✈️ Over 100 professionals filled the rooms, fostering meaningful connections 🥏
June 4, 2025, Monroe Township, New Jersey’s Afterschool community came together again at the NJ Principals and Supervisors Association for Soaring Beyond Expectations: A Statewide Afterschool Celebration. Organized by NJSACC in collaboration with the NJ Department of Education’s 21st CCLC Programs, this all-day conference brought together afterschool personnel, youth workers, and program directors dedicated to enhancing OST.
🙋♂️ A Day of Intention & Connection 🙋
The event followed a purposeful agenda: a warm welcome and keynote, three breakout sessions, networking, and a thoughtful closing. Sessions ranged from improving enrollment and participation, to bridging STEM and the arts, to building empathy and community. Highlights included:
- Hands-on workshops like “Tech, Talent & Tunes” that integrated performing arts with STEM;
- A deeply reflective session on empathy in community-building, underscoring staff well-being alongside youth development.
Participants praised the thoughtful design, stating, “The presenters and workshops were wonderful and informative”, and noting appreciation for “hands‑on workshops”
Strengthening Partnerships & Practice
Aligned with the core goals of the 21st CCLC initiative, the conference emphasized collaboration between afterschool programs, schools, and community partners. Speakers such as Amanda DeVita and Danielle Fox‑Phillips tackled strategic integration of afterschool learning with school-day goals and the importance of SEL and staff development—essential components for truly holistic programming Sharing NJ’s best practices, programs showcased how to increase engagement, build student ownership, and foster workplace well-being.
Community, Networking & Inspiration
Over 100 professionals filled the rooms, fostering meaningful connections during sponsored meals and the vendor showcase—echoing the energy of NJSACC’s 2024 OST conference with its 300-plus participants and dozens of sessions . The supportive atmosphere left many saying they felt “energized and equipped to take their programs to new heights”
Impacts That Last Beyond One Day
In reflection, as a cornerstone event in supporting people and program development in Afterschool and OST Soaring Beyond Expectations Attendees departed with:
- Actionable strategies for program design and youth engagement
- New relationships across districts and support networks
- Renewed motivation and creative ideas to take back to their programs