As the summer winds down and sights start to get set on gearing up your afterschool program, many of the staff that worked those long hot days will be back for the school year. Summer provides the opportunity for staff to develop skills and build confidence in their work, connecting these to the afterschool program in the fall reinforces them. How do we get what staff learned in the summer to transfer to the afterschool program when the program finishes?

Be a coach, be a cheerleader. If this is their first school year, draw upon things they did or learned over the summer that can be applied to programming. Challenge more seasoned staff to rethink what they do for programming. Perhaps they held a leadership position during the summer in which, during the school year, can provide opportunities for professional development and project leadership. 

Often summer and afterschool programming are seen as two completely different things. That holds true for longer hours, hotter days, and having time to get to know the children and families staff are working with. The misnomer is that afterschool is somehow different. It may be shorter hours and more condensed programming, but the core elements are the same. Engagement, relationships, family and community partnerships, health and safety, program administration, amongst others. As a program leader, you can accelerate staff impact with summer momentum through capitalizing on how these elements are embedded into programming afterschool.

Clarify your expectations from the start regarding transferable skills, remind staff that they already have some requisite knowledge. The new school year can be a bridge to expanding learning opportunities from the summer through partnerships, field trips (virtual or in-person), and allowing staff the room to further develop their talents. Using the newly updated Connecticut After School Quality Standards and Guidelines (CT-QSAG) and the Connecticut After School Self-Assessment Tool (CT-QSAT) as guides for staff development over the course of the year not only nets improved programming and provides a new cadre of leaders for next summer.