Tips for College Success: A Student's Story

Isaac Deberry, a recreation specialist and after-school coordinator for New York City's Parks & Recreation Department in Brooklyn, went to work right out of high school. For more than a decade he's thought about going to college. But he wasn't sure he could swing it financially, or find the time to attend classes and do the homework while also going to work.

Then he got in touch with the Center for After-School Excellence. The Center gave Isaac a scholarship to pay for books and tuition to attend York College, and now he's finishing his first semester as a student who is confident he'll be successful. Isaac is on track to earn professional certification through the Center's "Excellence in After-School" program. (See below for information on how you, as an after-school staff member, can also earn college credits for little or no cost.)

The Center staff, as well as Isaac's professors at York College, gave him tips on managing his time effectively as an after-school educator and part-time college student. These include:

1. Get a head start. At lunch, Isaac starts new reading assignments or completes short written assignments, leaving the more time-consuming work for quiet time at home.
2. Use on-the-job resources. Isaac uses the computer lab at work, either before or following after-school program hours, to do research on course topics and homework assignments.
3. Don't wait to start assignments. Isaac says, "The key is to keep ideas fresh in your mind. By starting work as soon as possible after class, you reinforce the concepts you learned, making them easier to remember each week."

Isaac has worked with kids for more than eight years. He feels his experience, coupled with what he's learning in college, increases his value and effectiveness as an after-school educator. "The more education I have," he says, "the better chance I will have to empower our children in a positive way."

Registration Still Open for Winter/Spring 2008

If you act quickly, you still have time to enroll in a spring course at a CUNY campus that will help you earn a professional certificate in after-school from the Center. While earning college credits, you will meet many of the New York State Department of Health's child care training requirements, and enjoy preferred hiring status when you apply for jobs with many of New York's major after-school providers.

Certificate courses are offered at Hostos Community College in the Bronx, LaGuardia Community College in Queens, Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn and York College in Queens. These courses cover topics including communication in a professional setting, special education, psychology and youth development. This is a great opportunity with little to no cost. For more information, visit the Center website.

Final Hunter Session for 2007

There are just a few seats left in the last two-day, Saturday continuing education course at Hunter College in 2007. The "Introductory Course for After-School Staff" is an easy way to refresh and advance your knowledge of after-school while meeting some of the Department of Health's mandatory training requirements.

You will get an overview of the after-school world, including insights into the relationship between community-based organizations and schools. The course also covers lesson planning, effective classroom management, creative ways to resolve conflicts and tools for identifying kids' learning styles and strategies.

The last session for fall 2007 will be held on December 1 and December 8. Seating is limited.

Contact Damali Dublin at (646) 943-8848 / ddublin@afterschoolexcellence.org for registration details.

DYCD Job Fair

Job placements are citywide and require at least one year of experience working with youth or related experience and a High School diploma/GED. Many jobs are available in after-school programs and other organizations in the field of youth and community development.

Date: Thursday, December 6, 2007
Time: 10:00A.M. - 3:00 P. M.
Location: NYC College of Technology, 285 Jay Street, Gymnasium, Brooklyn

To register or for more information please call: (212) 676-9842 (Registration is not mandatory but highly recommended).

The Center for After-School Excellence at TASC
1440 Broadway, 16th Fl. New York, NY 10018
Tel. (646) 943-8840
Email info@afterschoolexcellence.org