After School Matters is dedicated to continuously improving the quality of the programs we provide for Chicago public high school teens. Our Program Quality division works directly with the providers who develop and deliver our programs to enhance every opportunity and ensure that teens have the best possible program experience.

Professional development opportunities for program providers are an essential tool in advancing program quality. Since 2009, After School Matters has hosted an annual Professional Development Conference to offer our providers—both independent instructors and community-based organizations—an opportunity to enhance their knowledge of best practices for developing and delivering engaging and effective out-of-school time programs.

Sessions at this year’s Professional Development Conference, held in August, focused on the theme “Creating Pathways for Youth Success.” During the two-day event, hundreds of After School Matters instructors participated in presentations and workshops on a wide range of topics designed to enhance both the quality and impact of our work, including Youth Program Quality (YPQ) training, violence prevention and intervention strategies, and teen recruitment. These workshops provide interactive opportunities for instructors to work directly with certified specialists, learn best practices in the out-of-school time and youth development fields, and share success stories to build upon their collective experience.

Keynote speakers at this year’s Conference included Dr. Robert Halpern, a nationally-recognized authority on youth development from the Erikson Institute who has previously authored a research study on After School Matters, and Chicago Public Schools Student Engagement and Community Outreach Specialist Khaldun Everage.

In alignment with After School Matters mission to provide teens with opportunities to gain critical skills for work, college and beyond, the Professional Development Conference also introduced our program providers to a new assessment tool that will be used to help facilitate guided discussions with teens around the topic of career readiness. Piloted in 10 After School Matters programs during the Spring 2011 program session, we are introducing this Career Readiness Assessment Tool across all programs during our Fall 2011 program session.

Data from the teen and instructor assessments conducted using this tool will be collected and tracked in our Cityspan online information management system, and teens will receive a scorecard reflecting their progress throughout the program session. To further enhance the impact of this project, After School Matters is currently recruiting Human Resources volunteers to visit select programs to assist in integrating the Tool and speak with the teens, further emphasizing the importance of developing marketable career readiness skills including mock interviews.

If you know a Human Resources professional who would be interested in volunteering their time for this project, please contact Nick Prestemon, After School Matters Volunteer Coordinator, at Nick.Prestemon@afterschoolmatters.org

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