The National Center for Quality Afterschool

Helping local practitioners and state education agencies develop high-quality and balanced programs

About the Center

Training Services

Staff Professional Development Sessions: Literacy

Literacy Topics in Afterschool Can Help Improve Reading Skills

This session provides a framework for motivating students to read, engage in reading, and improve their reading skills within the context of an afterschool program. Participants receive a package of information on available resources to help build an afterschool reading program and advance the reading achievement of all students.

Reading Tutoring in Afterschool

Based on current research, this session examines the skills and strategies children need to become successful readers. It explores student-centered ways afterschool tutors can support children with a variety of learning needs. Participants experience activities they can use to train afterschool tutors.

Creating Literacy-Rich Environments in Afterschool Programs

This presentation introduces participants to the five components of reading and ways that afterschool programs can create a literacy-rich environment. Topics include the five components of reading, literacy materials, physical arrangements of rooms, and grouping for a variety of reading and writing activities. This session is especially relevant to afterschool programs for elementary school students.

Reading Aloud To Support Literacy Development in Afterschool

Experts agree that reading aloud is one of the keys to supporting children's reading success. In this session, participants explore the benefits of reading aloud and the literacy skills that read-aloud supports, and they learn how to explicitly model and reinforce comprehension strategies during a read-aloud.

Understanding Family Literacy and Building Effective Relationships with Families in Afterschool Programs

How can afterschool programs help meet the literacy needs of families? This session focuses on various models of family literacy programs as well as ways afterschool staff and volunteers can engage families as partners in student success.

Active Literacy Techniques for Afterschool Programs

Participants experience a range of activities, based on the multiple intelligences that foster children's literacy development. They learn techniques that promote student engagement across content areas, develop student skills in story building, and are physical, imaginative, and fun.

Ready to Learn?

Contact us to discuss your professional development needs and how the Center can assist you.



Online Training for Afterschool Staff
The Afterschool Training Toolkit is available online free of charge.

The following resources can be used with the online Afterschool Training Toolkit to give you the resources you need to build fun, innovative, and academically enriching afterschool activities.