The Welcome Toolkit: Building Connections from Day One
A strong start to the school year makes all the difference in your out-of-school time program. This session gives staff simple, ready-to-use activities that help youth connect with you and each other, creating a welcoming space from day one. You'll learn practical ways to get students' attention and understand what it looks like when youth are engaged.
PHMC-OST Site Director Toolkit
This resource was created by the PHMC-OST Team for Site Directors in efforts to support Continuous Program Improvement (CPI). The toolkit offers general updates, frequently used OST documents, resources, and ready to go activities for all ages.
C2L Resource Library
Career Connected Learning Philadelphia (C2L-PHL) is a city-wide initiative to expand career-connected learning for youth aged 12-24. The Resource Library offers trainings and resources for programs looking to implement, expand, or improve career connected learning for their youth.
Developmental Relationships
Search Institute created the Developmental Relationships Framework, five elements proven to catalyze young people’s lives: express care, challenge growth, provide support, expand possibilities, and share power. The research and tools are designed for anyone who works with youth to understand the current state of their relationships with young people and discover ways to help all young people thrive.
Core Knowledge, Skills, & Competencies for Out-of-School Time Professionals
The National Afterschool Association outlines 10 core competencies for what OST professionals need to know, exhibit, and grow to positively impact children and youth.
Playworks Game Library
Explore games from Playworks designed to keep all kids playing. These include ground-rules that keep games manageable, help skill-building through students’ favorite sports, and other adaptations that make games fun and inviting for everyone.
What Does Caring Mean? A New Framing Strategy to Shift Thinking about Kids and Families
This report from FrameWorks Institute outlines a new framing strategy for Collective Caregiving. This strategy emerged from in-depth research conducted in partnership with Leading for Kids and other children’s advocates. The report includes a description of the strategy, the evidence behind it, the research methods used, and recommendations for putting the strategy into action.
The Role of Organized Activities in Supporting Youth Social Capital Development: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis
Organized activities or extracurricular activities, after-school programs, and youth development programs, are important developmental contexts for building social capital. This study from the Adolescent Research Review was to illuminate the developmental pathway through which social capital development occurs in organized activities.
Top 10 De-escalation Tips for Educators
These 10 de-escalation tips from Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) provide strategies and techniques to help you respond to difficult behavior in the safest, most effective way possible.
A Playbook for Educators, Out-of-School Time (OST) Providers, and Advocates
This Playbook from Be a Learning Hero is designed to help educators, providers, and advocates communicate about the value of out-of-school-time programs. It can also inform the design of programs and policies that make high-quality OST opportunities equitably accessible to all children.