Jump Start 2026

Kids learn best when they do not even realize they are studying. This hands-on session provides a pattern to help afterschool educators weave critical math and literacy skills directly into the activities children naturally choose. You will learn to turn everyday play, crafts, and games into high-impact learning moments. Participants will roll up their sleeves and experience these joyful, "stealth-learning" activities firsthand. You will leave with a practical toolkit of activities that spark curiosity, preserve child autonomy, and seamlessly boost academic confidence, motivation and understanding.

Data collection can feel like one more thing on an already full plate, but what if it could actually make your job easier? If collecting attendance, registration, or reporting information feels overwhelming or inconsistent, this session is for you. Join fellow afterschool professionals for an interactive discussion about what's working, what's not, and how small changes can make a big difference. You'll leave with practical ideas to improve data quality, simplify processes, and spend less time fixing problems and more time supporting youth.

Explore digital design to cultivate student agency and self-expression. In this interactive session, we'll examine what creativity looks like in an AI-driven era through active digital content production.

Participants will gain hands-on experience using professional platforms like Adobe Express, learning to guide students in defining target audiences, building brand identities, and mastering graphic design fundamentals. By bridging the gap between students' digital passions and professional aspirations, this workshop provides practical insights into the creator economy, equipping educators to confidently guide students toward relevant 21st-century career pathways.

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.