Happy Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week! Here Are Some Fun Ways To Celebrate

This week schools and programs nationwide are celebrating all that afterschool professionals do each day! It's a time to recognize those who work with students during out-of-school hours, including community partners, afterschool program staff, and youth and child care workers. 

With over 10 million children participating in before and after school programs, there are roughly 850,000 directors, teachers, and coordinators dedicated to supporting student enrichment. There are many fun ways to celebrate these individuals, but these are some of our favorites:

• Cater a surprise breakfast or lunch 
• Let all students or families sign a card and write what they love most about your staff
• Take all program staff out to dinner or for a fun off-site activity
• Invite students to write down 10 things they enjoy about their program and put them on display 
• Award staff members to recognize their hard work
• Encourage students to come up with a fun way they'd like to show their appreciation
• Post on social media a photo gallery of your staff hard at work thanking them for all that they do. Use the hashtag #heartofafterschool to spread your good cheer for others to see! 

We are proud to partner with several afterschool and student enrichment programs. We thank all afterschool professionals who work hard to make a difference in the lives of students and families. 

You can learn more about Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week here.  Or, just watch the video below.