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Education Leader speaks at VGCC workshop for Afterschool professionals

Vance-Granville Community College welcomed a special guest to a recent professional development workshop for local afterschool program administrators and staff members. Del Ruff, director of the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP), visited VGCC’s Main Campus on March 8 during the daylong “Upping Your Afterschool Game” training session.

 

Since 2013, Ruff has been director of NC CAP, a statewide network dedicated to increasing access to high-quality afterschool programs for all children and youth in North Carolina, helping them to succeed in and out of school. The Center’s stakeholders include over 6,000 afterschool programs that provide services to more than 150,000 children and youth. NC CAP is a program of the Public School Forum of North Carolina.

 

Ruff shared information with participants on closing the educational achievement gap. New research demonstrates that more consistent time spent in afterschool activities during the elementary school years is linked to narrowing the gap in math achievement among fifth-graders, Ruff reported. He also presented a 2013 report from NC CAP, a “ Roadmap of Need ” that assesses all of the state’s 100 counties on a variety of social indicators that impact young people.

 

Upping Your Afterschool Game,” the all-day North Carolina Afterschool Professional Development Competency Training, will be held again on Saturday, May 10, in Room 6115 on VGCC’s Main Campus in Vance County. The session lasts from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break. VGCC School-Age Education program head Jacquelin Heath will again be the presenter.

 

Using a curriculum designed by the Afterschool Professional Development work group, which includes the N.C. Community College System, this new training focuses on eight content areas that provide a framework of the knowledge and skills needed for professional development in the field of afterschool care. These core competencies are based on research and categorized according to five levels of skills necessary to provide quality programming. Participants will have the chance to identify additional strategies, skills and resources to support their work with school-age populations that reflect relevant issues and challenges. The training aims to help both new and experienced afterschool administrators and staff members to apply the competencies to strengthen their organizations. Subjects to be covered include hiring and training staff. Participants who successfully complete the training will be awarded 0.6 Continuing Education Units (CEU).

 

The fee for the workshop is $25. The deadline to register is May 2. For more information and to register for the workshop, contact Jacquelin Heath at (252) 738-3298 or heathj@vgcc.edu .

 

Above: Del Ruff (standing), director of the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs, speaks at VGCC to participants in afterschool professional development training.