CURRICULUM | eamcapstone

CURICULUM

WANT TO IMPLEMENT

AN AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM

AT YOUR SCHOOL?

What first steps do I need to take to establish a good afterschool program?

1. Set goals that reflect the needs of the children and families in your community.

2. Establish strong leadership and a clear organizational structure.

3. Develop a budget and financial plan that provides for long-term sustainability.

4. Understand the legal requirements and liability issues for your afterschool programs, and be sure your plan addresses them.

5. Address the safety, health, and nutritional issues that face the children in your program.

6. Carefully consider staffing needs

-Hire and retain skilled, qualified, caring staff people

-Provide for professional development

-Ensure low adult/child ratios and small group sizes

-Enlist school day teachers as afterschool staff

Key Principles of Developing an Afterschool Curriculum:

Provide Structure with Flexibility
Plan a Variety of Activities
Give Students Choices
Provide Opportunities for Student Input
Pay Attention to the Particular Needs of Your Program

Common Obstacles to Implementation:

Child dynamics
Environment
Content Knowledge
Storage
Administration and Staff
Money, materials
Time

What kinds of activities should my program include?

The best programs offer a balance of academics, recreation, enrichment, and cultural activities.

Academic activities should be fun, engaging, and, ideally, should be coordinated with school-day curricula.

Activities centered on a specific project can provide challenges along with fun.

Activities must meet the developmental needs of students, especially for downtime, for nutrition, for letting off steam.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Activities for your Afterschool Program: Creating an Activity Web

Step 1. Set up a brainstorming session during program time where staff and students work together to come up with possible themes.

Step 2. Tack a large piece of paper to the blackboard or the wall and make a large circle (or bubble) in the center of it. Write your chosen theme in that circle.

Step 3. Surround the circle containing the theme word with other bubbles. Connect each surrounding bubble to the center circle with a line to show they are related to your theme.

Step 4. For each category you have drawn in the previous step, think of as many activities as you can, and write your ideas in new bubbles coming off of the category.

Step 5. Choose which activities you will focus on.

Step 6. Decide in what order you will do them.

Step 7. Place the activities you have decided upon into the schedule you developed earlier.

Step 8. Develop a matrix which can be used as a lesson plan.

For every activity chosen, describe:

The developmental need or needs the activity might fill: Choose one or more of the seven developmental needs cited on that chart.
The child and youth characteristics to which the activity corresponds: Match one or more of the characteristics of children or youth listed on the corresponding charts.
The purpose for the activity: Detail your reasons or purpose for doing the activity.
The desired result: Indicate what you might see, as children successfully accomplish the activity.