The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida - Other School Department Based Activities
Celebrating 10 Years Of Wellness
Staff Development
All staff working in District elementary afterschool programs are highly qualified. Within six months of hire staff must complete Positive Ways to Work with Children, a training designed to prepare them for their new role in the afterschool program. They must also complete Playground Safety training and receive First Aid/CPR/AED certification. Once these requirements have been met, an additional twelve hours of professional development must be completed annually. In order to assist programs with this requirement, the Department of Afterschool Programming collaborates with other District departments and its partners to offer training to staff throughout the school year.
Oh, the Ways We Can Play!
Oh, the Ways We Can Play is an annual field day professional development opportunity for District elementary afterschool staff. The event was designed to teach appropriate physical activities to afterschool site directors and staff through interactive and hands on activities, and counts towards their twelve hour professional development requirement. The 3rd Annual Oh, the Ways We Can Play event was held on April 2, 2016 and attended by 335 afterschool staff. Activities included Zumba, yoga, agility drills, group fitness, and organized sports. In order to promote camaraderie within each school site, a banner contest was held and awards were given for school spirit. Vendors were on hand throughout the event to ensure staff had breakfast, water, healthy snacks, physical activities and plenty of entertainment.
Other wellness trainings offered to afterschool staff during the 2015-2016 school year
- Active in Afterschool
The Active in Afterschool training teaches afterschool staff best practices for implementing the SPARK Physical Education curriculum after it has been purchased for use in their afterschool program. 37 sites currently implement SPARK Physical Education, and 51 afterschool staff have received the Active in Afterschool training.
- Afterschool Crisis Management
This training is provided by School Police and includes information on responding to critical incidents, developing a crisis plan, responding to codes, lock downs and evaluations as well as domestic violence relating to school staff and students. 101 afterschool staff received the Afterschool Crisis Management training.
- Playground Safety
The Playground Safety training is offered through the Department of Risk management and reviews measures for keeping students safe during outdoor activities as well as discusses procedures for reporting accidents. 110 afterschool staff received the Playground Safety training.
- Staying Well After the Bell
During this exciting and hands-on training, participants discover their role as an advocate for wellness in their afterschool program. They also learn national nutrition and physical activity standards for children. 70 afterschool staff received the Staying Well After the Bell training.
- United States Tennis Association (USTA)
Training is provided to District elementary afterschool site directors and staff by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) several times per year to ensure that at least one staff member per site is trained in the implementation of a tennis program. This interactive on court workshop shows staff new ways to introduce students to tennis. It also provides an overview of the 10 & Under Tennis Play Format. 51 afterschool staff received the USTA training.