School-Age and Youth Development (SAYD)

Actions taken by the Professional Development Advisory Council (PDAC) at their June 13, 2008, meeting facilitated the inclusion of school-age and youth development practitioners in the Gateways to Opportunity professional development system. Progress continues on the development of the School-Age and Youth Development (SAYD) Credential. Like other Gateways credentials, the SAYD Credential builds upon identified knowledge and competencies critical to those who work with school-age children and youth. When complete, the SAYD Credential will validate an individual’s professional achievements, experience, knowledge, skills, educational attainment, and training accomplishments. Read more about the evolution of SAYD within Gateways to Opportunity in the Spring 2009 issue of Inside Gateways.

Below are some frequently asked questions about school-age and youth development as a field in the state of Illinois.

  • What are some typical SAYD workplace settings, programs, and roles in Illinois?

    School-age and youth development programs serve children and youth from 5–21 years old before or after school and on full days during vacations or summer break. Programs may be housed in school-based or center-based settings, such as park district buildings, YMCAs/YWCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, family child care settings, faith-based settings, military bases, or other community facilities.

    Workplace roles in school-age program settings include director, recreation leader, group worker, teacher, and site coordinator. Workplace roles in youth development programs include director, youth development practitioner, youth leader, and youth worker. Staff qualifications and staffing patterns are regulated by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (IDCFS) for IDCFS-licensed settings (e.g., center-based settings, family child care settings, and some community- and faith-based settings). School-age programs located in public schools are exempt from IDCFS licensing standards. You can access IDCFS licensing regulations for family child care settings at www.state.il.us/dcfs/docs/406.doc and www.state.il.us/dcfs/docs/408.doc. You can access IDCFS licensing regulations for center-based settings at www.state.il.us/dcfs/docs/407.doc.

    Read the profiles of two individuals who work with school-age and youth development programs in Illinois and who are active in work on SAYD within Gateways to Opportunity. Mike Heathfield is a Professor at Harold Washington Community College in Chicago and Coordinator of Social Work and Youth Programs. Stacie Haley is the Director of the Tazewell Out of School Time program for the Tazewell County Health Department.  

 

  • What do we know about the SAYD workforce in Illinois?

    The Illinois After-School Partnership is a statewide project co-chaired by the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois State Board of Education. The Partnership works to increase the quality and availability of after-school programs in Illinois. In September 2006, the Partnership published the Out-of-School-Time Workforce Survey. The 286 survey respondents represent a wide range of school-age and youth development programs, positions, and career stages in Illinois. A few of the results are reported here. You can access the full survey report here.

    The Partnership survey results indicate that SAYD workers have varied job responsibilities. Approximately 36% of survey respondents said they provide direct services for youth and/or families as their primary job role, 28% fulfill a program administration role, 6% provide a combination of direct service and program administration, and 30% fulfill “other” roles, which include clerical support, transportation services, food preparation, volunteer coordination, community outreach, and maintenance and building support.

    Survey respondents were diverse by age: 12% were under 21 years old, 28% were between 22–29 years old, 18% were between 30–39 years old, and 43% were at least 40 years old.

    Educational level and background of survey respondents also varied: 4% had a doctoral degree, 21% had a master’s degree, 28% had a bachelor’s degree, 8% had an associate’s degree, 9% had a high school diploma, and 2% had less than a high school diploma. Education was reported to be the most common major course of study among the survey respondents (40%), followed by psychology (6%), business (5%), social work (5%), and sociology, nursing, and human services (3% each).

    Survey respondents had a variety of credentials, certifications, and accreditations: 23% had a public school teaching certificate, 13% a food sanitation certificate, 6% had a school-age care certificate or a youth development/youth worker certificate, and 5% had a Child Development Associate (CDA) or a Child Care Professional certificate.

  • How are the professional development needs of SAYD practitioners addressed in the Gateways to Opportunity system?

    Gateways to Opportunity established a School-Age and Youth Development Leadership Committee to “develop and integrate a credential for school-age and youth development practitioners.” Toward that end, the following tasks related to SAYD were identified for the Gateways to Opportunity Strategic Plan, Phase IV: consult broader stakeholders to get buy in for the SAYD Credential core knowledge framework, develop the curriculum for Level 1 of the SAYD Credential, recruit trainers and participants for the Level 1 SAYD Credential pilot, and pilot and market the Level 1 SAYD Credential. In addition to the development of the SAYD Credential, the Gateways to Opportunity Web site provides a variety of information to help school-age and youth development practitioners with their professional development.

 

 

Gateways to Opportunity is funded by public and private support including the McCormick Foundation, the Grand Victoria Foundation,    


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