65. Afterschool Programs with Jenice Lee

dive in. I am so excited. The: 2024

Jenice: All right, well, thank you so much, Carol, for having me on. Hi everyone. How are you? I hope that you are doing well today. Like Carol said, my name is Jenny Sleep. I have been working with children forever in a day plus infinity. I actually got involved in youth development when I was actually 19, and it was actually my first job, and it was kind of the spark that I needed to kind of get me in the direction that I would go later on in life when I wanted to pursue a career working with youth. Right. Like I said, I've been working with you since I was 19 and in different avenues of education, from youth development to in the classroom as a teacher's assistant, down to being in youth ministry, all the other wonderful things in dealing with children, because I just feel like they're like wonderful personalities, you know, and it's great to see them grow and, you know, get the skills that they need but also find who they are and love who they are as individuals. So that is always my go to and my reasoning for doing what I do.

Carol: Like finding that little spark that just kind of goes on over their head. Like, ooh, I've kind of found this out about me. It's.

Jenice: Yeah. And it was interesting how it happened, because it all was because of I needed a job to pay for my senior dues. So I happened to talk to a program, my program director. I was like, I have a cut schedule. I get out of school early, and I don't feel like going home, basically, pretty much. So he was like, so we have this job opening across town, basically for an assistant for after school programming and teaching. You go around, help the kids, help the teacher, all those other wonderful things, and guess what? We will cut you a check. I was like, sure, why not? And that was my first interaction with working with youth, and I've just loved it ever since. And I followed the path of being an educator. I originally went to school to be a teacher, but if you read and go to the website, you'll read my story and find out that I wasn't very successful in the test department. And I found myself at a crossroads, having to decide what I wanted to do. So as I sat in my counselor's office bawling my eyes out because I need to graduate, because I can't pay the school no more money, we divided this plan just to have the impact that you want to have in education. You necessarily don't have to always be in the classroom. There's other alternatives. And that's when the spark or the conversation happened around other things, around education that you can do. And one of those things was community, being involved in community, but community education. And that was a field of work at my college that I was attending, Virginia State University. And that is what got me in the role leaning into youth development and actually got me my first job as a site aide and then moving on up to assistant director to director in other fields, all the way up to getting to program manager. And now with all that wonderful experience, I've moved into doing consulting for myself to help independent youth directors and program providers kind of get their things in order as far as what program could look like, what their structure should look like, how to engage with their children, but also getting community and parents involved in the things that they want to do, moving forward to kind of continuous have that impact that they want to see, not just in the children that they serve, but also the families that they serve as well. So it landed me here doing independent work and having a podcast at the same time to share all this wonderful information.

Carol: I always love how sometimes you start off in a career path in college, you think, this is what I'm going to do. And then you get involved in activities and things that they have on campus, and then it totally inspires you to go, like a totally different direction. Yeah, I think that's what happened to me, too. Like, I thought I was going to do something with science and medicine and all of that. And then I got really involved in student activities on campus. And the woman that's in charge, I thought she just had the best job in the world. I was like, how did you get to do your job? And she's like, I was a school counselor, and that was it. That's all it took. And here I am today.

Jenice: All the bells went off in your head, like, exactly.

Carol: So in terms of after school programs and things like that, what do you think do you see are the real benefits of having an after school program for kids?

Jenice: Oh, my gosh, there's so many. There is so many. So one of the things and one of the struggles that, like, we've seen within schools, especially coming back from the pandemic, is attendance. Right? So trying to have that buy in for them to not just attend school, but being in the learning environment and learn what's going on in the classroom. Afterschool gives you that incentive for students to show up not just in academics but also in extracurriculars as well. Because in order to get to after school, like, you got to attend school, they're not just going to be pass go and give you $200. Like, that's not how that works because any high quality program is going to check to see if you were there during the day. And if you try to show up and you don't have a. No, you don't have a clear explanation, especially from day school. Like we no, we can't let you back here. You ain't do the first part first. That's not how that works. So in having those conversations and giving them the incentive, but it also gives them an environment to where they can explore different things, right? So there's a number, there's an ample amount of opportunity for them to experience and explore different career paths, develop different skills, opportunity for them to build more relationships within the school. If you take them outside of the school and partner with other organizations, it gives them that opportunity to build community with people within their community as well. Mister Johnson has a shop further down from my school and he comes in and he teaches us how to woodshop because he sells like wood shop toys as an example. So now you have a familiar face, but also you have a man or entrepreneur that knows who you are. And if they build that rapport with you later on in life, if you need a reference or they need some help around the shop, they're more likely to take you in and have you like help you develop those skills. So those are a couple of the benefits of afterschool and what it can do within the school environment and in this ecosystem, and why it is so important for us to access after school programming, especially when they're in our building. Sometimes I find out that between like the schools and the teachers, they know after school is there, they know that they're in the building, but they necessarily may not know what they do. We can sometimes be like that foreign entity that's like they're here. We know that they use space, but we don't necessarily know, quote unquote, what they do. And it's a lot that they offer. So take a peek back there, have a conversation, introduce yourself.

Carol: Yeah, I think I love how you can see the kids in such a different light because they're exploring different things that not everyone, I think, gets to experience. And I love that you bring so many collaborations into your programs that kids can learn from and like really bringing that community in to also share what they do. I think that's really awesome.

Jenice: Yes, and it takes a lot of planning and it's a lot of work, but that is the importance of collaboration and community, because you never know unless you sit down and have those kind of conversations and ask those questions. Right? So finding out what the students are interested in first and then see like what is available to you as far as resources and who's also willing to invest that time in the next generation, in the future.

Carol: Awesome, awesome. So as we're like really kind of talking about collaborations, how can a school counselor really help with an after school program? How can they kind of partner with, with that program?

Jenice: Oh, there's a number of ways. A number of ways. For me, I know when, let me speak in I stands for me, I know when I'm going into a school environment. There's a couple, there's a couple of people that's important for me to know hands down, of course, the administration as their principals, assistant principals, but in that fold, knowing counselors as well. Why? Because counselors are the main ones that know, have the pulse on what's going on as far as not just behavior wise, but what's going on day to, day in and day out. Right. They kind of give you that flow and that tone of what's been going on during the day. So you then as a director or a counselor know what could be following you or following the children when they get to after school. So they're kind of like your heads up, person like so, heads up so and so you might want to keep your eyes open and make sure that they are not a part of or around person a and person b just to let you know.

Carol: That's important to know a lot of times.

Jenice: Right. Right. So they give you that insight. But also counselors are key because they also help you with creating that cohesive culture that you want to have in your program. Right. When daytime program, when daytime school looks vastly different than after school programming is, it becomes a problem later down the line because the kids are getting two different messages. Right. But in counseling, like if you're, if we're modeling some of those things that you see, especially when you're doing some of the things that you mentioned in your show, like circle time, having and building that community. Right. If we're doing different levels of intervention, which talk to you about that later on when we do the actual, when we do the actual conference, different levels of intervention and how that could help us at the same time. And it creates this full service circle. So the kids are seeing it not only in the daytime, but they're also seeing it after school at the same time. So it leaves no error for miscommunication. But also it doesn't leave space for them to drift far away for what has been prescribed for them to do as far as actions and behavior things are concerned.

Carol: I love that they can really help kind of build that bridge for building that cohesive culture.

Jenice: Yes.

Carol: Because I, I think you need to have, even though you want it to be different and have different opportunities for them. It does seem to need that cohesion between the school day and what happens after school.

Jenice: Most definitely. And those are the key things to have, because a place that's divided can't stand strong, right? So in that sense, if we are communication and we're co parenting, if we are co parenting babies, and that's the mindset that I use. Like, if we are co parenting, if our communication is strong, if our philosophies aren't in line with each other and we're putting out the same messages, it leaves very little error for them to run around and act the fools and run them up. That's not what we're doing. Not at all. But it also gives them opportunity to grow. Right. And also gives them space to learn a little bit more, not just about themselves, but also the people that surround them in the relationships that they're wanting to build in those environments.

Carol: Awesome. Okay, this might be a really big question. I don't know, but I'm going to ask it anyway. If a counselor was thinking about, oh, well, I think I'd really like to run my own after school session, but I'm not really sure what to do. What advice would you give to them for starting up a program?

Jenice: I would say research. Research from a stance of what do you feel like your students need because you see them, like I said, on the day to day, the regular basis, and it may be something specific, very specific that you may want to narrow down. Maybe you know that in your school climate, social emotional learning is something that you want to work on as far as being self aware, but also socially aware. Right. And also have your students buy in with the small things that you do with them during the day in your small groups, but also in large settings at the same time and see how that's working. And then maybe also see what other partners you can engage in the community, right. That's aligned with your goals that you're setting for this particular program. So they could come in and maybe, for example, there's this organization that's called art on wheels, right? So they go around to different locations and they have. They have a whole station that's on wheels, and they come into the schools or different organizations with youth and they teach them how to express their self using art. How amazing would that be if you could bring a resource like that into the hold of what you're trying to do and trying to build. Right. And that's a community thing, having a conversation with them to see if your past could align if they could do specific things based on what your end goal is trying to be for building out what you want this program to look like and also teaching them a skill at the same time. Because you have very kids that are artistic but really may not know how to express that. Not just in their mannerism, but in their expression of art. Whether it be sculpting, whether it be painting, whether it be getting materials that they see out in the street and making a collage out of it, that's another form of art. You've given them a place to express those things, but also giving them the vocabulary for what they need at the same time. So doing your research is important and also seeing what other community organizations can help you at the same time as you're trying to build out and plan in a sense of, don't stress yourself out. Okay.

Carol: Okay.

Jenice: You could only dedicate one day, do one day. If you could dedicate two days, do two days. The sky is not going to fall down and crash if you do. If you just do those two days and don't commit to five, it's perfectly fine.

Carol: I love that. That's great advice. Do what you can and don't stress about not hitting every day. I love that. That's good advice for somebody who's, like, maybe new or traveling to a community that they don't live in. And I know that every community is different, but are there some places that you would recommend people, like, look into or reach out to in their community?

Jenice: Your community centers. That's where your information flows in and out. Also, definitely check your community centers, check your education hubs. There are certain areas like tutoring agencies, all those other wonderful things. Check to see what they're doing and who like their clientele that they're bringing in. You know, to kind of get an idea of your demographics. And another place that you may want to check if you're traveling within your school, talk to the people that you know, because sometimes, even with teachers, they know somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody that can do and get you what you need. If you're expressing that you want to do something on your own. So try the things or try the people that you know, and then reach out to your community resources.

Carol: Okay, that's good. I like that. What are some pretty cool programs that you have seen run at schools?

Jenice: I've worked for so many.

Carol: Oh, my gosh, I bet you've seen a lot.

Jenice: I have. The ones that always caught my eye was the programs that could have, like, multiple partners come in to teach a specific skill, and then they showcase at the end of the year. So, for example, they have a program here in Richmond, Virginia, called Nextup RVA. And this is one of the programs that I used to work for. What drew me to NextStEp RVA is that they were not just invested in their students and their success, but also helping them develop specific skills as far as getting them an idea of different career paths that they could follow as middle schoolers, specifically in low income and underserved communities, because there's not much around you.

Carol: Okay.

Jenice: So traveling out into the community and doing the legwork to see what resources, not just within your community, but around your community, and bringing them into one specific school site, like, was amazing. And it's done amazing things for children throughout the years we've had, or they have had so many kids graduate and do so many amazing things in pursuing not just higher education, but, like, even these new fields that are taking place now as far as media and social media and other mediums in that space, taking on those careers. Why? Because it's something that they were introduced to when they were in middle school using, like, this program.

Carol: Okay. Okay. Awesome. I guess. Boy, my wheels are spinning. I'm thinking, like, what kinds of programs could I do or bring in? There's just so many. We have. We just did a career fair not too long ago, a week ago, and we did. We. We went out to our. In New York. We have boces, and so it's like the board of cooperative education services, and it's where our career tech comes. And they're high school kids, but we had them come in and spend with some of their popular programs so kids could learn about that. We had our community college come in, and then we lived near an air force base, and we had the research lab from the base come in and show us their drones and things like that. And that was pretty cool. The robotic dog. So I'm thinking, like, wow, we could, like, even expand something like this and bring something in at this school. That would be really cool. I wouldn't have thought about that. But, yeah, I like that idea of, like, bringing them in to do, like, a longer program.

Jenice: Right. And be mindful that even in this space, afterschool education is getting a lot of funding coming into us now to kind of help with the. The effort to help students get them academically where they need to be, helping introduce them to different career sets. So, here in the state of Virginia, like, we just got approved for $5 million in funding for after school programs and how that's going to be dispersed depending on where you are and what you do, applying for grants, that speaks to that money. So they then have the resources, the schools and the programs have the resources to do what they need to do to help kids in that effort as far as helping them academically, but also socially at the same time.

Carol: Okay.

Jenice: When you're thinking about, okay, for longevity, how can we fund this? Go ahead and look at your state, what your state is doing for afterschool program funding and how that can align with, like, your 21st century grants and all those other wonderful things.

Carol: Okay, that's good advice. Good advice. This has been so much information. I think this has been really, really good. What I think. I don't think I ever told our listeners that you are going to be one of our presenters at our summer counselor conference. Yeah, we're so excited. And you are going to be really diving, I think, in deeper into this whole topic. This is kind of like a little snapshot, a little glimmer of kind of what that's all about.

Jenice: Yes, most definitely. And in the shop, like in the workshop, we'll dive a little bit deeper into why that collaboration between counselors and schools are important, but also what each party brings to the table. Right. And how does that best serve your children, but also your families at the same time, we also are going to talk about in the workshop, if you did want to go ahead about doing your own thing after school, here are a couple of steps that you can use to kind of make that happen at the same time and drawing in, like, your community resources to be like, hey, so I wanna do this. Are you available to help me? And what that may look like money wise, but also see what funding can potentially look like, too, as well, if you want to do it long term.

Carol: I love that. I love that you talk about the funding part, too, because I think a lot of people are scared to do anything because they're like, oh, what do I. How do I get on? So I love it.

Jenice: And now I do not know all the answers. I do not. But with some information, I can figure some things out. Like, we can talk about it. There you go.

Carol: There you go. I love it. Love it. Okay, well, before we hang up today, I have to ask you some random wacky question. Sure. And I'm. Of course, I have these planned in advance, and now I can't think of a single one. But if you were a cookie, what kind of cookie would you be? And why?

Jenice: Oh, my gosh, that's so hard, because I like cookies, and I like a variety of cookies. Oh, my gosh. Okay. If I was a cookie, I actually had a really good cookie today too. Oh, my gosh. I can't remember the name of it. What? If I was gonna be a cookie, I'd be that cookie. That cookie was so good. And I think it was. It was a lightly cooked chocolate caramel cookie. So it had. Right, right, girl, right. So it had, like, the chocolate, of course the chocolate bits in it, but it had, like, those little chunks of caramel that adds your body into it. Like, they mix together. So it kind of feels like you're having a whole kind of swirl ice cream situation. But it's not ice cream, it's a cookie. I was like, oh, my God, I love it.

Carol: That sounds yummy.

Jenice: They gonna get all my money. No. So I would be that cookie. It has great taste. It has, like, a variety for your taste buds, but also, it's not a hard cookie. I like a soft chew cookie. Bite into, and it might hurt my teeth. And I gotta go to the dentist. Like, no, I'm not trying to pick up a bell. No, thank you. So I like a nice, soft chew cookie that just kind of. You can savor the taste and kind of fits my personality of light and fluffy, but a little flavorful at the same time. You know what I mean? So I would be that type of cookie.

Carol: I love it. I love it. Well, thank you so, so much for being here today. I really. I do appreciate this. And, listeners, you have to come to our summer counselor conference because Janice is just one of the amazing presenters that we have. But we have a total of 40. So there is a session for everyone. Whether you're in elementary, middle, or high school. We have it all. But I think you need to listen to Janisse's session because it's a really cool thing. We need to really partner with our communities. We need to really. It's about being a part of our kids lives. And that's really why we're here. Somebody shared this with me today. He said, I have three questions for you. And we're like, okay. And he's like, who are the five richest people in the world? Who, what are the last ten people that won the Nobel Peace Prize? And tell me the last three all star athletes for? I'm just gonna say baseball.

Jenice: Mm hmm.

Carol: How many of those can you answer?

Jenice: Absolutely not.

Carol: Yeah, me either. Me either. But can you name three adults that have had a huge impact on your life?

Jenice: Absolutely.

Carol: Can you name three adults that have helped you out when you've had a hard time. Can you name three adults that you can go to if you have a question?

Jenice: Oh, yeah.

Carol: So I guess that says what's most important in life, right?

Jenice: Right.

Carol: That's the big thing, I think, with that, this is when you build these types of programs, it's all about helping to create those meaningful relationships that kids are going to remember.

Jenice: Yes, most definitely.

Carol: So with that, thank you so much for being here and for being part of the conference and our friends that are listening. I hope you have a wonderful week. And until next time, talk to you soon. Hi. Thanks for listening to today's episode of counselor chat. All of the links I talked about can be found in the show notes and@counselingessentials.org podcast. Be sure to hit, follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast player. And if you would be so kind to leave a review, I'd really appreciate it. Want to connect? Send me a DM on Facebook or Instagram at counseling essentials until next time. Can't wait till we chat. Bye for now.

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