership in the field with skills in management and leadership.  A foundational component of this project is how power, privilege, and oppression manifest itself in the field.

California After School Resource Center- Lending Library

The California After School Resource Center (CASRC) provides a  comprehensive lending library of reviewed academic and health materials for expanded learning professionals in California. The library resources are reviewed for research bases, standards alignment, and user friendliness in expanded learning environments. The vetting process for inclusion into the library involves a statewide Material Review Board comprised of content and expanded learning experts who evaluate the resources. In addition, the center conducts an annual inventory to ensure that the resources are current and relevant to the field. Library clients may complete the online registration and borrow materials online at any time. Materials are shipped at no charge to the client and contingent on funding levels at the center, usually receive a free return shipping label. The loan period is four weeks and clients may borrow up to 10 resources at a time. Under most circumstances, loan period extensions are usually granted upon request via e-mail to ncotar@acoe.org or by calling 1-888-318-8188.

Expanded learning coordinators are encouraged to check out CASRC library materials help expanded learning coordinators to:

• Inform their professional practice through professional books, manuals, and training guides in a variety of topic areas, including:
  • Academics (English language arts, career education, mathematics, science, etc.)
  • Behavior Management
  • Physical Activity and Nutrition
  • Youth Development
  • Program Administration and more
• Secure free access to a variety of high-quality instructional resources to be used with students, including:
  • Curricula
  • Activity Sets
  • Audiovisual Materials 
  • Educational games, displays, and other hands-on tools for the classroom.

Engage staff in the selection of materials to suit their individual program without having to purchase the material.