School-Age
School-age care professional development & technical assistance (SACC-pd/ta)
Through the Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Child Care and Development Fund school-age targets funds support regionally based school-age child care organizations and specialists to provide specialized professional development and technical assistance. These agencies subcontract through the six Regional Key agencies. A primary emphasis of their services focuses on professional development and technical assistance to support SACC providers participating in Keystone STARS. SACC PD/TA employ research-based methods for improving program quality, and impacting positive outcomes for children. Regional SACC-PD/TA also facilitate partnerships with community stakeholders to promote the development and expansion of out-of-school programming.
pennsylvania school-age professional Credential
The Pennsylvania School-Age Professional Credential (SAPC) is administered by the Pennsylvania Key through the six Regional Keys. It was developed to promote quality services for children and families by providing specific standards, professional development and evaluation of school-age practitioners. Individuals interested in acquiring the SAPC must meet specific eligibility requirements, complete 120 hours of coursework addressing the thirteen (13) Functional Areas and complete a collection of information including a Portfolio, Resource File, Observations and Family Questionnaires. The final step in the process is an on-site assessment review with a SAPC Assessor. This credential is recognized in the Keystone STARS Continuous Quality Improvement System as meeting Level III on the Pennsylvania Early Learning Keys to Quality Career Lattice.
General information:
Sapc candidate information and materials packet
Materials in this packet include a description of the SAPC process, requirements, directions and forms for completing the Portfolio, Resource File, Observations and Family Surveys. Also included is the application for the on-site assessment review. To order a paper copy of these materials call 800-284-6031 and request a SAC Credential Packet.
renewal information and materials
For more information about coursework being offered in your region contact your Regional School-Age Project:
|
Central
570-601-9736
800-346-3020 |
South Central
717-854-3539 ext 250
800-864-4925 ext 250 |
Northeast
610-437-6000
ext 2328
800-528-7222 |
Northwest
800-860-2281 ext 132
814-836-5859 |
Southwest
412-421-3889 |
Southeast
610-617-4550 (option 4) |
For more information, contact Leslie Roesler at lesroe@berksiu.org or 717-213-2062
Professional Development
Professional development for school-age practitioners is primarily delivered through regionally based school-age specialists. For information about professional development available in your area, visit the PA Keys to Professional Development Calendar or contact your Regional Key.
The sessions listed below are statewide modules that have been developed to support school-age practitioners meet specific professional development requirements in Keystone STARS.
Links to Learning Foundations (6 hrs.)
- A six hour professional development event, developed by NIOST, to support practitioner understanding of the role of afterschool in providing complementary supports to insure developmental progress of children. Participants learn how to guide curriculum planning in afterschool and how to link activities to learning standards and quality standards. The content also explores theme and project based learning and how they are beneficial to children in afterschool programs.
- Links to Learning Foundations may be delivered as individual sessions in which case the following content must be completed: 1) Introduction & Theoretical Framework, 2) Curriculum Planning, 3) Linking Activities to Benchmarks and Learning Standards, and 4) Theme and Project based Learning.
- Keystone STARS-Content will meet Learning Standards Core Series requirement for school-age practitioners
Links to Learning: Coordinating and Communicating with Schools
- This session explores ways to increase linkages between school and afterschool, focusing on specific strategies to build relationships, to increase communication and coordination between the program and the school, and work on curriculum together.
- Keystone STARS-Content supports Partnerships with Family & Community
Links to Learning: Engaging Families
- This session will focus on the importance of family engagement in afterschool with regard to children’s learning and development. Participants will explore practical ways to engage families and develop a plan for better family engagement.
- Keystone STARS-Content Supports Partnerships with Family & Community
Using Portfolios to Bring Out the Best in School-Age Children (6 hrs.)
- A six hour professional development event to support the successful implementation of Portfolios to support children's development and enhance program quality. The session may be delivered as two, three hour sessions titled: Part 1 of 2 - Supporting Children's Development & Enhancing Program Quality; Part 2 of 2 - Preparing for Success Implementation of Portfolios
- Participants will learn about how Portfolios in school-age programs can be used as a tool: to document children's growth and development; for program planning and implementation; for helping children reflect on their experiences and set goals; for sharing important information about children's experiences with parents; for professional development. Information will be shared about using developmental checklists as a framework for portfolio development; analyzing completed checklist and related documentation; and comparing and linking checklists to the Pennsylvania Child Service Report and the Key Areas of the PA Learning Standards.
- Keystone STARS-Content will support Observation/Curriculum/Assessment at STAR 3 & 4 for school-age practitioners.
School-Age New Staff Orientation
- In-person workshops, click here to log in and search the Professional Development Calendar for upcoming workshops in your area); or
- School-Age Orientation Professional Development Kit (call 800-284-6031 to place an order).
This kit includes all materials needed to complete the School-Age New Staff Orientation. Materials included in the kit are: Kid's Time book and DVD, SAC Orientation Instructions, SAC Orientation Workbook, SAC Orientation PD Record. The kit is limited to one per site. - School-Age Orientation Documents (updated 6/08) Individuals downloading these documents who have not previously received the complete School-Age Orientation Professional Development Kit described above will need to request the full kit to receive the Kid's Time book and DVD.
Resources
Keystone STARS Optional Tools & Worksheets
The following documents can be found by selecting Keystone STARS, Forms & Tools on the left-hand menu.
Optional Tools:
- School-Age: Activity Schedule-Week-at-a-Glance by Key Learning Area
- School-Age: Aligning Curriculum with the First Grade Standards
- School-Age: Aligning Curriculum with the Second Grade Standards
- School-Age: Curriculim Statement Template
- School-Age: Lesson Plan Template
Center Worksheets:
- STAR 1 Worksheets - SACC
- STAR 2 Worksheets - SACC
- STAR 3 Worksheets - SACC
- STAR 4 Worksheets - SACC
- STAR 4A Worksheets - SACC
Learning Standards
Research & Reports
- The Impact of After-School Programs That Promote Personal and Social Skills - A report found that youth programs were most successful at improving youth outcomes when their activities were sequences, active, focused and explicit (SAFE). When compared to programs that did not have these characteristics, SAFE programs improved youths feelings of self-confidence, positive feelings toward school, grades and achievement test scores.
- Massachusetts Afterschool Research Report (MARS) - The MARS Study identified key quality componoents of afterschool programs and explored the relationship between program quality components, staff attributes and positive youth outcomes.
- Measuring Youth Program Quality - Guide to Assessment Tools - This report compares the purpose, history, structure, methodology, content and technical properties of nine different program observation tools.
- The Quality Imperative: A State Guide to Achieving the Promise of Extended Learning Opportunities - This new report highlights the positive impact high-quality Extended Learning Opportunities (ELO) have on student success and outlines steps that state leaders can take to ensure ELO effectiveness.
- The Quality of School-Age Child Care in Afterschool Settings -This research brief provides an overview of the feature of high-quality afterschool settings, including an examination of key research on links between program quality and developmental outcomes.
- Afterschool in Pennsylvania Legislative Budget and Finance Committee Report - House Resolution 2008-824 called on the LB&FC to assess the availability and affordability of afterschool programs in the Commonwealth. This report describes findings and recommendations.
Websites