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Description
It is estimated that ten million children participate in afterschool programs every year. Afterschool program participation is positively associated with academic, social, and behavioral benefits. However, it is a high-quality program that contributes to positive benefits in afterschool participants. One feature of a high-quality afterschool program is the opportunity for professional development for staff. In my role as a site supervisor for an afterschool program, I identified a need for professional development opportunities that teach program staff how to positively guide student who display challenging behaviors. The purpose of the project was to develop and implement a professional development series for afterschool staff that address positive behavior support strategies that are evidence based. I implemented a two-day professional development series for afterschool staff from the REACH program located within National School District. The project provided workshop materials on positive support strategies using a humanistic approach to behavior guidance. Prolonged and rich discussion occurred on the topics of the humanistic approach and what that looks like from the perspective of an afterschool staff. Data indicated that staff valued the opportunity to reflect on their work and that they workshops helped participants develop empathy for students who exhibit challenging behavior. A pre and post survey measured knowledge acquisition and satisfaction with the workshop. This data indicated an increase in participants’ knowledge about positive behavior support strategies and that participants were satisfied with the content. The PowerPoint was branded for further use and the training will be repeated once more with afterschool staff from San Ysidro School District.
