About Us
Join a community of child champions with over 23 years of proven success in after-school excellence
Know More About Consult4 Kids
Consult 4 Kids (C4K) is dedicated to being the ultimate one-stop-shop for professionals and organizations working with children and youth, with a particular focus on adults who work with youth outside of the TK-12 school day. Our mission is to provide comprehensive support and resources to expanded learning professionals, empowering them to become positive role models and mentors for young individuals.
At C4K, we understand the critical role adults play in shaping the lives of children and youth. We aim to equip these professionals with the necessary tools, training, and guidance to excel in their roles and make a lasting impact on the lives of young individuals. Our comprehensive suite of services includes training and lesson plans, consulting services, strategic partnerships, strategic planning and coaching As a one-stop-shop, C4K is committed to offering a diverse range of resources and expertise tailored to the unique needs of expanded learning professionals. We strive to foster a collaborative environment where these professionals can access all the support they require in one place, ensuring convenience and efficiency in their professional development journeys.
Through our training and lesson plans, we provide educators with the knowledge and skills necessary to create engaging and impactful learning experiences for children and youth. Our consulting services offer personalized guidance and support, addressing specific challenges and opportunities faced by professionals in the expanded learning sector.
Furthermore, C4K actively seeks strategic partnerships with organizations and stakeholders who share our vision of positively impacting the lives of young individuals. These partnerships enable us to leverage collective resources, knowledge, and expertise to maximize our impact on the communities we serve.
Our strategic planning services assist professionals in developing long-term roadmaps for their organizations, helping them navigate challenges and seize opportunities effectively. Additionally, our coaching programs offer individualized support and mentorship, empowering expanded learning professionals to enhance their leadership skills and thrive in their roles.
Consult 4 Kids is dedicated to ensuring every adult working with children and youth has the necessary resources and support to become a positive role model and mentor. By providing comprehensive services and fostering strategi partnerships, we strive to create a community where professionals can excel, enabling young individuals to reach their full potential and contribute positively to society.
Consult 4 Kids, is the current iteration of a deep commitment to young people, and 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 expanded learning 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 mindset, skills and tool kit needed to be an outstanding role model and leader.
C4K is serious about supporting the dramatic improvement of the quality of expanded learning programs and provides a forum for dedicated expanded learning leaders to share their expertise and work with individual programs to provide solutions to ensure high quality expanded learning programs throughout the United States.
Expanded learning staff is often considered the “second shift”, and as such must be prepared to deliver exemplary performance and high-quality learning opportunities for students. Expanded Learning is a “guest” in the principal’s house and is in support of the good work being done in the school day to help close the achievement gap.
C4K’s innovative training system educates expanded learning leaders to be role models who effectively guide each youth to reach his or her full potential. Consült 4 Kids provides web-based Vocational Training and Online Instruction accessible 24/7. Training focuses on day-to-day effectiveness and builds the professional and personal capacity of staff. This content training supports both supervisor and staff allowing them to focus face time on strengthening performance and programming through coaching. The C4K website provides end-users a direct connection to over 250 years of the teams’ cumulative experience. Traditionally, training has followed a “one and done” model, meaning that the person attending the training was expected, in one exposure, to be able to implement the information learned at the training. Even if that were possible, the high attrition rate of part time after-school staff (nearly 40% turnover in a year), would make this type of training ineffective. The C4K staff development system changes the paradigm of staff development for expanded learning professionals.
Brett Zandes, CEO
The Consult 4 Kids Team is led by founder, CEO Brett Zandes. Brett’s work as an educator began in 1991 when he became a middle school classroom teacher, working first with special education students and then teaching physical education to sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Brett has years of experience as a winning coach for middle and high school teams. He also worked as an after-school Program Site Coordinator part time when he was a teacher. Later Brett became the Project Director of After-School and Program Manager of AmeriCorps serving a dual role as the leader for both programs where he served over 200 adult employees and 10,000 students annually. Brett helped to build the Greenfield Foundation for SUCCESS program into the CDE-Packard supported Regional Learning Center for Region 8, part of a statewide network of field support for afterschool. He has also consulted throughout the state of California in most regions, providing training, support, and coaching to large and small after-school programs. Brett’s style is straight forward and full of insight about how to work with challenging students in after-school programs. Although a generalist in many respects, Brett has particular expertise in leadership and personal development, creating a team culture of excellence, organizational systems, accountability systems, coaching quality performance, troubleshooting quality programming and developing strong systems that can be both duplicated and replicated. Brett currently works closely with both large and small After-School Programs in California on quality programming and developing student leadership and responsibility.
CynDee Zandes, Master Consultant
CynDee has 39 years of experience in K-8 education. She has taught all grade levels, served as a visual and performing arts resource to teachers, developed curriculum, been a principal, operated district-wide afterschool programs, and consulted across California and the nation. She connects the C4K team with expanded learning leaders from the California Afterschool Network (CAN), ASAP Connect (After School Assistance Providers Connect), consultants and analysts in the California Department of Education, the National Summer Learning Institute, the Packard Foundation, Regional Leads across California’s 11 Superintendent’s districts, and other leaders in afterschool programming.
CynDee is considered an outstanding trainer and presenter and has shared her expertise at Yale University School of the 21st Century Summer Institute, the national 21st Century Community Learning Center conference in Washington D.C., and across California. CynDee’s doctoral dissertation, a Delphi Study entitled: Where Are The Children?, asked a dozen experts in the field to identify the challenges facing afterschool programs in their quest for high quality. Without exception, these experts identified staff development as one of the biggest challenges facing the field.
Originally, C4K provided only live, face-to-face training. However, our clients expressed a need to be able to onboard and train new staff throughout the year. They stated, “Most of our work force is part time and in school. If another part time job comes along or a school schedule changes, we’re back at the drawing board.” They continued stating, “We also need ongoing updates for our existing staff. They need training that focuses on current need.” Our experience tells us that there are two types of training, content training and follow-up field coaching to support implementation. C4K’s Vocational Training and Online Instruction is an effective method for providing high-quality, consistent, content training that can be delivered 24/7, over-and-over, so that valuable staff time is focused on implementing the effective strategies that have been explored on the website. C4K’s Troubleshooting link offers additional support to individuals. Scheduled webinars and direct support from C4K’s consultants/trainers are also available. According to one client, “Consult 4 Kids has done an amazing job transforming the entire culture of our company! We have gone from a culture of negativity, with employees generally feeling overwhelmed and under supported, to a culture that finds solutions and is constantly moving forward.” Another says, “Brett worked with our organization as we were transitioning to a new leadership team. He assisted us in discovering and implementing our “culture of excellence”, the underlying foundation for RAP leadership and staff.” Frontline staff using the C4K Vocational Training and Online Instruction report, “The impact on program leader effectiveness is transforming the quality of our programming for youth.
CynDee is leading a C4K process of conducting a formal effectiveness study. Data collection is currently being done in two different school districts, one a small rural district and the other a medium-sized urban district, and one of the largest programs that is associated with multiple school districts. District leaders and C4K are convinced that effectiveness of program is contingent upon the exemplary performance of staff. Experience and know-how allows staff to provide high-quality learning experiences for youth during the hours after-school. Our effectiveness study is collecting both qualitative and quantitative data. Surveys and key informant interviews of parents (care givers), school day staff, students, and program staff are being conducted. Student benchmark achievement data are being examined to determine academic performance. Baseline CST data were gathered last year. Comparison of non afterschool participants and afterschool participants is being proposed to determine the value-add of program, which will verify effectiveness of both program and staff. Comparisons will also be made of youth who have attended the program more than one year.
Similar in approach to YouTube and the cutting edge Khan Academy phenomena which is revolutionizing thinking about effective math instruction, the C4K system delivers content knowledge through minis, modules, lessons, classes and written training, allowing the focus of face time to be on coaching and supporting individual staff members. In the world of after-school staff development, no one else is doing this in the comprehensive way that C4K is. The C4K staff development system is learner-centric and expands the opportunities for staff to learn and embrace a new mind set when working with youth. The system can be accessed over and over until staff has mastered the content.
FAQ’s
I work informally with children and youth as a babysitter. Does C4K have anything for me ?
Absolutely! We believe we have insight to share with everyone who works with youth including parents, teachers, babysitters, youth workers, expanded learning professionals, church youth advisors, yard aides, and more. We believe adults who work with youth should strive to be positive role models and mentors for those youth and we can help. We’d suggest beginning with either the Jump Start asynchronous training we offer or with the Nifty 9—also an asynchronous, online course.
I want to be a teacher or a school counselor, and maybe even a licensed clinical social worker. How can C4K help me?
The basics of working with youth begin by developing relationships with them—letting them know you genuinely care about them, what they have to share, and supporting then in any way you can. All the positions you mentioned require building relationships. We also believe universally, holding youth and ourselves accountable for the behavior we choose is important. C4K can provide you with a collection of materials which could support your journey.
What is C4K all about?
C4K is a One-Stop-Shop for professionals and organizations who work with youth. We are particularly focused on the time youth spend outside of the school day. We provide comprehensive support, resources, and professional development to expanded learning professionals, empowering them to become positive role models and mentors for youth.
How long has your company been around?
We’ve been around for over a decade. Someone recently remarked that we are a “best kept secret”.
What are some of the products and services you offer?
C4K is a comprehensive suite of services, including training and lesson plans, consulting services, strategic thought partnerships, strategic planning and coaching. We provide web-based training for Frontline staff to support the development of the tools needed to work successfully with youth.
Who are the principals in your company?
While we have an ad hoc team, Brett Zandes is our CEO and CynDee Zandes is our master consultant.
What do people say who have experienced C4K?
Thanks for asking. Here are just a few of the reviews we’ve received.
“CynDee really knows her stuff. She can help you with any aspect of your program—enrichment, academics, organization, youth development—you name it. Thanks CynDee for sharing your expertise.” Site Coordinator, Los Angeles
“I have worked with Brett for the last school two years. It has been an awesome learning experience. His training and knowledge has truly enhanced my ability to lead my team and move them forward in afterschool. I have learned so much in this time working with him and being under his leadership. I am a better person personally and professionally. Thanks, Consult 4 Kids.” Tanisha Robinson
“After working with C4K, I have a binder filled with classroom tested strategies to teach reciprocal teaching! What a great resource. Many thanks for creating these materials. We also are involving students in leadership roles. The students are taking ownership of the program. My leaders feel they have the tools to facilitate a great expanded learning program this year. Everyone wins!”