In Fall 2022-Spring 2023, researchers from Rockman et al Cooperative evaluated a pilot of a multimedia afterschool children’s program being developed by Twin Cities Public Television as part of a five-year US Department of Education Ready-to-Learn grant. The SkillsvilleTM Children’s Program includes television, digital, and analog activities, with content centered on three curricular pillars: Executive function skills, self-regulation strategies, and career exposure.
Through surveys, interviews, and program observations, we learned how educators were implementing the program and how they were thinking about fitting multimedia programming into an afterschool context. The first blog outlines considerations and recommendations for curriculum developers when designing programming for afterschool settings. The second blog discusses how children and educators engaged with digital and hands-on activities during the Children’s Program. The third blog highlights the ways in which various self-regulation strategies can be integrated within afterschool spaces.
– Designing Flexible Afterschool Programming to Support Educators and Children Alike
– Balancing Digital and Analog Activities in Afterschool Programs with Young Children
– Self-Regulation Strategies for Children in Afterschool Spaces
What features of afterschool environments do you think are most conducive to learning and engagement? What kinds of activities and content are feasible for educators to implement? We’d love to hear your thoughts based on your own programmatic or research experiences.
The contents of this program were developed under the Ready to Learn grant grant from the U.S. Department of Education (PR S295A200002) awarded to Twin Cities PBS. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.