Oregon Afterschool Conference

Check out our Mind the Gap Spring Conference page for more information about our joint conference April 17 & 18 at Linn Benton Community College.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and we hope you had a great day!

Take a look at our 2019 Conference Overview. You can find out about the Conference Day Agenda HERE or see below for additional session information and resources. Thank you to every presenter and panelist for sharing, to our exhibitors who shared about valuable resources throughout the day, our wonderful team of staff & volunteers – we couldn’t have done it without you!!!

Our keynote, Kendra Coates spoke about The Power and Potential of Growth Mindset and Social-Emotional Learning in our Quest for Quality. If you are not familiar with Growth Mindset, we encourage you to find out more about the resources offered from MindsetWorks. You can also see a full list of sessions provided HERE, or our 2019 Conference Brochure or see below for resources provided by several of our exceptional presenters.

Save the date to join us in 2020 – Spring Conference on April 17th & 18th and our annual Fall Conference November 7th.

Autism: Helping Staff Support Kids on Spectrum with Tobi Rates of Autism Society of Oregon

Be A Food Hero at Your Site with Carly Kristofik and Kelly Noack of OSU Extension Services. Powerpoint slides, Recipe Criteria handout,  and additional Food Hero Healthy Celebrations: Resource Guide-Recipes and Buying Guide Packet

Bring Your Program to Life with Agriculture facilitated by Brittany Capell of Oregon Agriculture in the Classroom

Digital Storytelling for Younguns provided by MetroEast Community Media team

Equipping Programs to Increase Attendance with Sean Aker from Willamette Education Service District

Exemplary Practices for Building Authentic Partnerships with Lennie Bjornsen and Bill Stewart

Fostering Readers: Supporting Beginning Readers in K-3rd Grade with Katie Anderson of Washington County Cooperative Library Services.

Check back soon for more from the day…

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Every year, OregonASK Expanded Learning Partnership provides this one day professional development conference focused on improving the quality of out of school programs across the state. We try to provide a balance of opportunities for front line staff, as well as program management and Set 2 Oregon Registry level trainings.

OregonASK’s mission is to inspire learning, keep kids safe, help working families, and support whole-child development and wellness. One way that we work to support our mission is to provide training and resources to education and community organizations to equip them with structured, educational, and enrichment opportunities for students.

Betty Gray Scholarship Information

Betty Gray Scholarships are for licensed childcare workers who work at least 20 hours per week and are a Step 1-8.5. Applications can be downloaded here or completed online. Scholarships for the Oregon Afterschool Conference cover 50% of the cost. Please apply now and send approval to helene.hancock@oregonask.org to receive your Promo Code for registration or reach out with any questions.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in 2018!

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You can see a brief summary on our 2018 OAC Review, OAC 2018 Brochure, and check out a few highlights from the conference….

Our Keynote Speaker, Sadiq Ali, joining us all the way from Maryland. CLICK HERE To watch the conference welcome and keynote. Sadiq is a two time best selling author, speaker, professor, education consultant, leadership trainer, social entrepreneur, trained mediator, certified mentor consultant and founder of the Millionaire Manners Academy training organization. We had a great time hearing about the power of storytelling and how we can help support youth in expressing themselves as we all become the best versions of ourselves.

A few pictures from the day….

Workshops, Expression Sessions and Exhibitors listed below:

Workshop #1 Sessions from 10:30am-12:30pm:

  • High-Yield Practices for Engaging Families of English Learners: Mariana Praschnik-Enriquez, Taffy Carlisle, ODE CKC: FCS Set 1 
  • Power of Peace Words: Steph Haas – CKC: UGB Set 1
  • Cultural Proficiency vs. Cultural Competency: Sadiq Ali – CKC: DIV Set 2
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder: What It Is & Resources: Oregon Autism Society – CKC: SN Set 1 
  • The Mystery Box Challenge: Integrating STEM, creativity, and fun:  Carol Tang – CKC: LEC Set 2
  • Great Art in Afterschool: Creative Art Projects and Activities for School-Age Youth: Rachel Kessler – CKC: LEC Set 2
  • Workforce Readiness Skills for All Students in a Global Economy: Heather Singmaster – CKC: LEC Set 1
  • Eco Ed Activities for a Very Popular Planet: Shirley Lomax – CKC: LEC Set 1
  • Activities that let Youth Take the Lead: Susan Zundel – CKC: LEC Set 2
  • Finding the Magic in your Site: Behavior Management to Curb Difficult Situations: Aiko Sato – CKC: UGB Set 1
  • Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety: Brian Potwin – HSN Set 1

Expression Sessions – 90 minute discussion-based sessions focused on a variety of topics where each of you are contributors to one anothers learning.

  • Encouraging Creativity in a Checkbox World – With an emphasis on self-expression, this session will look at a variety of ideas and strategies for encouraging creativity in any afterschool or summer program. Facilitate by Carol Tang. CKC: LEC Set 1 
  • Gender Identity & Supportive Environments – This session will allow participants to discuss strategies for working to develop supportive environments for gender variant youth and how to build programming that is inclusive and welcoming to the gender variant youth experience. CKC: DIV Set 1
  • How to Pitch your Program – Telling your story is essential in creating a successful, sustainable program. Participants will discuss strategies for being intentional about communication and building awareness among students, parents, schools and the community. CKC: PM Set 1
  • Importance of Youth Voice – We will discuss building a responsive environment where youth can express their own voices and see it reflected in the program. Participants will be able to share ideas for authentically engaging youth, no matter what level of influence you have within your program. CKC: LEC Set 1
  • Incorporating Future Ready Skills in your Program – Discuss how afterschool programs can support youth to build skills and understanding for the future workforce. We will talk about other key partners in this work, including regional Workforce & CTE coordinators, and strategies for getting connected. CKC: LEC Set 1
  • Keep Kids Coming Back for More – Participants will learn how Afterschool programs can encourage better attendance in the school day, supporting academic success beyond the classroom. And how to share that message with families and partners. CKC: LEC Set 1
  • Principals as Your Program Partner – Participants will discuss strategies for connecting with school day administrators and building positive relationships with distric partners. Topics will include communication, student safety, academic support, and enrichment. CKC: PM Set 1
  • Tough Topics: Safety in Afterschool – This discussion will focus on best practices for creating safe afterschool environments, as well as strategies for addressing recent challenges/stresses associated with increased school violence. *We know this is a highly emotional topic and caution attendees to be open and mindful of other’s opinions. CKC: HSN Set 1
  • Tough Topics: Youth Mental Health – This session will allow participants to discuss strategies for addressing mental health needs with youth, equipping them with the necessary tools and resources to cope with daily life or specific traumatic events. *Discussion may include suicide awareness & prevention strategies/resources for older youth, please be aware of the highly sensitive nature of this subject if you chose to attend. CKC: HSN Set 1
  • What does Culturally Responsive Mean? – This discussion will focus on building a culturally relevant environment. Particularly discussing strategies for helping youth to express their culture through program opportunities and being reflective of the diversity in your community. Facilitated by Keynote Sadiq Ali. CKC: DIV Set 1

Workshop #2 Session 3:15-5:15pm

  • PBIS Basics for Afterschool Providers: Susan Zundel – UGB Set 1 
  • Creating Positive Interactions In Spite of Our Biases and Temperaments: Crystal Persi- DIV Set 2
  • Developing Inclusive Practices: Johnny Lake – Set 2 DIV 
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder: What It Is & Resources: Oregon Autism Society – SN Set 1 
  • Screen Time; Fears, Facts and Future: Pam Simon – LEC Set 2
  • Click2Science: Developing Your Own Purposeful Questions: Rachel Kessler & Tamara DePue – LEC Set 2 
  • How to Make Learning and Teaching Math Fun: Colin Crane Smith – LEC Set 1
  • Bring your program to life with Agriculture: Danyelle Myersick – LEC Set 2 
  • Brain Development, Mindfulness & Kids: Anna Shepard – HGD Set 2 
  • Coding for Elementary & Middle Schoolers Cathy Law – LEC Set 1 

We will have 2018 Exhibitors from a variety of state organizations and local partners:

Presenters from around Oregon and the west coast including:

Carol Tang – Currently, Dr. Carol Tang is the Executive Director of the Children’s Creativity Museum in San Francisco with a mission to nurture creativity and collaboration in all children and families. Carol was Director of the National Coalition for Science After School and head of exhibits and public programs at the California Academy of Sciences during their 2008 re-opening. In 2012, Carol received a California “Leading Women in STEM” award and was part of the Museum Leaders of the Future initiative of the California Association of Museums. She now serves on the Board of Directors of the National Afterschool Association and How Kids Learn Foundation.

Heather Singmaster from Asia Society, focused on Workforce Readiness Skills for All Students in a Global Economy.

Shirley Lomax from Western Oregon University returning this year to explore some of the fundamentals of human-environment interactions, including carrying capacity and understanding cause-and-effect relationships in nature.


OAC Banner Proof1-01Our 2017 conference theme, Choose Your Own Afterschool Adventure, emphasized helping guide and equip youth with necessary equipment for them to find their own success, whatever that may be.  You can take a look at our 2017 Conference Review to see who attended and how they rated it. Thank you to so many for joining us in the adventure and making a memorable experience as we learn from one another.

CLICK HERE to see photos from the 2017 conference.

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So many thanks to our all of our Session Presenters, Table Exhibitors and wonderful Volunteers for giving your time to share resources with participants!

CLICK HERE to check out photos from Oregon Afterschool Conference 2016

CLICK HERE to see a report on the Oregon Afterschool Conference 2016