Sanford Health

Out of School Time (OST)

Today, many parents need to find someone to care for their school-age children for an hour or two before school starts, or anywhere from two to four hours after the school day ends. Not to mention finding care on holidays, early dismissals and during summer vacation. When you add it up, that’s a lot of time out of a school-age child’s life – time that can be spent in activities which help him or her develop physical, mental, social, and emotional skills.

School-age children do not need someone just to watch them; they require skilled caregivers that provide supervision and a safe place to be while their parents work. These caregivers need to assist children in finding their interests and talents and encourage them to practice and apply new concepts they may have learned at school.

 

Trainings:

  • Training opportunities for licensed or registered childcare providers.
     
  • Class instructors strive to help caregivers obtain information and confidence in one's ability to provide quality care for children.

Technical Assistance:

  • CHILD Staff are available to do an on site observation.  This observation provides the means to develop an action plan to assist child care programs with program improvement efforts.

 

Articles:

  • School-Age Readers
     
  • Kids and Exercise
     
  • Growth and Development
     
  • Learning Disabilities

To access services contact us at (605) 333-0698 email us at childsrv@sanfordhealth.org

 

 

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Professional Development

Making a commitment to being a lifelong learner is the key to becoming a professional in the Out-of-School Time field. One can become a life-long learner by:

  • Offering suggestions, helping to implement new ideas, and collaborating with co-workers to become more effective and efficient
  • Joining in professional organizations such as SoDakSACA (South Dakota School-Age Care Alliance), NAA (National After School Association), & NIOST (National Institute for Out-of-School Time) are all great places to share your talents and network with others who are in similar situations. These organizations host annual conferences and offer monthly publications.
  • Subscribe to Professional Journals & Publications: Publications such as School-Age Notes and School-Age Review are excellent ways to keep up-to-date on current trends and practices in the field of Out-of-School Time care.
  • Work towards their OST Credential

9/22/2008

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