Out-of-School Time Programs

Leveraging Out-of-School Time to Advance SEL

The out-of-school time (OST) space can be leveraged to provide a continuum of care for those most in need of support. In this webinar, Leveraging OST to Advance SEL, learn about different ways you and your SEL-focused colleagues can partner with OST programs to further serve and support the whole child and whole community: acting as program staff, providing programming, instituting high-leverage practices, and more! Also hear about how some OST programs in the state are already doing this work. If you don’t have an OST program, learn about possible federal funding sources.

Case Studies: Out-of-School Time

Schools, districts, and out-of-school time programs across Wisconsin are comprehensively implementing SEL, integrating it with existing programs and initiatives, and making it a priority. Below are case studies from some out-of-school time programs in Wisconsin. If you would like to submit a case study of your out-of-school time's comprehensive SEL implementation please download and complete this application, and email it to teresa.lesage@dpi.wi.gov.

Out-of-School Time Programs and SEL

Below you will find a list of resources examining the role of social and emotional learning (SEL) in OST programs.

• Early Lessons from Schools and Out-of-School Time Programs Implementing Social and Emotional Learning: This report examines two years of a multi-year effort to study how students may benefit from school and OST partnerships focusing on SEL. 
• Navigating SEL From the Inside Out - Looking Inside and Across 25 leading SEL Programs: A Practical Resource for Schools and OST Providers. (Elementary school focus). "The goal of this report is to provide schools and OST organizations with detailed information about the specific curricular content and programmatic features of each program in a way that enables them to look across varying approaches and make informed choices about the type of SEL programming that is best suited to their particular context and needs.”

• Preparing Youth to Thrive: Promising Practices for Social and Emotional Learning. Scroll to the bottom of the page to download the field guide.

• SEL+OST=Perfect Together: A Conference Report:  Click on "Download Report" to access the report. "Afterschool, summer, and other out-of-school-time programs can be ideal settings for children to learn and build social and emotional well-being- when skilled and trusted adults are there to guide them, according to this conference report from the Wallace Foundation. In October 2019, youth development leaders, researchers, and educators gathered in Chicago to look at two of the field's biggest challenges: developing the ability of adults to teach social and emotional skills and communicating the importance of those skills to those who may be unaware of how vital they are."

• SEL to the Core: Building From Foundational Youth Development to Support Social and Emotional Learning: Click on "Access Guide" to download the report. The National Afterschool Alliance (NAA) and American Institutes for Research (AIR) collaborated to showcase "eight field-tested, research and evidence-based practices for promoting SEL, with the most foundational organizational practices followed by programmatic practices."