Working With School Age Children

Children are already learning at birth, and they develop and learn at a rapid pace in their early years. This provides a critical foundation for lifelong progress, and the adults who provide for the care and the education of young children bear a great responsibility for their health, development, and learning. Despite the fact that they share the same objective - to nurture young children and secure their future success - the various practitioners who contribute to the care and the education of children from birth through age 8 are not acknowledged as a workforce unified by the common knowledge and competencies needed to do their jobs well. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 explores the science of child development, particularly looking at implications for the professionals who work with children. This report examines the current capacities and practices of the workforce, the settings in which they work, the policies and infrastructure that set qualifications and provide professional learning, and the government agencies and other funders who support and oversee these systems. This book then makes recommendations to improve the quality of professional practice and the practice environment for care and education professionals. These detailed recommendations create a blueprint for action that builds on a unifying foundation of child development and early learning, shared knowledge and competencies for care and education professionals, and principles for effective professional learning. Young children thrive and learn best when they have secure, positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable about how to support their development and learning and are responsive to their individual progress. Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8 offers guidance on system changes to improve the quality of professional practice, specific actions to improve professional learning systems and workforce development, and research to continue to build the knowledge base in ways that will directly advance and inform future actions. The recommendations of this book provide an opportunity to improve the quality of the care and the education that children receive, and ultimately improve outcomes for children.

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. Here is a practical look at the roles of adults in children’s lives outside of the classroom examined through the experiences of real people in a wide variety of settings and with a diversity of needs and insights. Working with School-Age Children helps to define the role of professional child and youth workers in the lives of children and families. The book builds on a foundation of child development theory and provides a historical overview of the subject and an overview of school-age care in other parts of the world to help ground the work done by the people represented in the book. The book describes the issues children face in today’s world and the attributes and skills critical for people who work with school-age children. Included are strategies for adult involvement, healthy and productive activities, and guidelines for developing and sustaining afterschool programs.

Individuals with autism and their caregivers face unique challenges in later childhood and adolescence. This volume translates research on the needs of this population into practical recommendations for clinicians and educators. The book features vivid case examples and an in-depth, reproducible assessment form. Accessible guidance and hands-on suggestions are provided for supporting positive behavior, communication, and social skills; managing issues related to mental and physical health and sexuality; helping families access services and navigate the legal system; and optimizing the educational and transition planning process.

Provides data on the care of school-age children while not at school. The report includes those not in the care of their parents and the extent to which they were unsupervised by an adult. Detailed tables cover age of child, type of household, etc.