Burnout in After School Programs

11/21/2006

Burnout in After School Programs

Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.
Diane Ackerman

Ellen Clippinger, President of AYS, Inc. in Indianapolis, Indiana was interviewed in the article, “Staff ‘Lifers’ in After-School and Summer Programs,” in School-Age NOTES (September, 2006; www.SchoolAgeNotes.com) about an innovate burnout prevention program she has innovated. The program keeps staff energized by motivating them to work up a ladder of five different levels. As it is hard for a large number of staff members to move into administration because there are few positions that open in proportion to the number of staff, this program allows staff to mark their growth and feel a sense of upward progress during their career.

Each time a staff member reaches a higher level, he or she is recognized and rewarded. Staff members appear regularly before a review panel to report on accomplishments, trainings attended, and projects completed by the children in their programs. According to Clippinger, this program has kept staff energized and involved in their work.

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