Credentialing Activities in the Youth Development Field, 1997.

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35

DeWitt Wallace/Reader's Digest Fund, Pleasantville, NY.

Adolescents; After School Programs; Certification; Child Caregivers; Community Organizations; Credentials; Elementary Secondary Education; Federal Legislation; Higher Education; Inservice Teacher Education; Leadership Qualities; Leadership Training; Professional Development; State Legislation; Youth Leaders; Youth Programs

This report describes credentialing activities that seek to establish standards and promote professional development in the youth development field. Part 1, Federal and State Legislative Activities, focuses on: legislation promoting youth development activities and programs; welfare reform and the need for youth development and after-school programs; criminal background checks and screening of youth service providers to prevent child abuse; and legislation to promote recognition and reporting of child abuse. Part 2, Selected Credentialing Activities for Youth Workers (which comprises the bulk of the report), presents examples from agencies nationwide. Each entry includes agency name, address, telephone number, contact person and a brief summary of the agency's programs. The overall portrait of credentialing activities indicates that youth work education, training, and credentialing efforts are fragmented, lack a coherent vision, and vary widely in their utilization. There is great variation in the quality of content, expertise, and instructional approaches among staff development efforts. Two appendixes present definitions of credentialing and specification of core competencies for youth workers and school-age care. (SM)

1998

ED414273