Worcester Afterschoool Program Guide 2010-2011

Thank you to Community Build and Worcester Public Schools for this great resource.  Posted with permission of Worcester Community Connection Coalition through Dawn Johnson 11/22/10.

After School Listing

November’s Career of the Month
Child Life Specialist
Would you like to work in a hospital setting without having to perform medical procedures? Do you love children and love to play? Then a career in Child Life Therapy just might be the career for you!
A Child Life Specialist works with children primarily in an in-patient pediatric setting to promote effective coping though play, education and self-expression activities. Child Life Specialists also provide emotional support for parents, siblings, and other family members. They act as a liaison between healthcare professionals and pediatric patients, playing a vital role in providing education and resources about the needs of children under stress.
Child Life Specialists work as part of an interdisciplinary team that includes doctors, nurses, social workers, and other hospital personnel. Some examples of typical duties are:
• To ease a child’s fear and anxiety through therapeutic and recreational play activities
• To conduct pre-admission hospital tours for children and their families and answer questions about the child’s upcoming hospitalization
• To support families confronting grief and bereavement issues
• To engage and energize children in the hospital by providing special activities and events
Education required:
Minimum of a Bachelors degree in Psychology or a related field, that includes courses in child life and other relevant counseling and psychology classes.
Certified Child Life Specialists must complete a minimum of 480 hours of child life clinical experience under the direct supervision of a certified Child Life Specialist.
Salary:
The median salary of a Child Life Therapist is $43,000 but actual salaries will vary depending on the geographic location of the job.

GEAR UP Major of the Month: Emergency Management

Emergency Management is the discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. This field involves preparing for disaster before it occurs, disaster response (evacuation, quarantine and decontamination), and supporting and rebuilding societies after natural or human-made disasters occur.

One of the Massachusetts' State schools, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, currently offers a Bachelors Degree in Emergency Management. The Emergency Management program's educational coursework has been developed for each of three key concepts; hazard, risk, and disaster. The program component for hazard and risk (risk management) consists of a framework that explores four states in assessment and management including Risk Assessment, Control Analysis, Strategy Section and Implementation and Evaluation. In the case of disaster, the students will study the different temporal stages in a disaster cycle, including; Mitigation or Prevention, Preparedness, Response and Recovery. The program's depth and range of practical coursework and experience, provides an EM graduate, the skills for a smooth transition from college to a profession in the emergency management field.  

To learn more about Emergency Management at Massachusetts Maritime Academy click here http://www.maritime.edu/index.cfm

 

Salem State University Spotlight

Salem State University is not requiring letters of recommendation or an essay for admission this year. If students have an I.E.P. they can attach a copy in their application to waive any high school language requirements. Any student who meets the Massachusetts State Sliding Scale is admissible.
Sliding Scale for Freshman Applicants to a State University
Weighted High School GPACombined SAT-I V&M Must Equal or Exceed
(ACT Equivalent in Italics)
2.51-2.99 920 (19)
2.41-2.50 960 (20)
2.31-2.40 1000 (21)
2.21-2.30 1040 (22)
2.11-2.20 1080 (23)
2.00-2.10 1120 (24)
Click here to apply http://www.salemstate.edu/admissions/

UMass Dartmouth!

We just had an exciting visit from UMass Dartmouth and the news is wonderful for first generation and or low-income students. There are two alternative admissions programs students should be aware of. College Now and START are programs that operate outside of the Admissions department. If your grades are less than stellar or you just didn't think college was for you until very recently these programs could be an alternative route to a four year college degree. College Now applicants must either be of low-income status or be the first generation to attend college (which technically means your parents did not attend a four year institution, if you have siblings in college you are still considered first generation). START (Steps Toward Abstract Reasoning & Thinking) is for a similar population with a specific academic interest in engineering, mathematics, or physics majors. If you are interested in UMass Dartmouth and meet either of these requirements please visit http://www.umassd.edu/collegenow  or call 508.999.8703 for more information. To be clear, you do not apply through the UMass Dartmouth admissions office; this is a separate office and applicant pool.