Background, rationale, and objectives: 2005 ANR Core Issue and Target Opportunity: "Youth Development: Improving Science and Environmental Literacy" is addressed in this research, extension and creative activity project. Taking cue's from research in formal education, which indicates that occasional or one-shot training has little impact on the way teachers present science material to their students, the Santa Cruz County 4-H Youth Development Program is engaged in a three-year research project with afterschool providers in Santa Cruz and Soquel to measure how participation in regular, on-going science training impacts the ability of afterschool providers to successfully deliver science in afterschool settings.

Research Methods/Creative Activity: Each month, afterschool staff from the Campus Kids Connection INC. participate in three hours of training learning how to facilitate open-ended and guided explorations of science and engineering topics.  Trainings are structured to give afterschool providers an opportunity to gain experience being "learners" as they actively engage in science, engineering and technology lessons, as well as gain experience being "teachers" through pedagogy lessons on experiential learning, lesson plan development and questioning strategies.

Extension Methods: In addition to the monthly trainings, sites also receive site visits from program staff to evaluate the program delivery, assess understanding of training content and get feedback from the afterschool staff.  The monthly site visits help build staff capacity to implement high quality, hands-on science and engineering projects with their children, in order to impact the way afterschool programs contribute to science education.  

Collaborators: Heather Holmstadt: Santa Cruz County 4-H Program Representative, Sharon Junge: Placer County Director and YDA, Education Development Center: Newton, MA., Lawrence Hall of Science: University of California, Berkeley, National 4-H Afterschool: Chevy Chase, MD., Goodman Research Group: Cambridge, MA.,  River Legacy Living Science Center: Arlington, TX., Explora Science Center: Albuquerque, NM.,  Science Museum of Minnesota: St Paul, MN., University of Minnesota Extension Service,  Headwaters Science Center: Bimiji, MN., Center of Science and Industry:  Toledo, OH.,  Boston Children's Museum: Boston, MA.,  University of New Hampshire Extension Service, Providence Children's Museum: Providence, RI., and Rochester Museum and Science Center: Rochester, NY.

Grant Support: National Science Foundation: $66,000 for three years.