The After School Association of Prince Edward Island wants to see children making the most of the time they spend in programs between leaving school and heading home for the day.
The new association is headed by co-presidents Rachel Docksteader and Michelle Brown, both of KidHub School Age. Docksteader launched KidHub six years ago, and felt the lack of an association to support her and others working in the after school field.
“I’ve been looking for resources to fill the gap in education on Prince Edward Island. I’ve looked for professional development or continuing education opportunities and I haven’t really found a lot,” said Docksteader.
She was able to find some useful programs through the Early Childhood Development Association, but school age programming isn’t really that group’s focus.
“We want to be able to provide support, resources, professional development opportunities, and just be there for each other,” she said.
1st conference this month
The group is meant to serve anyone working in the field, from centre owners to part-time workers.
Brown, who is program director for KidHub, noted that children spend a lot of time at after-school programs, two to four hours a day five days a week,
“That’s a significant part of their day where learning can occur,” she said.
“We want to make sure that we’re providing programs that contribute to and enrich their learning, their education.”
The association has already signed up 60 members, and is having an inaugural conference in Charlottetown on Nov. 15.
The theme of the conference is leadership, under the title The Hidden Power of After School.
