The NYC Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) offers the Family Development Training and Credentialing Program (FDC) for frontline staff and the Family Development for Supervisors program for agency directors, supervisors, and managers. FDC provides participants with the skills and competencies they need to help families capitalize on their strengths and set attainable goals, and the supervisors program helps participants use empowerment-based leadership in their organizations. FDC participants can earn a New York State Family Development Credential and college credits, and hours from both programs can be used towards Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) training requirements, Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) recertification, and renewal of the NYS School Age Care Credential (SACC). DYCD offers competitive scholarships for both programs that cover the full cost of tuition, credential exam fee (for FDC only), and portfolio review fees. Applicants must be located in any of the 43 Neighborhood Development Areas (NDAs) throughout NYC. The FDC scholarship application is here, and the supervisors scholarship application is here. Both must be received by August 8, 2014.

The New York State Afterschool Network (NYSAN) is promoting on its website programs that participate in the activities outlined in its monthly Afterschool Advocates newsletter.These activities are designed to raise the profile of afterschool throughout the state all year, and include writing to legislators about the importance of afterschool, inviting media representatives to program events, and highlighting the ways programs give back to their communities, among many others. In order to be profiled on NYSAN's website, programs should fill out this survey after participating in an Afterschool Advocate activity.

NYSAN also wants to help programs promote their summer activities and impact on participants. Programs can fill out a survey about their summer learning plans, and NYSAN will help them share their stories with local media outlets.

The Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College and the Touro College Graduate School of Social Work are leading the Human Service Workforce Survey, which is designed to examine the impact of new policy trends and practices on the human services workforce in all sectors. They are looking to expand the distribution of the survey to youth development workers across NYC. The survey asks questions on a range of issues to learn about front line workers' experiences in today's complex environment, and its results will be used to advocate for improved services and jobs. Responses to the survey are completely anonymous and confidential.

The Child Mind Institute, a children's mental health nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming mental health care for children, offers free staff and parent workshops on trauma and stress management for community organizations and schools throughout NYC's five boroughs. These workshops cover how to talk to kids about trauma, stress management tools, how to differentiate typical from atypical reactions to a trauma, treatment options after a traumatic event, and when to refer for treatment. Additional free services from the institute include traumatic stress intervention groups and stress management workshops for kids. Please contact Yael Isler for more information.

Registration is now open for the 2015 BOOST (Best Of Out-of-School Time) Conference for afterschool and out-of-school time professionals, taking place in Palm Springs, CA from April 28-May 1, 2015. The goals of the conference are to rejuvenate participants' passion for youth development work and boost their dedication to quality programming. Conference activities include workshops, inspiration stations, a film festival, a networking reception, and exhibits. Registration costs $420 per person until October 31, 2014, and $450 per person after that date.

NYC College Line and Goddard Riverside Options Center have launched an Access to Success Lunch 'n Learn Webinar Series that covers various topics in the areas of college prep and access. The first webinar, "How To Help Rising College Freshmen Complete Their Summer 'To Do' List," has already taken place, but the recording is available here. This webinar addressed how programs can best their youth in the months between high school graduation and the first day of college, in order to ensure a successful transition to college. Topics included summer enrichment opportunities, mandatory summer programs for HEOP/EOP/SEEK/CD students, tying up loose ends, college checklists, and the key "to do" list when students arrive on campus. Future webinar topics will be announced here.