By Wanda Parker                                                     KidTrek Training
                                                                               February 3-11,2009

There are so many tools that can be used to ensure a well run, orderly, fun after school program.  Kids are kids and down deep they have a desire for orderliness.

However, once in a while you will have a kid that is so disruptive and not a single one of your tools is going to work.

Tomas was an angry 6 year old. If you told him to stand he would sit, if you told him to sit he would stand.  He knew how to push adult buttons so he felt like he was in control.  He was the child you would find yourself praying, “Lord it would be so much easier today if Tomas didn’t come.”

But then you would catch yourself and ask forgiveness - because isn’t that the very type of child with whom you wanted to work?  BUT, it looked so much easier from the outside looking in.

One day Tomas was especially horrid.  He had disrupted everything the director was trying to do and then it led to his hitting other children.  He refused to sit in time out.  Finally I went to him, picked him up and put him in my lap.

I wrapped my arms around him and over and over whispered in his ear, “Tomas I love you.  Tomas you are special. Tomas Jesus loves you.  Tomas I am so glad you are here.”

All the while his little legs were kicking me as hard as he could - leaving gouges in my legs.

If you want to read more about After School Programs Discipline click here

While I whispered in his ear I was crying out to the Triune God asking for direction and intervention.

Suddenly a thought came into my mind and so I asked, “Tomas, do you sometimes want to sit still but your body just goes and goes and goes?  Do you feel like you can’t stop your body from moving?  It may even feel painful at times because your body won’t stop moving. Does that make you feel angry?”

Tomas suddenly fell limp in my arms and started sobbing.  Instead of me holding him tight he wrapped his arms around my arms and clung to me while he sobbed.  The remainder of the day he stayed close to me, never letting me get so far away he couldn’t touch me. 

Without saying it in words he was shouting at me, “Finally someone understands!”

Having a well ordered after school program demands that you know the kids beyond name, family, school, age.  You must know the inner child.  That doesn’t happen unless you are intentional in learning all you can about each child.

Talk to parents, to teachers, to social service providers - know what is going on in the child’s life.  Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what is happening within the child - as He did for me that day with Tomas.   

What ever you do don’t give up on that child who is acting out.

If you want to read more on After School Programs Discipline click here

By Wanda Parker                                                                        KidTrek Training
                                                                                                  February 3 - 11, 2009

Last week was the international Cutting Edge Conference for those working with at-risk kids around the world.  What a joy to meet those on the Cutting Edge of reaching children who are hurting.

It is the faces I remember, the stories from those in attendance who were from Nepal, Pakistan, Lebanon, Brazil, Kenya, South Africa and the list goes on.  God is at work through these individuals around the world.

What saddened me was that it seemed as though the suffering at-risk children of America were forgotten.

Again, even amongst those who have a passion for children - the INVISIBLE at-risk children of America are forgotten. 

For me - for this to truly be a Cutting Edge conference no at-risk children would have been forgotten.

What do you think?  Do you think American children are important too?  Do you think they hurt just like other children from other countries?  Whose fault is it that American at-risk children are invisible?

By Wanda Parker                                                                           KidTrek Training
                                                                                                       February 3 - 11, 2009

I was reading Matthew 16 this morning and saw how easy it is to be a stumbling block for Jesus.  Yes a stumbling block for Jesus - that means getting in the way of His work.  In doing so others are injured.

• Have you ever over protected a child by trying to make his/her life easier?
  • For instance doing your child’s science project for him/her.
• Have you tried to ease the pain of poverty for someone by just supplying money and not walking through life with the individual so she could learn from you?
  • Giving money to someone when you came off the freeway - it made you feel so good.  But what do they really need?

These are just two possibilities - the list is endless. 

Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

God allows difficult times for many different reasons - when we circumvent what God is doing we can become a stumbling block.  Peter was reacting from his own feelings, his own wants; he wasn’t thinking of what was best for all of mankind.  We read in previous scripture that he knew who Jesus was.

What if Jesus hadn’t paid the price for our sins?  There would be no hope.

When we get involved in someone’s life to make ourselves feel better, when our faulty reasoning causes us to give to someone their felt want rather than their real need, we end up stealing all hope of their having a productive, hope-filled life. 

All too often we do what is easy rather than what is right.

If you want to read more about overprotection of children click here

By Wanda Parker                                                                                   KidTrek Training
                                                                                                             February 3-11, 2009

Okay, are you ready to get started?  This is assuming you’ve done your homework from the previous two posts: 

After School Program

After School Program Part 2

I am going to tell you how to start a ministry that will give the highest results if you want a kid when he is 40 to be similar to the kid I described in How To Start An After School Program part 2. (Note in the previous sentence I switched from using the term program to the term ministry.  To see the results I want to see I believe all involved must see it as a ministry, something God has called them to do - not just another program.)

Begin with PRAYER - lots of prayer.  If you want to see the results I described yesterday it is going to take an immense amount of prayer.  Find others who have your vision to join you in praying. 

• Set regular times to gather for prayer,
• Get a list of individuals who are willing to be on a prayer e-mail list
  • E-mail them at least once a week with specific prayer requests
• Ask the staff and lay leadership at your church to pray and give them regular specific updates

BUDGET

What type of budget do you have with which to work?

STAFFING

Kids need committed adults in their lives.  They need adults who are willing and able to be there for the long haul.  They need individuals who have perseverance and won’t give up at the first set-back.  Click here for a link to a description of this adult.

• Will your staff be paid or must you rely on volunteers?
• Things to think about working with volunteers
  • What time of day are they available?
  • How many days are they able to give?
  • How many hours each day are they able to come?
  • Do you have a commitment from anyone today?  What are their parameters?
  • How long of a commitment are you going to ask for?
• Things to think about when working with paid staff?
  • Is it a part time or full time position?
  • Is the pay enough so they can stay for several years?
• How will your staff be trained?  Are you trained?
  • Dr. David DuBois, an expert in the field of mentoring, says faith-based after school programs often fail because those running them don’t understand child development.  Do you and your staff understand child development?  Most parents don’t know or understand child development.
• Staff must be vetted - how will you do that?

THE MINISTRY COMPONENTS

What the ministry components look like depends on how you have answered the above questions.  Things to think about:

• How many days will you be open?
• What hours will you be open?
• Will kids be required to attend everyday you are open or will it be a drop-in center?
  • If you want the same results I want, a drop-in center won’t get you there.
• How old will the kids be?
• How many kids will you work with?
  • 5 kids per adult if you want lasting results.  If your staff are all volunteers 5 is too many.
• What will you do?
  • Homework/Tutoring
  • Bible
  • Life skills
  • Recreation
  • Crafts/The Arts
  • Snacks
  • Family time
• How much time will you allot for each component?
• What about discipline issues?
• Be sure you are set for all potential emergencies.

Know that it takes so much more than what you do with the kids within the set hours you are all together.  For lasting results you must be involved with the primary nurturers, the school and social service providers.

The final question is - do you just want to keep them “safe” for a few hours or do you want them to be “safe” for ever?

From here it becomes really individual - each center will be different with different needs.  Please feel free to ask any questions you might have pertaining to your particular situation.  KidTrek’s passion is to see at-risk kids, America’s Invisible Children, receive the nurturing they deserve - which demands excellence.

By Wanda Parker

                                                                                                                            KidTrek Training
                                                                                                                            February 3-11 2009

As I mentioned on Monday, to have an effective after school program you must know what you want the end result to be.  You must take the time to brainstorm what you want a six year old today to look like when he is 40.  We have our trainees consider this throughout the week of training.

My 40 year old - a whole-istic view.

Spiritual

Is a fully committed follower of the Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Is rooted in the Word of God
Is known as a prayer warrior
Actively involved in a Bible teaching church
Has a Biblical worldview
Fruit of the Spirit evidenced in his life
Is actively living out Matthew 28:19-20

Emotional

God confidence
Knows how to identify and express emotions in healthy ways
Joy and peace
Perseverance

Mental

Has critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Discernment
Still learning - inquisitive
A lover of books

Social

Healthy relationships
Solid peer group of believers
Friendships with non-believers
Known as an individual who can be trusted
Respects authority
Leadership skills
Interpersonal and communication skills
Treats those with whom he disagrees with respect without compromise
A Biblical compassion for those in need

Physical

Treats the body as the temple of God
Makes good choices to keep body healthy - knows what those choices should be
Good hygiene

Tomorrow I will think through the first steps to start an after school program to nurture kids to raise them up to be Christ-changed, hope filled, productive adults.

By Wanda Parker

So you would like to start an after school program - why?

What do you want to accomplish? 

What do you want the end result to be? 

Who do you want the kids to be when they are 40?

Those are questions you must wrestle with before you can even begin to take a step further.

This is my challenge to you - take a few days and lay out who you want a kid you serve today to be like when he is 40.  Brainstorm this question with others.

On Wednesday I’ll give you the description of my 40 year old and how to start a program that will bring a kid to that place.

Have fun.

By Wanda Parker

What do the Invisible Children of America need?

They need adults in their lives who will nurture them.  That doesn’t happen in an afternoon drop-in center.  It demands adults who are willing to get involved whole-istically in a kid’s life. 

It means going shopping together, traveling together, eating in a fine restaurant together, studying together, going to a basketball game together, going to church together, visiting in each others’ homes.

It demands that this Secondary Nurturer adult builds a quality friendship relationship with the child’s Primary Nurturer. 

It takes time - years.

For more information on this topic click here and here

By Wanda Parker                                                                                            KidTrek Training
                                                                                                                      February 3-11, 2009

“In mission there’s a documented correlation between preparation and longevity.  If you want a ministry that will last for the long haul, you have to invest in the training of its leaders.  That’s what KidTrek does with excellence.”  Rev. Cliff Warner, Rector, Church of the Holy Trinity, Austin, Texas

KidTrek training is eight intense days of covering every aspect of working with Families at Risk. 

CHILD DEVELOPMENT

Experiencing childhood - again!

ADMINISTRATION

Everything from how to work as a team to writing goals and everything in between.

 PROGRAMMING

Recreation is fun for everyone - but there is so much more. 

SOCIAL SERVICES 

How do you work with the school, social workers, police, etc? 

EMERGENCY PREPARATION

You know what to do if a kid starts choking - do you know what to do if a kid tells you he is going to commit suicide?

 There is so much more to the training - but I do want you to know we do have a time to just go have fun.

We are planning a training in late January, 2009 check back to see when we get our exact dates.

Another post that shares more of the direction of our training  click here 

If you want to read our White Paper on Secondary Nurturers click here  which is what we train you to become.

By Wanda Parker

It is absolutely vital that we keep the children safe.  Just because you are hiring “Christians” doesn’t mean they don’t have emotional problems and could be a danger to the children.  Every individual who interacts with the children must be vetted. 

This is just one of the check lists KidTrek goes through as we hire staff or interview volunteers.

 STAFF AND VOLUNTEER SCREENING REQUIREMENTS

¨     Application forms filled out and in file

¨     Reference letters in file

¨     Fingerprinting/Megan’s Law response in file

¨     Interview form in file

•     Heard personal testimony
•     Read through with applicant:

o     Purpose Statement

o     Guiding Values

o     Philosophy of Ministry

o     Program Format

o     List of opportunities for service

o     Job Descriptions

o     Purpose of all day training

o     Purpose of Quarterly Review/Training/Planning Time

Determine where the Lord is calling applicant to serve

¨     Child Abuse Reporting Acknowledgment signed and in file

¨     Child Safety Guidelines Acknowledgment signed and in file

¨     Incident Report and Activity Approval Acknowledgment signed and in file

You may be interested in seeing what our curriculum looks like - KidTrek Curriculum  click here  and then click here

By Wanda Parker

This past weekend I spent a lot of time thinking about, praying about all the faulty reasoning that is in the world - I won’t bother you with why this loomed over me this weekend :). 

For instance take the welfare system, though I’m sure those who began it had the best of intentions, but in the end it has done so much harm. I would say it has done more harm than good from my experience with it but I have no statistical proof of that. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m passionate about caring for the needy.  Our family has had at different times homeless people live with us until they could get back on their feet.  Since graduating from college I have served the needy. 

However, due to faulty reasoning what was meant for good ended up being bad.  It looked good on paper but it didn’t work in reality.

In our KidTrek Training we teach that children will often have faulty reasoning because they don’t have all the information they need to make the right decision.  This weekend as I pondered the faulty reasoning all around me I could easily excuse those who do not know The Triune God, because they don’t have all the information they need.  However, I can find no excuse for those who call themselves committed followers of the Triune God.

WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH CHRISTIAN AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS?

Faulty reasoning can cause more harm than good in after school programs just as the welfare system has done.

Dr. David Dubois, professor and researcher,says that many faith based after school programs are hurting children because those running the program don’t have an understanding of child development.

There is the tendency to put quantity over quality.  They are driven to work with as many kids as they can because there are so many hurting kids.  But they don’t understand that those large numbers can do more harm to the kids than if the kids were never involved in a program.

Christians should be able to understand this.  How did Jesus, God, minister?  He did from time to time do things with the masses, then there were the disciples who followed Him around but the majority of them abandoned him (John 6:66), then there were the twelve but ultimately He spent most of His time with the three - Peter, James and John. 

Why do we think we can do things better than God?

It is our faulty reasoning.  Even though we have all the information we refuse to accept it.  We are driven by too many other forces in our lives.  When it comes down to it we we don’t trust the one we call our Savior enough to truly follow Him.  To do as He did.   Proverbs 3:5  Trust means we obey even when we don’t fully understand.  Trust means we look for what is best for those we serve - even if it isn’t what we want.

If you want to read more about Christian After School programs click below

Where is The Church Christs’ Body click here

Christian After School Programs - More than just after-school click here