Kathy Schleyer
Director of Training & Quality Improvement,
National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST)
- M.S., Wheelock College
- kschleyer@wellesley[dot]edu
Kathy Schleyer was the Director of Training and Quality Improvement at the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) at the Wellesley Centers for Women. She oversaw the national and local training activities conducted by NIOST in support of afterschool programs working on areas such as continuous program improvement, leadership and management skill-building, and coaching and technical assistance. In this role, under subcontract from EDC, she was the NIOST Project Director of the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment, one of eight technical assistance centers supporting child care, funded by the federal Office of Child Care. Kathy was a co-Principal Investigator for the Literacy and Quality Improvement Initiative funded by the Wm Penn Foundation, managing coaches and trainers to support a cohort of K-3rd grade OST providers in Philadelphia. This project combines online training, in-person events and a virtual community of practice to provide intensive content in small segments supported by coaching.
Schleyer brought extensive expertise in OST professional development including the usage of field-tested tools to support quality improvement system building at the national, state, regional and local level. She led NIOST staff in the development of custom training content and supported NIOST and consultant trainers who travel throughout the United States to support OST staff development.
Schleyer contributed to publications, including Coaching for Quality in Out-of School Time: A How to Guide, available free on NIOST’s website.
Prior to NIOST, Schleyer worked in the private sector as a management consultant and earlier as a sports marketer. In both these occupations, Schleyer was engaged in research and communication development. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and two daughters. Schleyer holds a Master of Science in Education from Wheelock College and a Bachelor of Arts from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York.