Here is a Chapter Summary of the new after-school directors training book written by Dr. Mike and Nancy Ferguson.
(Sorry there is so much reading-just scan it all)
The first chapter will look at the role of the Director so they understand what is expected of them. In the context of understanding their role as the After-School Director we want to help them also understand their Personality Type according to the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). We will also help them see who else is on the team and who are the people that will they will be working along side. The KidCare America model has two different teams of people the this chapter will spell it out in detail their roles, along with their fit in the after-school program.
Chapter two cannot be overlooked as you begin a mentoring after-school program and must be the foundational chapter as you start. This chapter covers Developing a Prayer Plan for After-School Ministry!
Chapter three will give you a proven way of recruiting your team by integrating principles and theories from the Human Resource industry into the Church world to help you have the best team and the most effective staff and volunteer recruitment program in your part of the world. These concepts will include volunteer development and ongoing recruitment, which is vital to the longevity of any successful after-school program.
Chapter four will show you how to recruit your students and will ask you questions that will lead you to answer the ultimate question, what kind of students are we wanting to reach in our after-school program. In this chapter, Parent Orientation will be talked about as well as all the forms that will be used to ensure that students are taken care of at your after-school center.
Chapter five will lay out the program format by discussing the curriculum components. We will also take a look at the intentional strategy that the curriculum holds in each component. There is a method to the madness. There is a reason why the KidCare America model has non-sport related recreation. There is a reason why Bible 101 must be the first Workshop that starts the week off, and why it is vital that you include the debriefing questions and the hook before you do the Bible 101. The real lesson here is that intentionality just doesn’t happen, it must be intentionally planned and written for, so we did! Good intentions are never enough, you must be intentional! This chapter will also talk about the basics of child and youth development. Please consider how children and youth development emotionally, physically, and spiritually as you work with them holistically.
Chapter six will cover the beginning of marketing the after-school program, identifying some of the key stakeholders, getting the board on “board” and making sure your ministry is the “Purple Cow” of Church ministries, just to name a few of the ideas found in this vital chapter.
Chapter seven talks about the basics of such things as Emergency Preparedness, which given our day and time isn’t something we should take for granted and that we have already thought through.
Chapter eight will help you train your staff to manage the after-school program through Classroom Management, while also showing you why children and youth act the way they do (Understanding a Child’s World), and finally.
Chapter nine takes us through the process of Connecting all the Dots with a technique used in the business world called Storyboarding.
It is our guarantee, after doing this for many years, that after following the directions given in this book you will have one of the most effective after-school programs in America, how can we make such a guarantee, because it has already worked in other communities for many years and it will work in yours.
