About

Working closely with young people is a wonderful opportunity to watch the transformation of a child into an adult. The metamorphosis is truly remarkable to observe, and in after-school you have the opportunity to do more than simply watch—you have the opportunity to support the transformation. With this joy there also comes tremendous responsibility. What you realize is that the opportunity to transform is not equitably distributed among all youth, in fact, some young people have limited opportunity to participate in the process at all. This is the process of "becoming". Not growing up to be the lawyer or the doctor, the teacher or the journalist, but "becoming" who you were meant to be because of the unique combination of talents and gifts you were born with. When you work with youth you realize that each of them has the right to become, and that you have the responsibility to support that process. In this country, the promise of America—the promise of social justice, can only occur when people of good will come together in the intentional support of that end.

C4K is committed to social justice and believes that social justice can be achieved when a space is created for social change, and that this space is found, in part, in the out-of-school time arena.

Our Core Values:
- We value learning. As human beings were are always learning and evolving. Although it is easier to see when children are young, learning is a continued state of personal advancement.
- We value the synergy that occurs when people of goodwill and like passion come together to find solutions.
- We value the celebration of the unique contribution that each person brings to the world because of the distinctive combination of talents and gifts.
- We value sharing with others insight, best practices, and practical tips around the creation, implementation and sustainability of high-quality programs for youth.

Our Beliefs.
- We believe in unleashing the power of each person to realize his/her potential.
- We believe after-school can increase learning time for young people in such a way that a pupil’s strongest learning modalities and multiple intelligences can be harnessed to unleash the potential within.
- We believe youth are best served by highly-trained staff who are able to see young people holistically and as possibilities to be developed.
- We believe exemplary staff performance yields high-quality learning opportunities for young people.
- We believe prevention is much more effective than intervention, and as a bonus, it is usually much less expensive.

Our Horizon Statement:
Every young person will have the opportunity to maximize his/her potential.

Our Vision Statement:
The "playing field" for all youth will be level, giving everyone equity and access to the promise of tomorrow.

Our Mission:
Provide first-rate staff development for the after-school workforce which results in exemplary performance and the creation of high-quality after-school programs.

Our Story: Consult 4 Kids, the current iteration of a commitment to young people, has roots in over two decades of work. Whether as teachers, coaches, mentors, consultants, or trainers, the Consult 4 Kids Team continues to dedicate its work life to improving the outcomes for children and youth who are often labeled, "at-risk". We prefer to think of these young people as "in opportunity", full of possibilities and potential. The C4K Team has experienced first-hand what it takes to run a high-quality after-school program that offers sports, performing arts, homework assistance, remedial academic support, character education, opportunities to provide community service, physical activity and other healthy living classes, all while building strong relationships with young people, their families and the school day staff.

Quality after-school programs require equal doses of exemplary performance by staff and excellent programming that supports student learning. The C4K Team has expertise in both and offers a unique model of staff development that will ignite the passion, enthusiasm, and innovation of staff by arming them with the mind set, skills and tool kit needed to be an outstanding role model and leader.

Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, proclaimed, "If we are serious about having more students be productive citizens, if we are serious about having more students prepared to be successful in college, dramatically improving the quality and the quantity of after-school programming is going to be at the heart of our work as a country."

C4K is serious about supporting the dramatic improvement of the quality of after-school programs and provides a forum for dedicated after-school leaders to share their expertise and work with individual programs to provide solutions to ensure high quality after-school programs throughout the United States.