National Network for Child Care's Connections
Newsletter
Ede Valiquette, M.S.
Extension Educator
4-H/Youth Development
University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension
Peggy Haynes, M.S.
Extension Educator
4-H/Youth Development
University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension
Copyright/Access Information
Working with youth in an after-school setting is never boring.
Effective planning can save your sanity on the rough days. A well-designed
program can help you have a positive impact on youth coming to
your center.
Planning allows you to develop programs that meet your needs and
the needs of your clients. When you have clear goals and objectives,
it is also easier for you to promote your program. You can recruit
and use resources, either people or materials.
Effective planning follows a four-step process: assessing, planning,
carrying out, and evaluating.
To assess your program, you should identify what role the center
will play in affecting the individual child's growth. In the assessment,
you should also identify resources - staff, space, finances, and
materials. Surveying kids and parents on their interests can be
helpful.
After assessment, planning begins. Good planning considers the
social, emotional, physical, and cognitive needs of your youth.
It also considers staffing patterns, size of groups, time, space,
and resources.
It is easier to plan if you divide things into subject matter
and events. One popular strategy for subject-matter planning is
theme programming. With this method, you choose a specific topic
and then plan a variety of activities that explore that topic.
You can explore the theme with cooking, stories, theater, show-and-tell,
guests, science, games, field trips, or crafts.
Activities can take place inside or outside, in large or small
groups, individually, or at structured or unstructured times.
Quiet, active, and reflective experiences should be included.
For example, with snow as the theme, several weeks of activities
can be developed. A nature walk can focus on the winter homes
of animals and insects. Children can collect snow and look at
crystals with a magnifying glass.
Children can practice important skills by guessing and comparing
weights of water in different states. You can ask them: How much
water is in one glass of snow? How much ice is made from a glass
of melted snow? How much does each weigh? Compare the contents
of one glass of water and one glass of melted snow.
Have visitors discuss their childhood memories of snow days. Poems,
stories, and illustrations about snow can be developed. Snowflakes
can be cut. Clothes can be fashioned. "My favorite snow story"
can be shared. You are limited only by the creativity of you,
your staff, and your kids.
By involving youth in the planning process, you create an activity
in itself. When you use their input in planning an event, they
are likely to be more interested in the activity. You can divide
kids into committees, with older youth acting as chairpersons
and role models. Provide some guidance, and let them go! You can
ask them to think of ideas or get materials ready for an activity.
Other methods of promoting activities range from talking about
the event ahead of time to showing examples of finished products.
Stopping an activity before children become bored will allow you
to continue it later.
The last and often overlooked step in program planning is evaluation.
To evaluate your program, you should examine its mechanical and
educational sections. Did the activities reinforce your initial
goals? Were kids, parents, and staff enthusiastic? Your answers
to these types of questions can provide a base for your next programming
effort.
Working with youth in an after-school setting is challenging.
Planning a program on a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly
basis will allow flexibility and provide an enjoyable learning
atmosphere.
FORMAT AVAILABLE:: Internet
DOCUMENT REVIEW::
Level 3 - National Peer Review
DOCUMENT SIZE:: 25K or 3 pages
ENTRY DATE:: March 1996
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