Better Kid Care supports out-of-school (OST) time professionals—from administrators to front-line staff—through various tools and resources. Whether you need to train new professionals, obtain continuing education credits, coach existing staff, improve administrative skills, or renew your School-Age Professional Credential, BKC is available online 24/7 to help you meet your PD goals.
New staff training.
Jump into new staff training with Better Kid Care On Demand! Content for On Demand professional development courses is available at no cost. A nominal fee is charged for a certificate of completion, starting at $5 for 2-hour courses. Get started with these options:
- New Staff Orientation--Working with School-Age Youth (7-hour course) Covers the nuts and bolts of daily tasks that a school-age child care employee needs to perform. Topics include basics about supervision, safety, school-age terminology, and programming expectations.
- PYD Foundations (5 courses/10-hour series) Designed for staff and volunteers who may not be familiar with K-12 child development. These courses will help staff better understand and interact with the children and youth in an OST program setting.
- School-Age Youth Programs: Health and Safety Best Practices (3-hour course) This course provides information about the unique aspects of supervising, creating emotionally and physically healthy spaces, and carrying out care routines in a licensed school-age setting.
- Positive Youth Development: Building a Culture of Belonging (2-hour course) After school practitioners can build strong relationships with youth as they model inclusion and provide an emotionally and physically safe environment. This course focuses on how school-age practitioners can create a culture of belonging for youth, families, and staff in their programs.
Other school-age resources
An overview of BKC resources to share with colleagues (PDF)
Better Kid Care distance education courses appropriate for school-age practitioners
A tool designed to help you coach staff to implement effective practices supporting Positive Youth Development (PYD) — Click. Coach. Connect.: Positive Youth Development.
Using Penn State Better Kid Care’s online, On Demand system is an easy, affordable, and convenient way to obtain the required 45 hours of professional development for the SAPC 3-year or 5-year renewal.
A collection of articles promoting experiences for school-age youth honoring COVID-respectful restrictions.
