Institute for Youth Development

The OST Office's Institute for Youth Development (IYD)

The OST Office’s Institute for Youth Development (IYD) supports the provision of quality OST programs. The IYD provides professional development opportunities, program quality improvement assessments, and technical assistance to OST programs across the District. Its focus is on ensuring adults who work with children and youth outside of the regular school day have the skills they need to set students up for success, improving the quality of programs available to students and their families. Since 2019, the OST Office's Institute for Youth Development has facilitated more than 530 workshops, providing training for over 6,400 OST service providers, improving the quality of OST programs offered to District youth.

The Institute for Youth Development offers professional development opportunities, ranging from two-hour workshops to full day offerings or conferences. The Institute also supports the program quality improvement process through observation, self-assessment, and coaching to improve OST program’s design and implementation. Workshops are informed by the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality’s capacity-building framework, helping to improve the quality of out-of-school time opportunities for District youth. By participating in the workshops offered by the Institute, OST service providers in the District are better equipped to provide safe, supportive, interactive, & engaging environments for young people.

Training Descriptions

Youth Work Method Series

The David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality Youth Work Methods Training Series is part of the Youth Program Quality Intervention (YPQI). The series of two and a half hour workshops offers powerful strategies for working with young people, bringing together over fifty years of experience and the latest research in positive youth development. These interactive and hands-on courses provide participants with practical skills that are geared to improve the quality of interactions with youth.

Youth Development Series

The Youth Development Training Series are two and a half hour courses that are foundational for anyone working with youth. The series highlights the need for youth workers to use an asset-based approach when working with youth and focus on the goals of preparation and development rather than prevention, deterrence and deficit reduction. These interactive and hands-on courses provide participants with practical skills that are geared towards improving the quality of interactions with youth.

Other Workshops Available

The OST Office's Institute for Youth Development offers additional trainings and workshops for OST providers in the District.

To request workshops, the organization must have a minimum of 15 participants confirmed to participate. Workshops may be scheduled by completing this online form or by emailing [email protected]. Workshops must be requested at least six weeks in advance. Please note: workshops are only offered in English, unless otherwise indicated.

Program Quality

Determining Program Quality:

The Institute for Youth Development at the University of the District of Columbia is the professional development division of The Office of Out of School Time Grants and Youth Outcomes. The Institute for Youth Development supports quality programs through the Program Quality Intervention (PQI) and offering quality professional development opportunities. View the current professional development opportunities available through the Institute for Youth Development here.

Parents want to select quality programs and opportunities for their child. Youth want to attend quality programs that engage them as decision makers and leaders. The National Afterschool Association identifies quality programs as those that:

Foster positive relationships between program participants and staff,
Build positive relationships among program participants,
Offer a blend of academic and developmental skill-building activities,
Promote high levels of student engagement,
Maintain an orientation toward mastery of knowledge and skills, and
Provide appropriate levels of structure as well as opportunities for autonomy and choice.

Programs can improve their quality by participating in quality assessments and ensuring that all staff has access to quality professional developmen

The Weikart Center Youth Program Quality Intervention (YPQI)® is the framework used by the OST Office’s Institute for Youth Development to inform the quality of OST programs. The YPQI is a validated instrument designed to measure the quality of youth programs and identify staff training needs. It has been used in community organizations, schools, camps, and other places where youth have fun, work, and learn with adults.