The New Program of the Year Award will recognize one afterschool program for quality excellence at our Afterschool Conference “The Power of Afterschool” on November 8th! So, what do you need to do to get recognized?  First, you and your program staff take the Drive to Quality Pledge. Once you...

When I used to work in the West Haven Community House summer program we would go on field trips five days per week. These trips kept the staff engaged, and while sometimes repetitive (like Indian Wells and Wadsworth Falls State Parks at least 4 times over the summer), everyone enjoyed...

As the out-of-school time research base grows demonstrating the benefits of afterschool and summer programs, opportunities for growth and advancement in the field as a viable career have become reality. Organizations that were either small or non-existent 25 years ago are now major parts of the support system. These include...

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) held a bidders conference May 14th, 2025 to release the 2025-2027 Request for Proposals for the State Funded After School Grant program. The purpose of this funding is to create programs that provide students with academic, enrichment and recreational opportunities designed to complement...

The word quality comes up all the time, but we seldom take the time to reflect on what it means. When we think of quality, it could pertain to any number of things. The quality of a doordash delivery, the quality of the roads in your neighborhood, the quality of...

Teaching the children we work with the importance of giving back to the community is a cornerstone of the work we do. This could be intergenerational programming, service learning projects, or the performing or visual arts. Creating community connections has positive benefits not only for the children served, but also...

The cold winter months have given way to moderate temperatures over the last few weeks. Children and staff want to get outside, to run around, play games, and get some sun and muddy shoes. While we take in the warmer days, we know summer is not far away, fall remains...

The recent changes to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policies have raised some questions and concerns in our communities. Some of these changes to the Department of Homeland Security policies may affect child care centers but it is also important to recognize that we can continue to rely...

People talk about spring as a time of renewal, early spring flowers poke sprouts through the thawing ground. Days get a little longer and, after months of playing board games and basketball in the gym, going outside is finally more than a 10 minute option. While the winter season allows...

As the mid-winter approaches, and the February cold starts to set in we are reminded of spreadsheets and budget projections for the coming year. Out-of-school time programs large and small need balanced budgets that both maintain what is necessary, and at the same time foster innovation and growth in programming....

Governor Lamont released his budget last week at the state capitol, in which combining multiple Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) programs into one single line item. One item in particular, the CSDE After School Grants which are currently funded at $5.8 million and provide services to 70 sites statewide,...

The term unsung heroes is commonly used when referring to afterschool professionals. A workforce that shows up everyday from 3:00 - 6:00, sometimes later. It is often a job that requires you to think on your feet, come up with a project using only cardboard, some tape, markers, and imagination....

The out-of-school time field (also known as after school, school-age childcare, enrichment, etc.) has a long history, starting in the late 1800’s in response to the Industrial Revolution in order to help give youth a place away from their work in factories as labor laws changed. Few in the field...

The holidays have passed and the cold bleak of mid-winter is setting in. Staffing has stabilized for the most part and you are busy working on the new staff schedules to coincide with the changes that may have been made. January is a good time to reset. To rethink how...

As program leaders we have all been there. The rush of registration is over, the program is settling in, things are going smoothly, and you finally have a minute before the next wave of holiday parties and supplies are needed. Take a breath, you made it past Halloween and are...

Being a leader often means that you are the one that everyone sees as the organizer and planner of events. As we all know, it takes a team to pull off any large scale event or production. I remember when we used to do winter plays and each site would...

By now, mid-October afterschool programs are moving along at a good pace. Children and staff know established routines, relationships have been formed, and we are rapidly moving toward the holiday season. This is a time to bring together the community, create connections and opportunities beyond the program, and recognize the...

When we hear the terms “high-quality”, “impactful programming”, “standards of excellence”, “continuous quality improvement” they often sound like a far-off place we would like our programs to get to. An aspiration, something that takes time, effort, buy-in, and money. In the day-to-day of programming, integrating intentional quality improvement efforts are...

By now, most programming is moving along. There may be some bugs to iron out, schedules to adjust, and supplies to buy for the upcoming season. How are you orchestrating all of the parts of the program? Are there key staff that help make it happen? October is a time...

On Thursday, September 26th, Michelle Doucette Cunninham, Executive Director, spoke to one small part of the changes. Specifically, the Office of Early Childhood has changed the regulation for after school programs to allow 15 students to one teacher (instead of 10:1). Michelle spoke to the benefits this will provide families,...