Capacity Building & Technical Assistance
PASA offers capacity building, technical assistance and professional development supports for after-school providers to improve staff capacity to offer high-quality programs. Professional development supports PASA’s overall quality improvement strategy and aligns with the quality standards.
Building Exemplary Systems for Training Youth Workers (BEST)
The Building Exemplary Systems for Training (BEST) youth worker training is a 32-hour certificate program offered in partnership with Health Resources in Action. The training is designed to build a better understanding of youth development principles and practices. More than 200 youth workers statewide have completed the training.
Workshops & Trainings
PASA provides a menu of workshops and each year that align with the Rhode Island Program Quality Assessment (RIPQA) and meet the current needs of after-school providers. Examples of trainings in the past include:
- Standards Alignment
This workshop series helps after-school providers understand how they can support youth’s academic achievement by incorporating national standards and grade-level expectations into their curriculum. Participants learn specific strategies for incorporating academics into all kinds of after-school programs. - Integrating Youth Development
An annual series of workshops designed to support program providers in integrating the core youth-development principles outlined in the Rhode Island Program Quality Assessment (RIPQA) into their after-school enrichment programs. These highly active workshops emphasize brainstorming, sharing strategies and using providers’ current knowledge to improve programming. - Supervising Youth Workers
Support for RIPQA
PASA has a cadre of trained Quality Advisors available to support after-school providers interested in using the RIPQA for self-assessment and continuous improvement. These advisors help providers create an observation and assessment schedule and use the results of their assessments to develop a quality improvement plan with specific action steps.
Core Competencies
In order to fulfill the commitment to promoting positive youth development for Rhode Island’s children and youth, professionals in afterschool and youth development settings must have a clearly defined set of skills and knowledge. Core Competencies refer to the observable skills and dispositions needed by professionals in order to provide high-quality afterschool experiences for children and youth. Competencies are concrete, observable, and achievable; and establish standards of practice that strengthen the profession.
A set of core competencies were originally created in 2003 by a Department of Human Services-convened committee focusing on professionals serving children from birth to adolescence. CHILDSPAN, RI’s Child Development and Education Training System, received grant funding in 2007 from the Rhode Island DHS to revise the 2003 document.
During the revisions process, a decision was made to separate the original document into three separate documents, one of which was geared specifically for the afterschool and youth development (ASYD) field. A working group convened in 2008 to create these ASYD competencies. The working group was made up of representatives from RIASPA, PASA, CHILDSPAN, and Kids Klub, as well as some afterschool education consultants. The Rhode Island Core Knowledge and Core Competencies for Afterschool and Youth Development Professionals are now complete and ready for use across Rhode Island.
The ASYD Core Competencies reflect new state developments and initiatives (e.g., RIPQA and BrightStars) as well as national trends in afterschool and youth development. They can be used to establish individualized professional development plans; assist administrators/directors in the creation of job descriptions; serve as a foundation when designing curriculum or professional development, etc. In addition to helping the field, the Core Competencies may also be used to outreach to other constituencies, including trainers, higher education, families, funders, and state agencies.
