The West Virginia Statewide Afterschool Network, a program facilitated by West Virginia University Extension, was recently awarded a $75,000 grant from the Benedum Foundation to launch new quality initiatives to support out-of-school program providers, including an online professional development platform to encourage continuous quality improvement and interaction with statewide afterschool standards.
The West Virginia Statewide Afterschool Network (WVSAN) works to increase access to after-school and summer learning programs, create partnerships that strengthen the capacity of these programs and advocate for the growing need for such services in West Virginia.
“After-school programs are vital for both academic success and providing a safe place for youth while their parents are at work,” Susan Gamble, Director of WVSAN, said. “This grant will help us enhance the quality and sustainability of these programs, ensuring that they are available for all youths across the state.”
The main objectives of this grant focus on increasing program quality, providing professional development opportunities and expanding access to resources for after-school providers across the state.
One key initiative of this grant is to increase program quality by aligning after-school programming with the newly released West Virginia Afterschool Program Quality Standards. These standards were updated and improved through a partnership with WVSAN, the Department of Human Services Division of Early Care and Education, and the West Virginia Department of Education’s Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program. The Quality Standards and WV Afterschool Program Quality Standards Assessment Tool provide a framework for best practices when working with youth.
“One of the first things that we’ll be doing is creating a series of standardized trainings around the new quality standards to make them accessible and understandable to after-school providers. The training will be designed to foster an environment of continuous improvement for programs, ensuring high-quality practices for professionals when they’re working with youth,” said Gamble.
The training will be a three-part series, as well as offering train-the-trainer opportunities, to reach as many providers in the state as possible.
They will also create a survey to better assess and understand the needs of childcare providers, as well as determine the demand for a youth development credentialing system. This survey will guide the creation of new platforms and educational materials.
Another objective of this grant is to increase access to professional development for providers. In addition to the standardized training modules, they also will work toward piloting a subscription platform for youth development education. It will be an online, self-paced platform that will eliminate barriers for program providers, in terms of cost and convenience.
“A lot of the things that we’re doing right now are responsive to what programs and providers are telling us that they need,” Tami Jo Wilt, Quality Program Coordinator for WVSAN, said. “These programs are really dedicated to serving youth and providing them learning opportunities that are hands-on and engaging. We want to help create environments where youth can go further than they’ve ever gone before, so being able to provide these resources for providers that are making that happen is very important to us.”
The West Virginia Statewide Afterschool Network is part of the 50 State Afterschool Network, funded in part by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. For more information about the initiatives and opportunities provided through WVSAN, visit their website.
If you want to learn more about WVU Extension, visit extension.wvu.edu or follow @WVUExtension on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram.
