Institutes

Each year, NJSACC offers 1 to 3 day Institutes that raise the bar on Professional Development.  With a focus on national topics that can help programs excel and go beyond the average pace, Institutes are a great way for New Jerseys afterschool Communities to network and communicate about trending issues.  Institutes help to create a professional community across the state as attendance is diverse and allows for great momentum in the Afterschool Movement.

Institutes have included:

• Effective Management: A Directors Retreat
• Soaring Beyond Expectations: A Statewide Afterschool Showcase
• Links to Learning
• Garden State Girls STEM Collaborative

Effective Management: A Directors Retreat

The NIOST Effective Management training is designed for executive directors of multi-site agencies, and directors and coordinators of single site afterschool programs who are focusing on strengthening their management expertise in this challenging economic climate. Join directors who are tackling an array of issues such as limited resources, staffing challenges, or expanded day opportunities and are seeking to build their leadership skills, create a plan for program improvements, and strengthen their organization.

Goals of Training:

• Help participants understand how to create a program climate that fosters learning, celebrates diversity, and models team building.
• Give participants program improvement guidance.
• Apply contemporary leadership and change theories to the unique context of out-of-school time.

Targeted Audience:

• Directors ready to increase their management skills.
• Directors who are new or from programs experiencing challenges such as staff turnover, budget constraints, or other organizational issues.
• Directors seeking to make changes.

Training Content:

• Two days of hands on, interactive training.
• Trainers assist directors to begin to set goals for staff development, programmatic and other quality improvements.
• Each participant receives a comprehensive notebook for personal reflection and reference.
• Come to this training to learn how to guide program and staff improvement, strengthen administration and be more intentional in your actions as a program leader.

Soaring Beyond Expectations: A Statewide Afterschool Showcase

The Statewide Afterschool Showcase was created to highlight best practice methods utilized by New Jersey 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) Programs. Workshops will cover a variety of areas that relate to program quality such as:

• Summer learning
• Engaging best practices and program activities in career awareness and     exploration
• Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM)
• Positive youth development, health and nutrition and family involvement.
• Other highlights include a panel discussion of best practice and an exhibit hall showcasing the best in New Jersey’s 21st CCLC programs!

Links to Learning

NIOST’s (Nation Institute on Out-of-School Time) (www.niost.org) Links to Learning training responds to the call for improving academics in afterschool, while addressing the full range of youth and children’s developmental needs.  Links to Learning can help you transform your afterschool or extended learning program to be youth centered and engaging. Each training participant receives the publication Links to Learning: A Curriculum Planning Guide, a handy reference piece for practitioners. Links to Learning is research-based and helps program staff implement activities and scheduling that appeal to the youth they serve and improve quality and outcomes.

Topics from the training:

• Theoretical Framework
• Curriculum Planning Basics
• Linking to NJ’s Learning Standards
• Thematic Curriculum.
• Communication and Coordination with Schools
• Family Engagement

Garden State Girls STEM Collaborative

Brings together organizations and individuals that are committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to encourage collaboration and improve inter-program communication.

Our goal is to strengthen capacity, increase continuation of girl-serving STEM programs and create a wider audience for gender-related STEM issues. The successful career transition of students and the economic future of New Jersey are tied to increased participation of all students in careers that rely on STEM skills and competencies.

This project, funded by the National Science Foundation and administered by the Garden State Girls STEM Collaborative, offers the chance for schools, informal educators, programs that offer expanded learning opportunities, business and industry that are committed to informing and motivating girls to pursue classes and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) to come together to share best practices, develop new collaborations, and share resources.

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