Text Box: Out Of School Time (OST)

Text Box: Email: Lori Schocker  for more information on the OST programs

Text Box: Latch-Key Safety Tips Teach your kids the following rules to keep them safe when they stay home alone: Lots of kids get home before their parents. If you come home before your mom or dad, make sure the first thing to do is call and let your mom or dad know that you got home okay.   If you come home and a window in your house is broken or a door is open that shouldn't be, don't go in. Go to a trusted neighbor, or find a phone and call 911.   If you have to stay after school or want to play or study with a friend, tell your mom or dad.   Don't leave your home without asking your parents first. Make sure a parent knows where you are going and for how long. Always tell your mom or dad where you will be and when you will be home.   When your family is home and the doorbell rings, always find out who it is and ask your mom or dad before you open the door.   If you are home alone, never open the door---unless you can see that it is a relative or a specific person who your mom or dad said would come over to stay with you.   NEVER tell someone you are home alone, whether they call on the phone or come by your house. Ask your mom or dad what they would like you to say, like: "My dad's in the shower can he call you when he gets out?"   NEVER give information to anyone over the phone about yourself, your family or where you live. Hang up on anyone who calls to bother you or who says bad things on the phone.   Ask your mom or dad for permission to go outside of your play area or yard or to go into someone's home.   If you have a babysitter that hits you, touches you, or makes you play games that embarrass you, tell a trusted adult, even if the babysitter told you not to.   Keep all the windows and doors in your home locked.   If someone tries to break into your home, call 911 immediately and give them your full address, including your apartment number if you have one. Tell them that you are at home and someone is trying to break in. Then, try to call a neighbor you know is usually home. If you can get out of the house, get out. If you can hide, hide.   http://www.storknet.com/cubbies/safety/latchkey-safety.htm   Text Box: Why Consider Family Involvement in Out-of-School Time Programming? Engaging families is one of the many strategies that outof- school time (OST) programs use to create quality, adult-supervised experiences for children ages five through nineteen during non-school hours. Therefore, like many OST program components, it is critical that the field build a knowledge base to understand how families are involved in their children’s out-of-school time, and how that involvement influences children’s development. Evaluating family involvement in OST is an effective means to build this knowledge base, thus enabling OST programs to understand and improve their family involvement strategies and services, while expanding opportunities for families to be together. Both the potential gains from evaluating family involvement and the increasing demand from the U.S. Department of Education, other funders, and the public to assess program impact and to use data for program improvement, render evaluation of OST programming, including family involvement, essential to ensure quality programming and sustainability of public and financial support.1 This Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation brief draws on evaluation findings from the Harvard Family Research Project’s Out-of-School Time Evaluation Database2 and key informant interviews and email correspondence to define and propose a framework for understanding family involvement in OST. The brief then examines ways for OST programs to evaluate their own family involvement strategies and practices.   Text Box: BACK Text Box: Resources Provided: Information, assistance and guidance for schools and community groups interested in creating OST Programs. Facilitation of community planning meetings. Grants for schools or private nonprofit organizations to fund OST programs.  Applications are available each year in the fall. On-site technical assistance on issues such as child behavior, staffing, program planning, licensing and financial management Telephone consultation for OST professionals, school officials and parents. Resource lending libraries with professional resources, information, publications, and theme units or equipment for OST programming. OST classes or workshops on issues such as discipline, child temperament, safety, space limitations, program activities, communication and team building. Text Box: Education Opportunities: Core Modules- 15 hours of training in basic starting level topics including:  Child Growth and development, activity planning, Learning environments, Communication & Relationships, Behavior Management, Social & Cultural Awareness, Health & Safety, Children with Special Needs, Program Management & Professionalism, Families, communities & Schools. Certificate Modules- These are an extension and expansion of those "core" modules.  These modules build on and add depth to the concepts and skills introduced in the Core Modules.  These are done in  4 series of 6 modules each.  These modules are 2.5 hours each.  (72 hours) Credential Modules-This Training segment is meant to build on and expand the concepts taught first during the "core" training, and then in the "certificate" training, modules in this Course will go a step farther and also introduce new topics in the area of Out-of-School time care.  There are 2 series of 6 modules each, these modules are 2.5 hours each. *At the end of all this with some tests and added requirements the students may obtain an Out of School Time Credential.  If you are interested in this please contact the OST Specialist.  FLOW CHART Text Box: Quality Programs OST programs provide safe environments that motivate and inspire learning outside the regular school day.  While there is no single formula for success, effective programs combine academic, enrichment, cultural and recreational activities.  The best programs also develop activities to meet the needs of the communities they serve.  Common elements of successful OST Programs include: Strong management, quality staff and goal setting. Low staff-to-student ratio (1:15). Attention to safety, health and nutrition issues. Strong family involvement. Partnerships with community and youth groups and law enforcement. Enriching learning opportunities. Links with school curriculum and school teachers. Evaluation of program effectiveness.   Text Box: SD Out-of-School Time (OST) Program: The SD Department of Social Services Child Care Services (CCS) encourages school officials to work with their communities to build programs that positively impact K-8 children during their out-of-school time.  The SD Out-of-School Time Program provides resources for Schools and communities that want to offer structured and safe environments for children when they are not in school. Text Box: In today's society, the hours parents work and the hours their children attend school often do not coordinate.  Children are often left alone after school because their working parents have no other options.  Experts agree that school-age children who are unsupervised during the hours after school are more likely to receive poor grades and drop out of school than those who are involved in supervised, constructive activities. Statistics also show that most juvenile crime takes place between the hours of 2 pm. and 8 pm and that children are at greater risk of being the victims of crime during the hours after school. Children require and deserve quality activities and supervision when working parents cannot be with them.  Out-of- school time programs can provide the positive environment that children need.  

 

Text Box: 2008-2009 OST Training Schedule