Fostering positive youth and staff development: Understanding the roles and experiences of the afterschool workforce

Abstract

Informed by strengths-based perspectives and systems theory of social settings, this mixed-methods study focuses on the experiences of the afterschool workforce employed by a large, urban community-based organization. Through directed content analysis of semi-structured individual and small-group interviews with afterschool instructors (ASI), this study sheds light on the roles, experiences, challenges, and supports of ASIs. Results demonstrate that ASIs navigate multiple roles in the afterschool setting, acknowledge the challenges of youth and families, experience several sources of professional support through the people and resources in afterschool, and articulate long-term professional goals related to their current work. In addition, concurrently collected quantitative survey and administrative data about ASIs' overall work experiences and satisfaction are analyzed to examine the extent to which they confirm and complement the qualitative results. Implications for practice and policy are discussed to highlight how these findings may be used to strengthen the youth-serving workforce in urban communities.

Learning in the library: A national study of youth services public library workers

“…programs (Colvin et al, 2020) and often that work is done by emerging adults and those who lack knowledge of youth development (Hwang et al, 2020). This study is not respresentative of libraries across the United States.…”

“…In both cases, training for public library workers should be focused on learning-based work that they are doing in addition to the resource training that the MLS prograns provide. The work done in public libraries is similar to that done in afterschool programs (Colvin et al, 2020) and often that work is done by emerging adults and those who lack knowledge of youth development (Hwang et al, 2020).…”

“…A more recent study of professionalism included a sample of only five public librarians (Garcia & Barbour, 2018). Hwang et al (2020) point out that while much research addresses the learning that happens in afterschool programs, very little is known about the adult educators. Colvin et al (2020) have shown that the work of afterschool educators is very similar to that of youth service public library workers.…”

“Let's hang out!”: Understanding social ties among linguistically diverse youth in urban afterschool programs

“…Challenges also exist as afterschool programs are expected to provide enrichment with limited time, resources, and younger staff with less professional experience in comparison to day school (Larson & Walker, 2010; Vandell et al., 2016). However, because afterschool staff are likely to come from the same communities as the youth and be attuned and responsive to youth needs (Hwang et al., 2020), staff may be better able to integrate youth across diverse academic and language skills in afterschool activities, avoiding the segregation common in day schools (Maxwell‐Jolly, 2011). Thus, afterschool programs demonstrate the promise of being a unique, safe space for youth to cultivate connections with peers, both similar or dissimilar, and develop a holistic set of skills.…”