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Excerpt from Giving Children Their Childhood Back
From the Introduction
I believe school-age programs can be a force for giving children their childhood back. School-age programs that have their base in relationships can teach social skills, interpersonal problem-solving, communication, and healthy emotional expression-all things that children are quietly losing. I believe that school-age programs can refocus their efforts to be powerful vehicles for children's health and wholeness.
It is my belief that these out-of school time programs are in a unique position to benefit the health and wholeness of this generation of children. This happens when these program realize how they can help children grow, how to design and implement programs to support the growth and development of children, and the valuable role of adults in these programs.
Fundamentally, we believe that school-age and youth providers ought to be experts in the positive development of children and youth. Adults who work in the field need to be experts in identifying social skill developmental needs of children and youth. Social skills are developmental meaning humans are not born with the skill set, rather these skills are need to be taught and nurtured to ensure they are used. The skills like self-esteem, responsibility, respect, non-violent conflict resolution, altruistic and empathetic action, and interpersonal communication are life long skills. Children need these skills, not just to do well in school, but they need them to make and maintain healthy relationships, and they are skills the children will need someday in the work force.
School-age programs are not just a "safe" place, or a place to "keep kids busy" until their parents get off work. Rather, out-of school programs provide the optimum time and place to teach the life and social skill that so often are left untaught. By providing children with a safe place to learn to live and play together, we make positive steps in giving children their childhood back.
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