Delaware's Competencies for School-Age Professionals were created as part of a joint effort between the Delaware Department of Education and the Delaware AfterSchool Alliance to provide specific guidance as to the level of quality expected to be achieved and maintained by
school-age professionals.

These core competencies are intended to be used by school-age professionals at all levels within an organization to assist and guide them in understanding the skills that they may need to develop to be able to provide the highest quality care and enrichment services possible to school-age children attending afterschool programs.

The SA Core Competency booklet is divided into two parts, the first is a listing of the competencies for Levels 1-4, the levels correspond to each of the workforce position titles established by OCCL (Intern, Site Assistant, Site Coordinators, & Site Administrators).

As an example, each Level 1 competency is indicative of the knowledge or skill that an Intern working in a licensed childcare facility should be able to exhibit or participate in.

The second portion of the book is self assessments for each of the four workforce levels. These self assessments are a vital tool in the development of staff and the raising of quality standards within an organization. (self assessment pages may be reproduced as needed so that assessment may be conducted several times a year) 

The results of self assessments will assist the individual staff person and their supervisor in establishing a professional development program that will best suit the needs of that staff person and the position and skills needed for advancement within the organization.

As we raise the standard of professional development we in turn raise the quality of programs and services offered to youth and the impact that those programs have on the needs of young people on a day to day basis.

If you have questions, comments, or need general assistance in understanding how to use the competencies, please contact the Alliance via email (on the homepage) or use the Technical Assitance Webform Page found on this website.