Each month CTAN features a member of our Out-of-School Time community that is making meaningful impacts for Central Texas children and youth. For July, we chose to highlight our new president, Angel Toscano. Alongside his work with CTAN, Angel makes healthy choices a priority for Texas communities and works endlessly to build partnerships with the Out-of-School Time community. Read the full interview below to learn more about Angel and IT’S TIME TEXAS.

• Describe your role at your organization and/or the mission of your organization.

I am the Teach Healthier After School Manager for IT’S TIME TEXAS.  IT’S TIME TEXAS is a first-of-its-kind cause organization whose mission is to make healthy easier where people live, learn, work, worship, and shop. You’ve heard it before—Texas and the nation are staring down a true health crisis. Thousands of individuals, institutions, and organizations have stepped up to take action, but those efforts are often soloed and lack critical support. A cause organization is needed to unite and accelerate these disparate efforts so we can outpace and reverse the crisis. IT’S TIME TEXAS is that organization, and together, we will make healthy the norm in Texas and beyond. Within this nonprofit, we have an After School Program which offers top flight curriculum and instructors to schools that are eligible through ACE/21st Century grant funding or other fundings. Our instructors provide a healthy environment for children after school, where they participate in active games and learn about the importance of nutrition.

• What is one program or best practice that you are proud of?

When I first started as an intern, the after school curriculum was one big binder with several lessons to choose from. These lessons were written for any grade level and instructors needed to make modifications on their own. When I took over the after school program, I made it my mission to divide the curriculum based on grade level and include more lessons. Now the curriculum is divided into 3 sections, Kinder and 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and 4th and 5th grades, respectively. We have also included new themes, more sports, and we have holiday lessons. Our curriculum has now been reviewed by registered dietitian, UT School of Public Health, and a doctor at CATCH. And, perhaps most importantly, this curriculum has recently become available for anyone using a smartphone or a tablet and it is 100% free.

• What has changed most since you started with IT’s TIME TEXAS?

Our relationships with our community partners have changed since I started to manage our program. Before, our after schools programs had limited relationships with school districts where we had programming. One of my first goals when taking over was to make sure we listened to our community partners and be more involved.  So, since taking over, I have made it a point to meet with every site coordinator or director, one-on-one, before having programming on their sites. I want to know what their expectations are and how we can help them align with their goals on their sites. I have also become much more involved in CTAN’s initiatives.

• What does success look like for your program?

When someone asks me how I determine success in our after school program I could give them the statistical answer, which involves how much moderate-to-physical activity students are receiving in our programs and how much nutritional knowledge is being absorbed in our programs. However, for me, I feel our programs are being successful if I visit a site and see children running around, smiling, giggling, and just enjoy being in our class. If I can ask students what they have learned about nutrition and they are able to tell me something they didn’t know and how they are sharing this information with people at home, then I know our programming is effective. I think we have succeeded in the most important aspect that is sometimes overlooked, which is allowing our students to also be kids. After all, they will only be able to be this young once.

• What is the key to great organizational partnerships?

I found that the biggest key to great partnerships is listening. Several times when starting a new partnership, we are often worried about what we will get out of the partnership and how this partnership will benefit us. I think if you are looking to start a relationship with another organization the first thing one should do is just listen to their needs and learn more about what they already do. When you listen first, you can then see if there is a way that your organization can improve their goals. Once you figure out how your organization can improve your partner’s goals, you can then look into how this partnership can benefit your goals. This has to be a perfect blend and cannot be a selfish gain for oneself.

• What do you think the future landscape looks like for Out-of-School Time providers in the Austin area?

This is a very difficult question to answer right now because so much is still up in the air. It is unbelievable the amount of press and strides we have made in the last year alone. Even though funding seems to continue to decline, it seems the community commitment and reach continues to increase to the point that after school programming will be at the forefront of Austin. Additionally, after school will be recognized for the incredible achievements it can provide.

• What is something you’ve learned that you would like to impart to other organizations in the Out-of-School Time community?

I have learned one must be adaptable for anything that might come their way. I think this is one of the biggest lessons I have learned. Just like in a classroom, where students can be very unpredictable,  we need to look at the after school scope as being fluid, as well and be ready to adapt to certain situations. Whether you are a site director, frontline staff, parent, vendor, or anyone in the Out-of-School Time realm, we need to be ready to adjust if something does not go as planned, as we know will inevitably occur. We need to embrace the changes in the process and constantly strive to do better. Most importantly, we need to remember, something you do today can have a huge impact on a student’s future.