Afterschool for All identified three key reasons to develop a set of core competencies:
- to help afterschool workers name the skills they develop and identify skills they can work toward developing,
- to encourage employers to recruit, hire and promote staff based on mastery of competencies which will increase the field’s professionalization efforts and development of career ladders, and
- to align workforce development, professional development and technical assistance efforts around a central set of competencies.
Ultimately, the competencies will result in improved afterschool program quality and therefore more positive outcomes for youth.
Benefits to youth workers
Not only will core competencies help you in your current afterschool position to do the best possible job working with children and youth, many of the skills and knowledge outlined below are transferable to careers in many other fields. Mastering the competencies and learning how to discuss how you use them in your everyday practice will help you to make your next upward career move, in the field of afterschool or whatever you choose to do next.
