SEDL's Afterschool Work Deepens with California Demonstration Program

With more than 400,000 students served by afterschool programs in California, the State of California has good reason to focus on the quality of its afterschool programs. The California Department of Education contracted with SEDL to provide research and professional development in the California After School Demonstration Program (CASDP). This 3-year project is part of the state’s technical support system for afterschool programs.

SEDL assisted the California Department of Education to establish high-quality standards, based on research, to use in the selection of 10 demonstration programs. When the 10 programs are announced, SEDL will provide professional development and technical assistance around issues such as quality, training, and continuous learning. In turn, the demonstration programs will provide similar professional development and assistance to other afterschool programs throughout the state.

Project director Zena Rudo explains that another task of the demonstration program is to collect data from the sites to help increase understanding of promising practices in afterschool. SEDL will help promote these promising practices in California and nationwide.

Rudo says this pilot project is developmental and collaborative in nature. “CDE has asked us to not only work with the demonstration programs, but also with the department, the afterschool regional leads in the state and other stakeholders to develop this model for quality technical support for afterschool.” This developmental approach is new, not only for California but for the field of afterschool. Rudo noted, “California has shown enormous support for afterschool across the state and SEDL is excited to be a part of it.”

Next Article: Professional Development in the Afterschool Environment