Celebrate Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week April 21-25

PictureAfterschool Professionals learning how to make cards using paper circuits at the MIT Museum Maker Space, April 2025
The Agenda for Children OST is celebrating Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week, April 21-25, to recognize, appreciate and advocate for those who work with young people during out-of-school hours.

Research shows that Afterschool Professionals make a profound difference in the lives of young people. We encourage you to join us in thanking afterschool professionals! Read more here​

Learn more about the OST Expansion Study

Today, not all Cambridge families have access to afterschool and summer programs, or out-of-school time (OST) opportunities. The City of Cambridge has contracted with consultants to conduct an OST Expansion Study "to develop a three-year plan to expand and improve After School Care for Cambridge children." 

​For more information about the study, please reference the timeline on this page, which will be updated regularly to reflect progress to date.  You may also reach out to Susan Richards with questions.

NEW! Report on the Impact of OST Staff Engagement in Professional Opportunities

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The Cambridge Agenda for Children Out-of-School Time (AFCOST) is pleased to share our most recent Impact Evaluation Report. 
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We hope that this report will spark deeper investment in professional growth opportunities for the dedicated staff who care for and nurture the wellbeing of our children and young people. The findings from this impact evaluation demonstrate that investing in professional growth and engagement opportunities for the Cambridge Out-of-School Time (OST) workforce has a profound and lasting impact on both staff and the youth they serve.

The data reveals that OST staff who engage deeply in AFCOST's professional development opportunities experience: increased knowledge, enhanced skills, stronger community connections, and improved confidence in their roles.
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These benefits not only foster the professional growth of staff but also translate into high quality learning experiences for children and youth, contributing to a more vibrant, supportive, and effective OST ecosystem.
We deeply appreciate the OST staff who provided insightful feedback and shared their time, insights and perspectives through feedback forms, surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Link to Full Report.  Link to Executive Summary.

Thanks to the OST and Summer Camp  providers who joined us at Rollin & Summer Resources!!

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The event, which took place on Saturday, March 1, 1-4pm, at the King Open/CSUS Community Complex, marked the fourth year AFCOST has coordinated this collaborative event along with DHSP, CPS, Family and Community Engagement Teams, the Village and many other community organizations and programs.  Read more about this year's event here!

​Rollin & Summer Resources was envisioned and catalyzed through the efforts of various CPS parents and caregivers, many of color, who spearheaded it when many family-facing events, including the city's Summer Camp Night, had been cancelled during COVID years. They wanted to carry on the tradition of Summer Camp Night being open to all Cambridge families while centering the needs of those who face the most barriers to having their needs met.  Their motivation for explicitly naming and supporting high priority families was based in part on the fact that some folks traditionally don't benefit or get their needs met when community events are structured and paced as first come, first served.  They added roller skating, a DJ, delicious food offerings and child-centered spaces to attract a wide range of families. ​Thanks for helping make this a successful event!

Welcome, Vanessa!

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We are excited to announce Vanessa Fisher has joined us as our new Middle School-OST Network (MSN) Coordinator!
Vanessa is a compassionate individual with a deep passion for working with youth and families, empowering them to navigate through situations and create meaningful connections. With a background from Wheelock College in Special Education with a focus on Child and Family Life, Vanessa brings a wealth of experience and a deep passion for empowering youth, particularly middle school students. 
Vanessa has over 15 years of experience working with middle grade youth in Cambridge. From starting as a youth worker to most recently serving as Center Director at Frisoli Youth Center, she believes in the transformative work that can happen with connection to safe spaces and people during one of the most forming periods of life, middle school. As a mother of two, with one child currently in middle school, she understands firsthand the importance of this critical time in shaping a child’s future.
Throughout her career, Vanessa has consistently worked to create emotionally safe spaces for middle schoolers. One of her proudest accomplishments is bringing a roller skating program to local youth, where they learned valuable new skills while fostering fun and personal growth. After her most recent role in Boston at a non-profit where she directed community programs, Vanessa is excited to return to Cambridge and to partner with our OST providers, schools and families to support the middle school journey.​  email:  [email protected]

2nd Annual School-Community Partnerships Gathering

PictureTop left: Ms. G gives high fives as she dances through the "zipper" of staff. Bottom left: Interim Superintendent, Dave Murphy welcomes OST leaders, CPS staff and community partners as Ray Porch, Khari Milner, and Debbie Bonilla lend support. Right: Greg Green speaks with participants on the mic as Nadia Davila looks on smiling.
The Out-of-School Time (OST) program leaders came together with Family liaisons, community outreach workers, educators, public health practitioners and other partners for the second annual School-Community Partnership Gathering in December.
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Together, we centered on fostering collaboration between the elementary, middle, and high school providers, addressing shared obstacles while building sustainable solutions, and sharing tools and best practices to strengthen networks and connections. 
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The energy was electric as new connections were formed, knowledge was shared, and plans were made, all in support of our Cambridge youth. Feel free to read more about the event in this blog post.​

Thank you for a wonderful OST Symposium!
November 19th, 20th, 21st
If you have not submitted your feedback survey, it's not too late!
​We would love to hear from you!

The 2024-25 School Year Resource Guide is here!

For the School Year 2024-25, after school programs for both Elementary (K-5) and Middle Schoolers (6-8) will be available at various locations throughout Cambridge, including school campuses, youth centers, community centers, local non-profits, businesses, and more. This guide has been created to bring together all of these opportunities in one place!​

i-Ready Personalized Instruction: An Introduction for OST Programs and Providers

On January 19th, 2023,  Cambridge Public Schools and AFCOST co-facilitated a workshop to provide an overview of the i-Ready personalized learning program. As the more than 25 OST professionals who attended the workshop learned, i-Ready is an online platform for CPS 3rd-8th graders to use beyond the school day to support their learning in the areas of Math and English Language Arts.

Click here to view the slides from the workshop or watch the recording!
​Important: If your program serves CPS students in grades 3-5, and you have interest in potentially having Chromebooks provided for you to keep at your program for students to use for i-Ready, please email Khari at [email protected] ASAP.

​High Quality Comprehensive After School for All

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Working together, schools, afterschool programs, and community partners are better positioned to accelerate students’ academic, social, and emotional learning, especially students who have been historically underserved and those with special needs . . . Decades of data show these programs:
  • Accelerate students’ learning gains and improve their reading and math skills
  • Engage youth in learning and boost school attendance
  • Support social and emotional development
  • Prevent youth violence
  • Boost on-time graduation

Is Your Program a Safe Space?

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Is your program a safe space for gender nonconforming and transgender youth?
Click here to read the latest AFCOST blog post written by Beck Govoni, Afterschool Director @CambridgeYCMA.  Learn more about how you can ensure that all youth feel safe and have fun in out-of-school time programs.

Do you have some wisdom to share that would be helpful to share with your out-of-school time professional colleagues?  Write about what you are learning and email it to AFCOST so we can publish and share with the Cambridge OST Community, and beyond.  
Here are some tips to get  you started.  We want to hear from you.

Watch our newest Story of Family Partnership
Parent Voices: Committing to Racial Equity

Watch "Caste in the Classroom, Education for Second-Class" 

If you will join tomorrow's OST Clubhouse conversation, you can join us or watch on your own.
Check out the study guide and feedback questionnaire
  1. Study Guide
  2. Feedback Questionnaire
America After 3PM 2020 Report
The Afterschool Alliance's 4th edition of America After 3PM provides a detailed account of children in the afterschool hours, identifying: trends of participation in, and unmet demand for, afterschool programs; the experiences and opportunities programs afford; and which children and families are missing out, and why.  ​http://afterschoolalliance.org/AA3PM/

Write a blog post for the OST Community

Check out our blog and write to tell us more about how you are staying connected and supporting co-workers and families during this time.  Here are some tips for writing a blog post.

​Keeping it Real in Family Partnership: A Facilitator’s Guide 

​This facilitator’s guide is intended to provide instruction and inspiration for how members of the Cambridge OST community might use the Family Partnership Stories produced by the Agenda for Children to enrich staff development efforts. This guide provides: a brief summary of each story, story-specific reflection questions, and ideas for interactive activities that can help deepen participants’ engagement with the material. 

Find Common Ground

​​Nelhai Mallebay-Vacqueur, a teacher in the King Open Extended Day program, shares an account of her journey working to build bridges of cultural understanding with the families of the children in her program.

Show Them that They Matter

 In our latest story, OST Practitioner Ayesha Wilson shares her journey learning about the diverse cultures of her students' families.

Showing us What they Know

 An OST parent shares her thoughts on what makes a family event engaging and fun for parents.

Keeping it Real

 OST Leader & father Joseph Corbie tells us about the importance of keeping it real with families.

The Path to College Success

Our latest blog post explores how parents and CSI work together to support College Success for students.

Youth Voices on Relationships & Self-Discovery

​In this video story, youth enrolled at the Gately Youth Center in Cambridge reflect on the importance of their relationships with staff.

Engaging Middle School Youth in Out-of-School-Time Opportunities

Why are some middle school youth still missing out on OST opportunities? What can we do to help?

Connecting Books and (Reluctant) Readers

Librarian Emily Meyer highlights tips and resources to help young people find books they'll enjoy reading this summer. 

Building a Welcoming Culture

Families and staff of the Cambridge Community Center share the importance of their monthly family nights.

The Power of the Outdoors

Explore the benefits of outdoor education for your program and your own health & well-being.

Building Dialogue

Vanessa Fisher, director of the Frisoli Youth Center, tells us how she engages families by building dialogue and relationships.

4  games to get kids excited about mindfulness

Read how a youth worker changed her whole approach to mindfulness in her program by using games.

Quality, Equity & Innovation

Uniting the out-of-school time community of Cambridge through peer learning & professional development.

Cambridge Agenda for Children out-of-school time

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