Harris County schools are underway with instruction and classroom activities, which means afterschool and out-of-school time programs and organizations are ramping up to give youth opportunities for continued learning and interactive fun.

To better assist these programs and help community partners prepare, the Center for Afterschool, Summer and Enrichment (CASE) for Kids offered a clinic – Injecting Quality into Your Program. Held Aug. 18 at the North Post Oak conference center, nearly 50 partners attended, picking up strategies and resources for their organizations from CASE for Kids staff, while also networking with fellow afterschool leaders.

The day began with “Program Diagnostic 101,” where participants looked at and found solutions for problems that can plague an afterschool program and keep it from thriving. Volunteers acted out scenarios, with discussion that followed on how staff handled the problem while keeping students motivated and positive.

Breakout sessions followed, and topics included emergency preparedness and crisis response for afterschool spaces, effective family educational engagement for student success, healthy homework culture and framework, and nurturing spaces to allow for youth to find their voice.

The clinic ended with lunch and a Smart Zone Clean Out, where partners could take selected items to use in their programs. The clean out occurs every six months to make room for new items.