We know the essential ingredient to a quality afterschool or summer program is quality training and professional development.
Through partnerships with the National AfterSchool Association, STEM Next, Mizzen Education, and more, we help Kentucky’s afterschool professionals and educators develop skills and practices that enhance program quality and help kids thrive in school, the workplace, and life.
What We Offer
We are the leading provider of training and professional development for afterschool professionals and educators in Kentucky.
With…
- An annual statewide virtual conference
- Hundreds of online learning modules
- And more,
We are constantly shaping and updating our professional development offerings to meet our field’s unique professional learning needs.
Learn more about our about what we have to offer below.
Annual Virtual Conference
Our annual virtual conference is a two-day convening that brings together hundreds of afterschool professionals, educators, and leaders from across Kentucky. Participants learn and share evidence-based practices through inspiring and interactive sessions, connect with like-minded professionals through curated virtual networking opportunities, and get access to practical tools and resources.
Our next Annual Virtual Conference will be held November 12-13, 2025. More information coming soon!
Events Calendar
Always know when professional learning opportunities from us and our partners are happening. Our Events Calendar is your one-stop-shop for training and professional development events in Kentucky and beyond.
Kentucky Afterschool e-Academy
Don’t let distance, time, and cost continue to be barriers to achieving your training and professional development goals. Our online, mobile-friendly learning management system, the “Kentucky Afterschool e-Academy,” includes a robust catalog of courses and learning pathways that have been specifically designed for our field and can be accessed anytime, anywhere!
Kentucky School-Age Quality Standards
Developed in 2011 in partnership with the Kentucky Division of Child Care, the Kentucky Partnership for Early Childhood Services, University of Kentucky, and Standards Work-Group members, the Kentucky School-Age Program Standards provide a baseline of quality and are the foundation from which to build quality programming for Kentucky’s school-age programs, including: before school, afterschool, and summer learning programs.
Looking for More?
Through our large network of over 3,200 OST professionals and partners, we know just where to look when it comes to finding all of the best training and professional development opportunities – in Kentucky and across the country – to meet your unique needs.
In addition to their annual convention, the National Afterschool Association (NAA) offers members a variety of learning resources and microcredentials for OST professionals. Some resources are free to the general public while others require an NAA membership. For OST professionals who are not paid NAA members and live in Kentucky, our affiliation and a KYOSA Virtual Conference registration make you eligible for a FREE NAA membership.
Thinking about summer? In addition to their annual Summer Learning Summit, the National Summer Learning Association hosts numerous FREE virtual professional learning opportunities including a webinar series, Professional Summer Learning Communities, and a Summer Planning Bootcamp.
Voices of Summer Webinar Series
Built by, for, and with the community with support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, Mizzen Education is a dedicated platform for the OST field. Learn and grow. Save precious time. This platform puts custom, grab-and-go content at your fingertips while offering instructional support for you and your team to conserve prep time and catalyze impact.
In addition to their ongoing cycle of FREE afterschool webinars with a professional development focus, the Afterschool Alliance also has a FREE staff recruitment toolkit to help program providers and state networks recruit staff for afterschool and summer programs.
The U.S. Department of Education’s You for Youth technical assistance site has a robust offering of FREE professional development modules, webinars, career development resources, and more. While designed for 21st Century Community Learning Center programs, these trainings cover topics any youth development professional will find important, including program management, learning approaches, equity and inclusion, and positive learning environments.
Click2SciencePD offers STEM professional development resources for out-of-school time program providers. The site hosts a variety of self-directed web lessons, webinars, and guides for staff trainings on STEM in out-of-school time programs directed at program leaders, frontline staff, and program volunteers. Click2Science resources are low cost professional development opportunities with web lessons costing five dollars for professional development credit.
Well known for their Beyond School Hours Conference, Foundations, Inc also provides professional learning opportunities through a FREE monthly webinar series. Topics include family engagement, cultural competence, supporting older youth, and program quality, among other areas.
The IRIS Center at Vanderbilt University is a national center that provides numerous FREE professional development opportunities with a focus on supporting students with disabilities. OST professionals also have the opportunity to earn IRIS PD Certificates, now FREE through December 2025!