The Barr Foundation on Supporting the SAYD Pilot
Klare Shaw, Senior Advisor for Education, Arts & Culture, at the Barr Foundation shares her thoughts on the purpose of the SAYD Pilot and how it fits into the Barr Foundation's funding priorities.
Begun in 2001, Achieve Boston is a collaborative effort of many leading out-of-school time organizations. It is a public private partnership drawing upon knowledge, funding and resources from foundations, the nonprofit sector, the State, the City of Boston, Boston Public Schools, and institutions of higher education. The effort is administered by a composite of “Managing Partners” that includes Boston After School & Beyond, The Medical Foundation, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Boston, National Institute of Out-of-School Time (NIOST), Build the Out-of-School Time Network (BOSTNet), YMCA of Greater Boston, and the Program in Education, After School & Resiliency (PEAR).
The group began meeting with the goal of improving the quality of after school and youth programs and exploring the key components of a workforce development system for Out-of-School Time (OST). Among the key organizations involved are several Barr Foundation grantees and they worked closely together to devise a comprehensive plan called “The Blueprint for Action: Professional Development System for the Out-of-School Time Workforce.” The blueprint lays out an ideal plan for a statewide staff training and career lattice for OST. By working with the Higher Education and Youth Work Roundtable (HEAYR) to plan the courses, Achieve Boston drew up the School Age and Youth Development (SAYD) certificate credential. It put together training that helps staff and youth workers feel confident, knowledgeable and self-empowered.
This project aligns with Barr’s priorities because the Foundation appreciates the opportunity to contribute to systemic solutions to issues such as quality OST. Research shows us that staff training can have wide ranging impact and the SAYD and its successor, the youth worker trainings sponsored by the P-21 (Pathways to Success by 21) initiative, will help drive improved quality programs for children and teens. The joint planning and the SAYD credential set a high standard. The Barr Foundation was also very pleased that the planning involved practitioners in the development which is an important goal.
The School Age and Youth Development Pilot was very successful in that 19 OST staff and youth workers engaged in transformative learning and training opportunities for 18 months in order to better serve the children and young people they work with. In order to get the certificate these adults attended 3 in-depth courses, did 40 hours of community training, participated in observation sessions, put together a lengthy portfolio and resource folder, and made a final presentation to a panel of OST experts.
The challenge was the stressor of presenting this course to working adults balancing the demands of strenuous jobs, family life, as well as the program’s requirements. Another challenge was that funding for the project was not as consistent as we would have liked. In retrospect it probably would have been helpful to have spent more time meeting with the other funders of this project. The entire effort was incredibly worthwhile and of benefit to many. The merger with the P-21 has been a wonderful outcome and it will help spread the SAYD learnings around the state.