actual performanc or application,

the usual way of doing something

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Childhood obesity is a major health problem in Oklahoma. The Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) Kids Club (Grove, OK) has been shown, through a strong national evaluation, to be effective in improving nutrition, physical activity and healthy choices among elementary school children in afterschool settings. In addition to the nutrition and physical activity lessons, CATCH promotes positive social, cultural, physical, emotional, cognitive and educational outcomes for students.

Many afterschool programs lack the opportunities for staff development, especially related to the issue of identifying, measuring, and improving program quality. Through active collaboration and innovative partnerships, the Tulsa Area Community Schools Initiative (TACSI) is reshaping the way multiple agencies and organizations work together toward the goal of expanding and sustaining quality out-of-school time programs. One of the most promising aspects of TACSI is its focus on providing quality improvement training and resources to the staff working in these programs.

Many communities experience high mobility rates in out-of-school time programs, especially those serving children and families affiliated with military bases. A key to creating stability, continuity and a sense of community in the School-Age Services Program at Ft. Sill Army Base in Lawton, OK is due to the experience, credibility, commitment and professionalism of the program staff.

The Oklahoma Afterschool Network has identified a critical need in the state's afterschool programs for innovative resources and hands-on learning opportunities in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The JASON Project connects young people with great explorers and great events to inspire and motivate them to learn science.

Reaching teens in need of resources and role models with meaningful out-of-school time programs is a challenge. Project LINK (Vinita, OK) provides hands-on workforce training and career exploration experiences for middle and high school students in need of these opportunities and relationships.

Community involvement can be a protective factor for young people, especially those living in situations that make them more vulnerable to risk behaviors, violence or school failure. Children in the Jets Afterschool Program at Skyline Urban Ministries are making a big difference in their neighborhoods through their volunteer service.

Staffing and sustaining creative, high quality afterschool programs that provide a range of content and keep the activities fresh and fun can be difficult in small communities. Comanche Public Schools has partnered with the community to develop KIDSPLACE, which uses an innovative mini-camp approach for structuring and staffing their afterschool program. This model taps the talents of school staff and community experts to provide an array of high quality learning activities that are both educational and fun.

Sometimes promising practices lead to bigger things! Union Public Schools (UPS) demonstrates how a school district has taken several practices and maximized their funding sources to build expanded learning opportunities for their students. UPS puts the focus on activities that support the whole child and their educational outcomes. As a result, many promising practices emerge that can be easily replicated.

Want to build a robot but don’t have a rocket scientist handy? FIRST LEGO robotics enthusiasts in Oklahoma say “No problem”! Kids ages get engaged in hands-on learning about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) while building robots from LEGOS. Along the way, they learn about team-building and scientific research while improving their communication skills and professional values.

Most people picture a mentoring relationship as one-on-one. They see an image of an adult providing guidance to a child, often with a view of a person of greater affluence reaching out to a disadvantaged child. Camp Fire USA challenges this image with Teens In Action – a service learning model that engages teen mentors in working with groups of school-age children. Camp Fire USA’s Teens In Action changes the typical view of mentoring by providing a model for engaging older youth in service learning, while incorporating a group mentoring approach into school-age programming for younger children.

Taking a collaborative approach and teaming together with other youth service
agencies has been a successful strategy for recruiting quality employees, building capacity, increasing staffing levels and developing programming expertise at the Community After School Program (CASP).

Developed by a teen staff member, Write Now helps students improve their writingskills, have fun and learn about community issues through publishing a minimagazine. This easily adaptable practice has been so successful that it has been replicated across the United States, receiving national recognition from the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

One mentor, one child at a time. Youth at Heart has found this to be a successful approach to reaching at-risk children with nurturing relationships specifically aimed at encircling key parts of the child’s life. By providing programs, education, recreation and social development in nine Tulsa Housing Authority Community Centers, this practice highlights the benefits of incorporating mentors into out-ofschool time settings.

Seeking new strategies to impact the childhood obesity epidemic in Oklahoma, the Boys and Girls Club of Green Country has teamed up with health professionals at the Cherokee Nation to create real world health and nutrition learning opportunities. TRAIL (Together Raising Awareness for Indian Life) was designed to reduce the especially troubling high rates of obesity and diabetes in Native American populations. The store tours and label reading component of TRAIL gives children hands-on experience in food advertising and label reading for nutritional information and can be easily adapted to any afterschool setting.

The Tulsa Public Schools Pay Day program, gives students the opportunity to learn job responsibilities while earning play money. This experience provides school-age children with the opportunity to explore jobs, work as a team, sharpen their money and math skills while learning to self-monitor their program, facilities and responsibilities.

Adventure and exploration are key elements of Studio 222, a small afterschool program in downtown Oklahoma City. Successfully reaching and engaging inner-city youth through arts education is a successful practice of this program.

Through Kenzie’s Cause, children are learning to be life-long “givers” as they design and create greeting cards to share with Meals on Wheels recipients in their community. Students develop literacy and art skills while giving back to the community as they write cards of encouragement.