Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week: Ways to Show You Care

Source: Temescal Associates

By Sam Piha

During the pandemic we learned how afterschool youth workers are “essential.” At the height of the pandemic, workers in youth programs adapted to the needs of families. They packed and delivered food to their program participants and moved their programming to online formats. 

As young people returned to their afterschool program, we saw how they were affected by the circumstances of isolation. Many were angry and depressed, which they showed through their behavior. Many afterschool staff experienced increased stress, as behavior issues and being short staffed took a distinct toll. 

Source: National Afterschool Association

April 22-26, 2024 is Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week. This is a good time to recognize and appreciate the value that afterschool professionals bring to so many lives. Below are some ways that families, school and non-profit leaders and organizations can show their appreciation. This article was originally published by the National Afterschool Association. 

“How can YOU show you care about afterschool workers? 

FOR FAMILIES 

Everyone appreciates being recognized for their efforts and a simple “thank you!” goes a long way! Some ideas include: 

• Hand-written cards from you and/or your child
• An email to the staff member’s manager or administrator

• Fun handmade signs put up at the location of your program 
• Healthy or non-food treats for the afterschool program staff
• Gift cards for a specialty coffee, teacher supply store or bookstore 

FOR LEADERS 

Thanking your staff shows them you appreciate what they do! Some ideas to show your appreciation: 

• Sharing with parents and kids about Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week via email or social media
• Providing healthy treats or lunch for staff 
• Creating awards for specific strengths of staff members (Best Family Communicator, STEM Star, Most Positive, etc.)

• Sending a Press Release to your local media 

Source: WINGS for Kids

FOR ORGANIZATIONS 

Organizations can recognize, appreciate, and advocate for the afterschool professionals making a difference in their community; it shines the light on their efforts and accomplishments! Some ideas include: 

• Sharing about Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week in your communications (web site, eNewsletters, social media)
• Hosting events honoring the success of your local afterschool programs

• Sending a Press Release to your local media 
• Asking local officials to proclaim the event” 

How will you celebrate? 

Additional ideas and thoughts:

• Staff can be treated to a dinner or fun activity, such as bowling or a trip to a nearby amusement park.
• To ensure there are funds to cover this for next year, include a line item for this expenditure.
• Get your afterschool program youth participants to sign a card showing their appreciation.

For our part, we will create and send a press release to spread the word of Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week by local news outlets. 

UPCOMING WEBINARS:

Almost every day there is a piece in the news about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its dangers. AI is all around us, and whether or not you realize it, people use artificial intelligence every single day. Many young people, even those who are very tech savvy, know little about this topic. Adults, including those in afterschool programs, know even less. Yet, AI is being used by companies more and more. As we venture deeper into the digital age, understanding AI and its educational potential becomes more crucial than ever.

We believe that youth need to understand more about AI, and afterschool is a perfect place to do this. But are afterschool leaders equipped for this? It’s important for educators to understand AI so they can help their youth make sense of a technological development that is predicted to be a huge force in the world, experts say. It’s crucial for educators to be AI literate, to be able to explain what it is, and to understand its powers and limitations.

To learn more and register, click here.

The 2024 election offers a number of opportunities to engage older youth in civic engagement. But these opportunities require input from youth, organizing and planning- so start program planning early because there is no better time for youth to be involved in making a change than through the ballot box. We can frame these efforts as “meaningful participation”, “civic engagement”, “youth leadership” or “community service.”

This webinar will review the benefits of youth engagement in the elections and what programs can do to encourage youth involvement and voting. We will also talk about how to involve youth in voter registration and determine what news is reliable and which is misinformation. We will also talk about how youth who are under 18 and unable to vote can be involved.

To learn more and register, click here.

Four Things to Remember About Supporting LGBTQ Youth

Source: National Afterschool Association

There has been an uptick in targeting LGBTQ+ youth in political rhetoric and state house legislative bills across America. According to the Trevor Project, these actions have ranged from "censoring LGBTQ-related curriculums and books, banning transgender student-athletes from participating in sports that match their gender identity, and criminalizing doctors and families who support youth with transgender medical care."

In response to this, we are posting a series of blogs, some from guest bloggers. This blog was originally published by the National Afterschool Association (NAA), written by Eileen Wise, a youth development specialist at Penn State Better Kid Care and primary author of their Professional Youth Development series.

By Guest Blogger Eileen Wise

FOUR THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT SUPPORTING LGBTQ YOUTH

1. Know basic facts about gender and sexual orientation.

Even if you're a sensitive and caring youth development professional, there may be some things you don't know about the LGBTQ—gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning—community. For example: What is the difference between gender identity and gender expression? Is using the word "queer" a sign of being well-informed or is it an insult to an individual who is LGBTQ? Why is it important to be able to talk about gender in a "non-binary" way?

We know that a small but significant number of children in our care will grow up to become gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning—about 5 percent of children, according to statistics. For any group of children of about 20 or more, there will be at least one child developing as a sexual minority. Like all children, they need our respect, understanding and support.

The National AfterSchool Association (NAA) Code of Ethics calls on all youth development professionals to support all types of diverse youth, including LGBTQ youth.

To be truly supportive, youth development professionals need to learn the basic facts about diversity in gender and sexual orientation. A new online learning module titled "Supporting LGBTQ Youth" is available to support this need. The book The ABC's of LGBT+ is another helpful resource.

When you make the effort to know the facts and vocabulary, youth are more likely to feel you genuinely care and will begin to trust you.

2. Realize how important you are.

Children as young as 5 years old may begin to feel uncomfortable about their identity as a male or female, and it's common for children to become aware of their sexual orientation as they enter puberty. What this means is that some children may experience feelings of being different from the norm in their gender and sexual orientation throughout their elementary years. Minority youth are listening and watching our expressions, dress, and body language. They are "reading" us all the time, because we are trusted role models and respected authority figures.

Afterschool and out-of-school programs can provide a safe haven for gender and sexual orientation minority youth when they implement these elements:

• Create a welcoming atmosphere.
• Establish behavior guidelines.
• Promote inclusion.
• Call out discriminatory speech and actions.
• Apply consequences consistently.

When you recognize your authority and take charge of the out-of-school program space, you are giving gender and sexual orientation minority youth the room to feel safe, accepted, and able to explore their identities.

3. Know it's OK to make mistakes.

We have all been socialized to think and speak in a binary way about gender. We may be in the habit of addressing a group of children as "boys and girls." We may have grown up dividing children into groups or teams by gender. We may also be used to remarking about how an article of clothing or a person looks "pretty" or "handsome."

These types of expressions and habits can be off-putting to LGBTQ youth. They can signal that adult professionals are not really understanding the effects of their words on gender and sexual orientation minority youth.

However, if youth development professionals can catch themselves and correct their statements into a gender-neutral way of speaking, this can make a big difference to youth. Youth are forgiving if they see we are trying to be more inclusive and understanding.

When you make a mistake, quickly apologize and correct your speech or action. Youth will realize that you are sincerely learning and trying, and they will accept and appreciate your efforts.

4. Really listen to young people.

We can learn a lot about the concerns and issues facing youth by asking questions and listening to their answers. Youth culture changes quickly, and the trends and jargon among LGBTQ youth may change even more quickly. Often, books and articles cannot keep pace with the facts on the ground.

For those of us who work on a daily basis with children and youth, our ability to "really listen" may be our most important skill. By listening intently and with open minds and hearts we may be able to tune in to LGBTQ youth who are suffering from stress and rejection at home, at school or in their neighborhoods. We may be the lifeline they desperately need to grow beyond what they are experiencing today and to ultimately realize their full potentials. 

Our ability to listen intently and respond with care may be a lifeline for LGBTQ youth.

References: Mardell, Ashley. 2016. The ABC's of LGBT+. Mango Media Inc.; Penn State Better Kid Care. "Supporting LGBTQ Youth." Online professional development module.

To see additional tools to ensure a sense of safety for all youth, see our Youth Development Guide 2.0 here. Also, a new briefing paper on supporting LGBTQ youth. Feel free to share this resource with your network.

 

A Place For Everyone: Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth In Out-Of-School Time Organizations

Source: Anete Lusina, www.pexels.com

By Guest Blogger, Clarke Hill
(This was originally published by the National Afterschool Association in the Spring 2023 Afterschool Today issue.)

In the world of youth development, very little is simple. More often than not, organizations are up against seemingly insurmountable odds in the fight for a just society for all young people. The battles young people face are everywhere, from mass shootings to global pandemics and crises related to mental health, housing, and extreme economic insecurity to name just a few. 

Advocating for LGBTQ+ young people can feel like one of these insurmountable tasks. The Trevor Project reports that in 2022 45% of LGBTQ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the previous year, including 1 in 5 transgender and nonbinary youth, as a result of discrimination they faced in school, social gatherings, and at home. That is a staggering statistic. 

However, equally as staggering, is the finding that when trans and nonbinary young people have their pronouns respected by the adults in their lives they report suicide attempts at half the rate of other trans and nonbinary youth. In a world of big complex problems, using the correct pronoun is something we can all do without a whole lot of effort. When you start to dig into what else LGBTQ+ youth need to feel safe and supported, it turns out most of that is pretty simple too. 

Not only is it simple, out-of-school organizations actually have a unique ability to change those statistics by creating inclusive organizations for all and prioritizing the well-being of their LGBTQ+ youth. 

In this country, youth are provided a variety of places to feel safe and included; it is often taken for granted that home, community, church, school, sports teams, etc. are places for youth to find safety. The truth is that for many LGBTQ+ youth these are spaces that have caused trauma. In 2022 the Trevor Project found that only 37% of LGBTQ+ youth identified home as an affirming space and only 55% felt affirmed at school. Schools are often barred from supporting LGBTQ+ youth because of discriminatory policies instituted by school boards or local governments. The safety of one’s home is dependent upon the beliefs of one’s parents. Out-of-school time organizations often do not have to adhere to the same discriminatory policies and can ensure they are only hiring staff that are accepting and then provide continued training on active inclusion. 

Source: Afterschool Today Spring 2023

One of the easiest things your organization can do is ensure the use of correct pronouns. While it can feel difficult, asking someone for their pronouns and trying your best to use the correct pronouns gets easier as you practice. If you make a mistake and use the wrong pronoun, you can simply apologize and move forward with the correct pronoun. The effort is impactful to the young person even when mistakes are made. The use of they/them pronouns to address a singular person also might feel uncomfortable at first but it is something that we regularly do in the English language. For example, if you walked up to a table at a restaurant and saw a jacket left by a previous customer you might say “oh look, someone left their jacket, I’m going to take it to lost and found for them.” Change can be uncomfortable, and adjusting pronoun usage may have some bumps in the road, but in the end, our effort has real potential to reduce suicidal thoughts in young people. 

Remember, it is impossible to know everyone’s pronouns just by looking at them; staff can model sharing their pronouns when they introduce themselves and make sure to provide the option to share pronouns when they ask young people to introduce themselves. Additionally, you can offer name tags that have a blank for names and a blank for pronouns. Lastly, you may have seen the term “preferred pronouns” used in the past but the definition of preferred is an adjective to describe something that someone likes better than something else. If they were preferred pronouns, it means that other pronouns are acceptable to use which is not the case. 

Again, the youth development field faces big complex problems, but this is a solution with relatively low effort and extremely high impact. 

The lynchpin to creating an inclusive organization is ensuring your staff have received training specific to working with LGBTQ+ youth. Luckily, there are many fantastic resources that can help your organization with education: 

1.The Trevor Project - Support Center Glossary 
2.The Trevor Project - Guide to Being an Ally 
3.GLSEN - Gender Affirming & Inclusive Athletics 
4.The Safe Zone Project - Learn 
5.Human Rights Campaign - Schools in Transition 

MORE ABOUT...

Clarke Hill, is the Principal and Founder of Clarke Hill Consulting and Co-Founder of Queer Connect. Clarke is a non-profit consultant with over 20 years of experience and her areas of focus as a consultant are non-profit organizational development, youth development, quality improvement, and data-driven DEI. She has worked with organizations across the country such as Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Washington Charters Association, Neighborhood House, and the Forum for Youth Investment. She also worked with government institutions including the Centers for Disease Control, King County, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. 

Youth Voice and Self-Expression in Afterschool: Journaling, Poetry and Spoken Word

By Sam Piha

Source: Greater Good Science Center

Providing opportunities for youth to reflect on and express their thoughts and feelings are a critical strategy for any afterschool program. These opportunities are essential to promoting youth voice, healthy youth development, social emotional skills and resiliency, especially those who have experienced trauma. Strategies and activities include sharing circles, poetry and spoken word, journaling, videography, art and the theater arts.

We interviewed Daniel Summerhill (poet, performance artist and Assistant Professor of Poetry/ Social Action & Composition, School of Humanities & Communication, CSUMB) on the importance of using journaling and poetry/ spoken word to promote young people’s self- expression. Below are some of his responses.

Q: Why is it important to provide youth with opportunities to reflect on and/or express themselves and their feelings?

Daniel Summerhill

A: Because they HAVE them and don't always have space to express them. Often outburst or "disruptive behavior" are a sign that a child isn't receiving the proper space to express or reflect. However, many times, us as adults and teachers etc write children off as just being "bad" or "misbehaving."  Misbehavior is merely an expression that goes against whatever construct or rule you have in place. You have to allow space for humans to express. That is why the uprising of black people and allies these days is so healthy. It provides a sense of liberation and expression. Youth are no different.

Q: Do you think that journal writing is a good way to provide these opportunities? Why?

A: Absolutely, even if it's just a stream of consciousness writing. In each of my creating courses at CSUMB, students spend 10 minutes at the beginning of each class dedicated to journaling. The only rule is that they write. They can write, "i hate writing" for 10 minute as long as the pen doesn't stop. Usually, they don't. Even if they begin writing something like "I hate writing," typically their mind is still going and ends up on the page. This is the idea of stream of conscious journaling. Allowing the mind, thoughts and feelings to drive the writing, rather than something external. Journaling allows you to slow down and notice yourself and your thoughts, which is greatly therapeutic!

(From Temescal Associates- Check out this article from the National Afterschool Association, Finding Their Voice: Why Kids Should Journal and the Pandemic Project).

Source: www.soundcloud.com/witf

Q: Do you think that poetry writing/ spoken word are good ways to provide these opportunities? Why?

A: Poetry allows the writer to discover things about himself and spoken word often allows others (listeners/readers) to see things about themselves. So in many ways, poetry is very conversational, whether it be with the self or with others. This idea in its purest form is expression, communication is simply expression. There are very few mediums that allow a person to converse with themselves the way poetry does. You are able to use images and language that you aren't typically allowed to in conventional discourse, that is liberating and allows you as a writer to tap into all of your senses the best way you can.

Q: Do staff need special training?

A: Staff don't need "training," but to need to acclimate themselves with the history, orality and the culture of spoken word. Specifically, the roots in African storytelling and more recently, the beat poets, last poets are now the plethora of good poets out there performing. These are base level things to be learned in order to yield good understanding and teaching of performance poetry. There are some good resources for this, including Elizabeth Acevedo, The Poet X and Dr. Joshua Bennet has a work of narrative nonfiction, Spoken Word: A Cultural History.

Source: www.medium.com

Q: Can you provide one example of a writing project that you did that provided youth with good opportunities for self- expression? What age were the kids?

A: I used to be a teaching artist and would frequently teach poetry workshops to teens mostly, middle school as well. It wasn't so much me having a prescription for expression. Humans are hardwired to express, but oftentimes don't have the platform or medium to do so. My role wasn't to teach them how to express, they already knew how. They did it by talking, walking, eating, listening to music etc. My role was to figure out how to create the safest and most rewarding space for them to express as fully and as authentically as possible.

For example, Black Joy workshop, headed by Chapter 510 and published by Nomadic Press, had a diversity of young men a part of it. I didn't tell them how to express their interest in skateboarding, activism, sports and food. That is what they were into; however, in that particular workshop, my role was to connect those expressions to "black joy" and to help them understand their expressions as "joy." Joy is an expression. A good one.

Q: Can you recommend any good resources/ websites for afterschool programs that want to learn more?

A: Spoken word is still a growing and semi-new art form, in the modern sense. So there isn't a lot of literature about it other than the two books I mentioned above. Saul Williams has an older film called "Slam" that is worth checking out and the Poetry Foundation might have some good resources. Otherwise, it is best to just get to know the spoken word artist out there. follow them, support their work and immerse yourself in their world. There are a lot of really good spoken word artists out there.

.........................................
Daniel B. Summerhill is an assistant professor of poetry/social action and composition studies at California State University Monterey Bay. He is the author of Divine, Devine, Devine (forthcoming), a semifinalist for the Charles B. Wheeler poetry prize. Summerhill holds an MFA in creative writing from Pine Manor College (Solstice). He has received the Sharon Olds Fellowship and was nominated to Everipedia’s 30 under 30 list.

Daniel has performed alongside greats such as Jasmine Mans, Abiodun Oyewole, Lebogang Mashile, Gcina Mhlophe and others. He co-headlined a European tour and was invited by the University of Kwazulu-Natal and the U.S. Embassy to teach and perform at the annual International Poetry Africa Festival in 2018. He is the 2015 NY Empire State Poetry Slam Champion and a 2015 Nitty Gritty Grand Slam Champion. His poems are published or forthcoming in the Lilly Review, Califragle, Button, Blavity and elsewhere. A chapter of his research, Black Voice: Cultivating Authentic Voice in Black Writers is forthcoming by the Massachusetts Reading Association.

Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week

Source: National AfterSchool Association

By Sam Piha

Afterschool programs are now a part of the community landscape, with over 10.2 million young participants. Few are even aware that afterschool has been around for over a hundred years, making important contributions to families and the larger society.

Afterschool professionals, numbering over 850,000, are often not acknowledged. But we can change that! Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week is April 22-26. 

According to the National AfterSchool Association (NAA), “this is a joint effort of community partners, afterschool programs, youth and child development workers and individuals who have committed to declaring the last full week of April each year as a time to recognize and appreciate those who work with youth during out-of-school hours.” 

There are a number of ways organizations, schools, parents and program leaders can recognize and appreciate afterschool workers: 

• Issue an appreciation shout out 
• “Thank you” card for afterschool program staff 
• Watch and share the brief Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week video produced by NAA

• Plan a “Thank You” activity or event 
• Appreciate the long history and contributions of afterschool youth programs in America: Few are aware that afterschool has been around for over a hundred years, making important contributions to families and the larger society. To ensure that afterschool stakeholders appreciate the long history of afterschool youth programs in America, Temescal Associates and the How Kids Learn Foundation have created a video to document this history, as well as a trailer, media kit and learning guide. 

Join in the celebrations and display your appreciation of afterschool professionals who make a difference in the lives of young people. NAA has developed a toolkit and a number of ideas for AfterSchool Professionals Appreciation Week. 

President Trump and Afterschool

By Sam Piha

Sam Piha

Over the last three presidential administrations, we have enjoyed federal investments in 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC). However, we know that public support and investments come with a “shelf life”. It is important that we advocate for the continued federal investment in afterschool programs. 

With the new presidential administration and congress, there are both threats and opportunities we should be aware of. Below, we reached out to Betsy Brand, Executive Director of the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) and Gina Warner, Executive Director of the National AfterSchool Association (NAA) to share their thoughts on this. In future blog posts, we will keep our readers informed including information from the Afterschool Alliance and the Partnership for Children and Youth. 

Betsy Brand,
AYPF

Q: What can we expect from the new presidential administration around afterschool/expanded learning programs? 
A: I think it’s unlikely that there will be much attention focused on afterschool/expanded learning with this Administration, unless it becomes linked to an agenda on expanding child care or as a way to reduce teen delinquency. 

There is a chance that afterschool could play a role in the school choice debates by allowing parents the freedom to select programs that meet the needs of their children, but I think that’s somewhat unlikely, too. The biggest challenge for discretionary programs will be the budget and appropriations. If this Administration increases spending for infrastructure, defense, and due to health care changes, there will be very little money for domestic discretionary programs like 21st CCLC. I believe we are going to see major appropriations battles over the next few years with regard to Labor-HHS-Ed and other domestic programs.

Q: What should we be prepared to do to ensure ongoing support for afterschool/expanded learning?
A: It’s time to make sure that advocates are busy contacting their Senators and Representatives. They are the ones that will have to hold the line on cuts to 21st CCLC and other programs that support afterschool and expanded learning. The positive thing is that afterschool already deserves very wide and bi-partisan support in Congress. We need to build on that and ensure that new members and new staff continue to hear how important afterschool is from their constituents – over and over again.

Photo Credit: saveafterschool.com

Ms. Warner focused her thoughts on the possible opportunities that come with the new President. Below are her thoughts.

Gina Warner,
NAA

Q: In looking ahead to a new presidential administration, are there any opportunities that we should be aware of and how can the afterschool movement embrace these opportunities? 
A: I spent a large portion of my career working in New Orleans, Louisiana, the city that leads the nation with the largest percentage of students enrolled in public charter schools. As the leader of the city's afterschool intermediary for many years, I have a lot of experience building positive partnerships between afterschool providers and school leaders. Those experiences give me hope that afterschool can—and will—play a meaningful role in the growth of school choice.

Here are four things I know:

1. Afterschool is choice.
Inherent in many of the discussions about school choice is the belief that parents and children should have the ability to choose an educational environment that best meets their needs. Every day, 10.2 million children choose to participate in afterschool programs that enhance their academic, social, emotional and physical development. We need to embrace this message and begin to view it as central to our mission of growing afterschool investment.

2. Strong school leaders value afterschool.
High-quality afterschool programs positively impact school attendance, behavior and coursework. Strong school leaders see a high-quality afterschool program as an integral part of delivering successful outcomes for their students.

3. Strong afterschool programs drive student enrollment.
In cities like New Orleans and Washington, D.C.—where there is a competitive marketplace of educational options for families—those schools offering afterschool programs are viewed much more favorably by families and are often the schools with the longest waiting lists for admission.

4. Both in school and out of school, quality matters.
Just creating more choices is not sufficient to ensure the outcomes we want and need for all of our children. We must invest in the people that do this work, so they can continue to deliver high-quality learning and enrichment experiences for all children before, during and after the school day.

I will continue to advocate for increased investment in afterschool, because I believe in the positive benefits of strong afterschool programs for children, families and communities. Investments in school choice cannot come at the expense of investments in creating greater access to high-quality afterschool programs. I am hopeful that by working together—with a shared vision of success for all—afterschool can and will be a part of a growing school choice landscape.

-----------------------
Betsy Brand has served as the Executive Director of AYPF since 2004, and she served as Co-Director of the organization since 1998. Betsy has spent her career working on education, workforce, and youth policy and specializes in comprehensive approaches to helping young people be prepared for today’s careers, lifelong learning, and civic engagement.

Gina Warner was named President and CEO of the National AfterSchool Association in June 2012. NAA - the voice of the afterschool profession – has over 20,000 members across the country and hosts the most comprehensive program of professional development opportunities for afterschool professionals anywhere in the United States.

Spreading the Youth Development Gospel

By Sam Piha

Sam Piha

Temescal Associates and the LIAS Project are committed to promoting youth development and supporting and influencing the field of afterschool and summer programs. This comes in the form of webinars, authoring written pieces, trainings, and the hosting of Speaker's Forums and conferences.

Many of our efforts are done in collaboration with other thinkers and organizations. Below are some of the fruits of our labor. 

Stacey Daraio,
Co-Director
Temescal Associates

Webinar – Creating the conditions for social and emotional learning

This webinar offers a great discussion on best practices for encouraging social and emotional development in afterschool and summer learning programs. Speakers include Deb Moroney and Jaime Singer from American Institutes for Research (AIR), Stacey Daraio from Temescal Associates, and Aleah Rosario from California School-Age Consortium (CalSAC). 



Publication – AfterSchool Today: Supportive Afterschool Learning Environments

This Winter 2016 edition from the National AfterSchool Association (NAA) contains a number of articles on social emotional learning and practices that promote it. 

It contains an article authored by Ruth Obel-Jorgensen (CalSAC) and Sam Piha (Temescal Associates). The article is focused on Expanded Learning 360°/365: Skills for Success in School, Work, and Life and our paper, Student Success Comes Full Circle: Leveraging Expanded Learning Opportunities. 


Publication - Digital Badges in Education: Trends, Issues, and Cases

"In recent years, digital badging systems have become a credible means through which learners can establish portfolios and articulate knowledge and skills for both academic and professional settings. Digital Badges in Education provides the first comprehensive overview of this emerging tool." - Routledge.com

Temescal Associates and the Center for Digital Badges authored a chapter for this book entitled Afterschool and Digital Badges: Recognizing Learning Where It Happens. This book will be released in April 2016. 

_________________________
You can read other blogs by the LIAS project by going to: 

• Expanded Learning 360°/365 Project website
• LIAS Blog Written for the California Afterschool Network