In this blog post, we cover strategies for after-school program hiring. We detail how to find and keep high quality staff for your out-of-school-time programming.
For many districts, there’s abundant funding for expanded learning programming. In California, for example, many label the availability of dollars from the state’s Expanded Learning Opportunities Program as unprecedented in its volume and flexibility. This funding source, known as ELO-P, enables public schools to offer TK-6th grade students no-cost after-school, summer school, and intersession programming. (Learn more about ELO-P here.)
But great funding alone doesn’t lead to great after-school programming. Initiatives must have staff to run them, and, since we’re working on offerings to shape our students’ minds and futures — what’s more important? — exceptional staff are necessary. After-school program hiring strategies are key.
Finding people to manage and run enrichment programs can be tough, though. The jobs are often part-time and work in education can be thankless. But it doesn’t have to be. In a recent webinar, which we at ActivityHero hosted, Esmeralda Garcia, the Director of Expanded Learning for Calexico Unified School District (CUSD), discussed how she successfully grew her out-of-school-time team. Her programs boast consistently great attendance and over-enrollment, thanks to a stellar staff of over 200.
Ms. Garcia got to this point recruiting organically – hiring after school program staff doesn’t have to be difficult. She said she finds great people through word of mouth. Because she has built a great place for after-school staff to work, they tell their family and friends about it, and those connections want to work at CUSD too.
So what makes it such an in-demand work place? Below are three key factors that Ms. Garcia has prioritized, and to which she attributes her success. Read on to learn how you can entice and keep great after-school staff too.
Offer Secure Employment and All That Comes with It
A few years ago, Ms. Garcia’s staff wanted more security, so she decided it was time for a change. Specifically, she started to make them permanent employees of the district. This meant that they didn’t have to reapply for their roles each year, as temporary employees do. What a relief! Further, as permanent employees, they receive benefits. They also get over 15 hours per week, which is more than most other out-of-school-time programs in her region guarantee. And she offers competitive pay. Ms. Garcia said that she’s currently looking into cost of living adjustments and revisiting wages to ensure that they remain fair and attractive. Her and the district’s commitment to their beyond-the-instructional-day staff gives these educators a sense of security. They make a commitment to the students and the district makes a commitment to them.
Give Your Team the Skills and Time They Need to Succeed
It’s not just students who want and need to learn. That’s why CUSD’s expanded-learning staff attend a minimum of eight hours of professional development (PD) every month, and, throughout the month, additional opportunities are offered. The PD includes training for new curricula and their trauma-informed practices, which help with classroom management. In addition, staff have paid planning time to ensure they’re offering students the best they have. Team members receive 45-minutes every day to plan, collaborate with others, and prepare materials. “We don’t expect them to walk on campus at 3:00 and receive students at 3:00,” Ms. Garcia said. The planning time and the PD is good for the staff’s confidence and program delivery, which means it pays off for students.
Provide Opportunities for Career Growth
Through all of the professional development, over time, staff often land in a different place in their careers than when they started with CUSD. Their program’s investment in staff has translated into a number of people from the out-of-school-time programming transitioning to roles during the instructional day as teaching assistants and teachers. Ms. Garcia noted that they’re “homegrowing their own educators.”
You’ve Built an Amazing Team. Now How Do You Retain Them?
According to Ms. Garcia, you succeed at retaining excellent staff the same way that you succeed at recruiting them: you offer a great place to work. Specifically, and as mentioned above, you must provide security, show that professional development is valued, and offer paths to career advancement. Setting up the right approach for your team and growing your staff may take time, though. Ms. Garcia noted that it has been an incremental process. “It didn’t happen overnight,” she said.
Want to learn more about hiring after-school staff and building a great after-school program? Book a consultation with one of ActivityHero’s expanded-learning experts.