.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
Client: Vermont Afterschool
Participants: 4 trainers over 18 months
Reach: 30+ workshops, 350+ staff trained (and growing)
Afterschool leaders in Vermont were looking for professional development that felt practical, relevant, and adaptable. Staff needed tools they could use right away to strengthen relationships, address behavioral challenges, and bring social-emotional learning (SEL) to life in everyday moments.
In October 2024, Vermont Afterschool joined The Flourish Lab’s Train-the-Trainer (TtT) program. Tricia Pawlik, Senior Associate for Program Quality, explained: “We chose the Train-the-Trainer program because we saw the need for afterschool professionals in Vermont to get more practical training and experience around these topics. The Flourish Lab has a great reputation, and after examining the materials and meeting with Amy, we felt it was the best fit for Vermont.” The program was supported by Vermont’s Child Development Division, with a small supplementary scholarship from The Flourish Lab. Since then, the network has steadily expanded—sending another participant in April 2025 and preparing two more for certification in October, 2025.
One year after certification, Marla Goldstein, Youth Resilience Coordinator, has delivered over 30 Flourish Lab workshops to more than 350 professionals statewide.
Her experience:
Relevance: “The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve never facilitated a curriculum that was received so positively by nearly everyone.”
Ease of use: “The pressure of creating content is lifted. The 45–60 minute workshops fit easily into staff meetings and small groups.”
Resonance: Topics like De-escalation and Acknowledging & Validating are in highest demand. Staff report immediate takeaways for preventing meltdowns, repairing relationships, and fostering belonging.
Participants themselves echo the impact:
“I love this format of providing relevant information in bite-sized pieces. Longer trainings can be overwhelming and hard to fit into a schedule.”
Workshops consistently leave staff feeling validated, relieved, and more connected to their “why” for working in afterschool.
1. Turn-key design: 24 workshops built by experienced practitioners
2. Scalable format: Easy to adapt to staff needs and time constraints
3. Immediate application: Concrete strategies for the classroom, not abstract theory
Marla added:
“The material is the most relevant to the afterschool profession that I have come across. These workshops model SEL ‘in action’ in a way I have never seen before. My confidence in supporting programs has reached a new level.”
With two more trainers joining this fall, Vermont Afterschool is creating sustainable statewide capacity for relationship-centered, SEL-driven professional development. Their investment in the Train-the-Trainer model ensures every staff member—new or experienced—has access to engaging, practical training that strengthens program quality across Vermont.
Want to bring this model to your network? Explore the Train-the-Trainer program!
Client: Vermont Afterschool
Participants: 4 trainers over 18 months
Reach: 30+ workshops, 350+ staff trained (and growing)
Afterschool leaders in Vermont were looking for professional development that felt practical, relevant, and adaptable. Staff needed tools they could use right away to strengthen relationships, address behavioral challenges, and bring social-emotional learning (SEL) to life in everyday moments.
In October 2024, Vermont Afterschool joined The Flourish Lab’s Train-the-Trainer (TtT) program. Tricia Pawlik, Senior Associate for Program Quality, explained: “We chose the Train-the-Trainer program because we saw the need for afterschool professionals in Vermont to get more practical training and experience around these topics. The Flourish Lab has a great reputation, and after examining the materials and meeting with Amy, we felt it was the best fit for Vermont.” The program was supported by Vermont’s Child Development Division, with a small supplementary scholarship from The Flourish Lab. Since then, the network has steadily expanded—sending another participant in April 2025 and preparing two more for certification in October, 2025.
One year after certification, Marla Goldstein, Youth Resilience Coordinator, has delivered over 30 Flourish Lab workshops to more than 350 professionals statewide.
Her experience:
Relevance: “The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I’ve never facilitated a curriculum that was received so positively by nearly everyone.”
Ease of use: “The pressure of creating content is lifted. The 45–60 minute workshops fit easily into staff meetings and small groups.”
Resonance: Topics like De-escalation and Acknowledging & Validating are in highest demand. Staff report immediate takeaways for preventing meltdowns, repairing relationships, and fostering belonging.
Participants themselves echo the impact:
“I love this format of providing relevant information in bite-sized pieces. Longer trainings can be overwhelming and hard to fit into a schedule.”
Workshops consistently leave staff feeling validated, relieved, and more connected to their “why” for working in afterschool.
1. Turn-key design: 24 workshops built by experienced practitioners
2. Scalable format: Easy to adapt to staff needs and time constraints
3. Immediate application: Concrete strategies for the classroom, not abstract theory
Marla added:
“The material is the most relevant to the afterschool profession that I have come across. These workshops model SEL ‘in action’ in a way I have never seen before. My confidence in supporting programs has reached a new level.”
With two more trainers joining this fall, Vermont Afterschool is creating sustainable statewide capacity for relationship-centered, SEL-driven professional development. Their investment in the Train-the-Trainer model ensures every staff member—new or experienced—has access to engaging, practical training that strengthens program quality across Vermont.
Want to bring this model to your network? Explore the Train-the-Trainer program!
.svg)
