Capacity Building & Technical Assistance
PASA offers capacity building, technical assistance and professional development supports for after-school providers to improve staff capacity to offer high-quality programs. Professional development supports PASA’s overall quality improvement strategy and aligns with the quality standards.
Building Exemplary Systems for Training Youth Workers (BEST)
The Building Exemplary Systems for Training (BEST) youth worker training is a 32-hour certificate program offered in partnership with Health Resources in Action. The training is designed to build a better understanding of youth development principles and practices. More than 200 youth workers statewide have completed the training.
Workshops & Trainings
PASA provides a menu of workshops and each year that align with the Rhode Island Program Quality Assessment (RIPQA) and meet the current needs of after-school providers. Examples of trainings in the past include:
- Standards Alignment
This workshop series helps after-school providers understand how they can support youth’s academic achievement by incorporating national standards and grade-level expectations into their curriculum. Participants learn specific strategies for incorporating academics into all kinds of after-school programs. - Integrating Youth Development
An annual series of workshops designed to support program providers in integrating the core youth-development principles outlined in the Rhode Island Program Quality Assessment (RIPQA) into their after-school enrichment programs. These highly active workshops emphasize brainstorming, sharing strategies and using providers’ current knowledge to improve programming. - Supervising Youth Workers
Support for RIPQA
PASA has a cadre of trained Quality Advisors available to support after-school providers interested in using the RIPQA for self-assessment and continuous improvement. These advisors help providers create an observation and assessment schedule and use the results of their assessments to develop a quality improvement plan with specific action steps.
