The Center for After-School Excellence is dedicated to ensuring that during the critical afternoon hours, young people are supervised and instructed by well-trained staff in high-quality after-school programs.
Until now there have been few opportunities for after-school educators to earn credits or degrees in their field at the college level. The Center is changing that. We are partnering with the City University of New York (CUNY) to offer the dedicated staff of after-school programs a new infrastructure of courses and certificates at the community college, senior college, and graduate levels. In New York City and beyond, the Center is exploring ways to access public funding to support the professional development of the after-school workforce.
By offering dynamic college courses and financial assistance to after-school educators, the Center is working to expand opportunities for the members of this workforce, and benefits for the kids in their care. When they enroll in Center-sponsored professional certificate programs, after-school educators can advance toward college degrees and earn universally recognized credentials. Many of the largest nonprofit after-school providers in New York City have committed to offering preference in hiring to applicants who earn professional certificates through the Center.
The Center also conducts and supports robust research on after-school, assuring that this vital information gets into the hands of the program leaders who work with kids every day.
