Out-of-School Time (OST) programs help both youth and working parents succeed. Programs are available throughout the city with a variety of activities to choose from including math and reading support, STEM/STEAM, arts and crafts, sports, and more!

During COVID-19, many Out-of-School Time (OST) after-school and summer programs have moved online to offer virtual, or hybrid in-person programming to Philadelphia students.

The Office of Children and Families wants to support OST providers and families as much as possible during this challenging time — scroll down for online resources we’ve compiled for program activities, professional development, and family support. These will be updated frequently to reflect new opportunities.

COVID-19 Resources from the City of Philadelphia

• During COVID-19 City OST providers are supporting Access Centers, learn more here.
• Back to school supports for your family
• Online workshop “Safe Mode” reopening guidelines for summer camps
• What the green phase means for Philadelphia
• A guide for staff working with children and youth during COVID-19
• We can all help keep kids safe: A child abuse prevention resource guide

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Professional Development for OST  / Access Center Providers

• Office of Children and Families (OCF) provider training sessions: Join an OCF Professional Development Webinar! See our schedule of upcoming City-sponsored training sessions for City Access Center providers. Current training topics include Classroom Management, Mandated Reporting, Cityspan, Team Building, Health and Safety, and more!
• National Afterschool Association (NAA) professional development: this blog from NAA has the latest news and reflections from the OST professional community on operating OST programs during COVID-19, career development, research and more. 
• Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network (PSAYDN) webinars: register for upcoming OST professional development webinars hosted by PSAYDN.
• Penn State Extension Better Kid Care online learning: find evidence-informed training modules, and the latest blog posts and resources for early-childhood and school-aged professionals.
• Follow the Office of Children and Families on YouTube! We will post our latest professional development training sessions on our channel throughout the year.

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OST Programming Resources

General:
Online activity resources for OST providers: Check out our collection of online resources compiled by Office of Children and Families Out-of-School Time staff. This spreadsheet includes links to read alouds, coding activities, movement / physical education, STEM/STEAM, fun games, and more.

Activities for Access Centers

Use these interactive PDFs to help students pick enriching activities after their virtual work is complete. Activities include arts and crafts, games, movement, and stories!

• Activities for grades K-3
• Activities for grades 4-6

Literacy

• Download these early literacy toolkits developed by the OCF literacy team. Each toolkit pairs with a children’s book to guide readers through vocabulary lessons, reading discussions, and activities. Toolkits include teaching schedules and resources.
  • Buzzing With Questions
  • Last Stop on Market Street
  • The Field
  • I Got The Rhythm
  • Cora Cooks Pancit
  • The Color Monster: A Story About Emotions

• Download our literacy tipsheets for providers: Creating a Literacy Rich Environment, Successful Read Alouds, and Sparking Interest in Independent Reading.

• See our list of online read aloud videos compiled by Office of Children and Families Out-of-School Time staff.

• The Ultimate Learning Adventure from Read by 4^th and its partners is a robust literacy learning platform with six weeks of fun activities for kids in grades Pre-K to 2.

Health and Athletics 

• Find sports-based activities for at-home fun and exercise from the Philadelphia Youth Sports Collaborative (PYSC).
  
• Download the “Game On Philly!” app for sports drills, workouts, and games that kids can play. This app has a city-wide “scoreboard” so children and teens can compete and stay connected.

Creative and Performing Arts 

• Hip Hop Fundamentals dance classes: check out this video series of fun dance lessons from Hip Hop Fundamentals and Young Audiences Arts for Learning. Younger students (grades 1-3) can learn the basics of classic hip-hop dancing including footwork, rhythm, and freezes culminating in a complete routine. Older students (grades 4 and up) can learn from a more advanced series that covers toprocking, six-step, and power moves culminating in a fun and challenging routine!

• Access Fleisher Art Adventures – Fleisher Art Memorial is offering a free series of weekly, online art lessons for Philadelphia students in grades K – 8. Projects range from paper mache, pop-art, bookmaking, drawing and more! Classes are available in Spanish. New projects and tutorials will be posted weekly on the Art Adventures page.

Find more ideas for OST creative arts activities in our online activity resources spreadsheet.

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We will continue to update this list as new resources become available. There’s more to come, so check back soon!

Last Updated: 09/23/20