Jump Start 2026

After a long school day, the last thing kids want to do in an afterschool program is sit at a desk for more math. They want to get moving, play with friends, and burn off energy! But what if you could deliver high-quality math reinforcement without a single worksheet?This active, hands-on workshop will show you how to turn recess favorites and team sports into stealthy learning opportunities. You will discover practical ways to weave critical math concepts—like geometry, fractions, statistics, and estimation—directly into the playground games kids already love. Come ready to move, laugh, and learn how to bring fun and games to your program, completely by the numbers!

This training is meant to help afterschool professionals identify blind spots in their program development in a way that feels tangible. Oftentimes, creating programs can be overwhelming because you have so many people to think about, on an individual level. This training will help bring a collectivist mindset in our planning to help decrease feelings of anxiety when planning for various people from a wide range of backgrounds. Come and be a part of the discussion and create an intersectional framework that works for you.

We’ve all been there: a classroom left messy, a forgotten gym key, or a miscommunicated student incident that derails a relationship. This session is a sanctuary for Utah youth workers to talk about the real-world friction of school partnerships—and how to fix it. We will blend deep relationship-building with practical communication strategies, giving you the tools to co-create boundaries and build unshakeable trust with your school-day partners.