How Relational Cultural Theory Helps Us Understand the Transformative Power of OST

Excerpt from the book The Heartbeat of the Youth Development Field: Professional Journeys of Growth, Connection, and Transformation regarding Relational Cultural Theory.

Podcast: Journeys in Youth Development, Episode 3

NIOST director Georgia Hall, Ph.D., talks with Brittany Jacobs, Library Director at the Burlington Public Library in Iowa and Edward Franklin, President and CEO of Voice of Hope Ministries in Texas.

Quality Summer Learning In Action: Encouraging Dancers to Create and Learn

By Elizabeth Starr, NIOST Research Associate

About 20 tweens pile into the unassuming studio space of their ballet school in mid-July. There are no frills here. The waiting area is small and a bit disheveled; the cinderblock building has seen its share of life. But look closer: there’s magic inside.

Simple and Radical Ways to Create Safe, Supportive, and Engaging OST Settings

An excerpt from the book The Heartbeat of the Youth Development Field: Professional Journeys of Growth, Connection, and Transformation about OST programs. 

Sustaining Passion for the Out-of-School Time Field

Out-of-school-time (OST) professionals place great importance on a passion for their work, building relationships with children, and fostering their positive, healthy development, according to a new study by NIOST researchers. Yet financial instability and a lack of competitive pay may be hindering workers’ satisfaction and longevity in the field.

System Building, Relationships, and Quality in Out-of-School Time

The newest issue of Afterschool Matters, the national, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to promoting professionalism, scholarship, and consciousness in the field of afterschool education, reflects on the field’s ability to help provide students with experiences outside of the classroom that give them opportunities to stretch their skills, grow friendships, and challenge their limits.

Technical Assistance, Next Generation Afterschool System Building Initiative

Wyoming Program Quality Practices and Implementation

Wyoming Program Quality Practices and Implementation

Ongoing since 2014

Principal Investigator: Ellen Gannett, M.Ed.

Project Director: Betsy Starr, M.Ed.

Funder: Wyoming Afterschool Alliance (WYAA)

NIOST worked with the Wyoming Afterschool Alliance (WYAA) to develop statewide Program Quality Practices (PQPs) for School Age, Afterschool, and Youth Development programs. NIOST continues its partnership with WYAA to implement these PQPs and integrate them into their quality system. This phase includes development of a User Guide for afterschool providers, creation of presentation, webinar, and website content to communicate the importance of the PQPs and their alignment within the quality system, and evaluation of the implementation efforts.