School Age Child Care in the Central Regional Key
School-age programs occur in schools, family homes, child care centers, community based organizations, and public and private schools for children in Kindergarten through eighth grade. Programming has expanded to hours both before and after school, on snow days, during school vacations and potentially any other time to meet the needs of the ever-changing lives of children, parents, school and communities. Recent research highlights the contributions of School Age Child Care programs in improving academic achievement, helping youth develop social skills and promoting positive youth development.
The School Age Child Care Program was brought under the Central Regional Key management in the fiscal year 2007-2008. This on site consultation offers a variety of services specific to the needs of the diverse, twenty county rural and urban School Age communities. The Central Regional Key is answering the need for quality School Age Care by providing Professional Development, onsite Technical Assistance and Stars Management. The Central Regional Key provides access to the School Age Professional Credential which is a way for practitioners to measure themselves to state standards of quality. For STARS requirements, this gives the school age practitioners an equivalent of the CDA that is based on the age group of the unique needs of older children.
In the upcoming fiscal year the Central Regional Key will offer 24 new modules by Roberta Newman for professional development, two conferences with a School Age track, and four School Age Forums annually that offer the possibility to network and additional professional development.
For additional information please contact the School Age Coordinators Eileen Okkelberg (blue area on map) or Claudia Hunold (yellow area on map).
