The audio and video quality of these snippets
of workshops are pretty lousy.
We've just begun to "dip our toes" into this technology. We'll
post higher quality examples of our training soon.
Q: Who are these Ashcrafts anyway?
A: Mike and Chelsea have been active in the child and youth development field since 1989. They currently live in a small mountain community called Cedar Grove, New Mexico with their two wonderful daughters. Mike and Chelsea met while working at a YMCA that ran a summer day camp and school-age child care Program. They successfully managed a number of camps and after-school programs, and Chelsea directed a corporate child care center for a number of years. Mike and Chelsea founded and direct a non-profit organization that provides youth development programs as well as staff training, and consulting. Mike taught courses in brain-based teaching, and middle childhood development for Concordia University. Mike is a Past President of the NM School-Age Care Alliance and a Past President of the NM Association for the Education of Young Children. Chelsea teaches courses in leadership, child care management, and early childhood guidance at the Central New Mexico college. Mike is the author of Best Practices: Guidelines for School-Age Programs and the Best Practices Workbook. They frequently teach workshops, seminars, and keynotes. They have presented at many national and regional conferences. Typical audiences include:
· After-school Program Staff· Summer Camp Staff· Elementary Education· Adult Educators and College Instructors· Organization and Board Leadership Teams
Mike Ashcraft, Co-Founder and CEO of Children's Choice, holds a Master of Arts Degree in Education with an Emphasis in School-Age Care from Concordia University. He is a Doctoral of Education candidate in Organizational Leadership with Nova Southeastern University. He has more than 20 years of experience in child care and education. He is an Accreditation Endorser for the National Afterschool Association. He served as a training and technical service contractor and a professional writing contractor for the New Mexico State Department of Education. He served as a guest professor on the faculty of Concordia University, teaching college courses in school-age care programming. He is a former President of the New Mexico School-Age Care Alliance and the current President of the New Mexico Association for the Education of Young Children. He is the author of Best Practices: Guidelines for School-Age Programs, and the Best Practices Workbook, published by Sparrow Media Group.
Chelsea Ashcraft, Co-Founder and CEO of Children's Choice, holds a Master of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education and Administration from Nova Southeastern University. She has more than 17 years of experience in child care: as a teacher, a camp director, a school-age child care coordinator, and a corporate child care center director. She has extensive training and experience in school-age child care and has shared her knowledge as a presenter at many state and national training events. Chelsea serves on the faculty of Albuquerque's Technical Vocational Institute, teaching college courses in child development and guidance. She is the current Treasurer of the New Mexico School Age Care Alliance. She is an accreditation endorser for the National Afterschool Association and a certified Quality Advisor from the National Institute of Out of School Time.