After School Counts!

Professional Development for After School Staff, Administrators and Volunteers

After School Counts! was created to strengthen the field of after school care in Central Ohio through professional development for staff and volunteers, opportunities for networking and sharing with others in the field, and providing information on and links to resources.

Recent research is finding that after school programs advance children’s learning and social development. Funders, parents, and community partners are increasingly requiring after-school programs to be more accountable for these as well as other measures of success.

Low-cost, easily accessible professional development relevant to the unique challenges and opportunities of an after school setting give staff the skills needed to develop and manage high-quality programs.

Professional Development
Trainings on a wide variety of topics are held throughout the year and offered at no or low-cost. They are open to staff and volunteers who work in or with after school programs, be they school-based, faith-based, or community-based programs.

Trainings have included the topics of discipline, working with parents, understanding the special needs of children who come from poverty, supervising staff, and building resiliency. Please visit the upcoming trainings link for a listing of upcoming sessions.

After School Counts! trainers have developed math and literacy trainings designed specifically for after-school staff who work with elementary-aged students. These sessions prepare staff to engage students in fun, interactive activities that are directly linked to state standards. In addition to hands-on training, participants receive tubs of supplies and binders with information on state standards, Columbus Public Schools’ pacing charts, suggestions for additional academically-based activities, and useful websites.

Community-wide math and literacy trainings are held quarterly, and can also be scheduled for on-site presentations to groups of 20 or more staff and/or volunteers.

Program History
After School Counts! was started as a pilot project, originally called The After School Staff Development Initiative, in 2002 through a collaboration between the City of Columbus Mayor’s Office of Education, United Way of Central Ohio and the Educational Council. Generous funding by The Columbus Foundation in 2003 allowed the project to become a program with a full-time staff person.

Trainings are provided throughout the year, with an annual back-to-school conference held in the fall. Newsletters published every-other month, as well as periodic e-mail updates with up-to-the-minute news, contain information on resources, trainings provided by After School Counts! and other local, regional and national organizations, and stories about creative and outstanding programs.

The original partnering organizations continue to direct and provide support for After School Counts!, along with a Steering Committee of after-school advocates representing a variety of perspectives to ensure that the program meets the established and emerging needs of Columbus’ after-school community.

Click here for the After School Counts! Steering Committee.
Click here for the After School Counts! Executive Committee.