Sam Piha
Founder and Principal

Sam Piha is the founder and principal of Temescal Associates, a consulting group dedicated to building the capacity of leaders and organizations in education and youth development who are serious about improving the lives of young people.  Sam began his career in 1974 as an afterschool worker, an experience that led to 10 years of classroom teaching, and later work as a child and family counselor and school social worker. Between 1989 and 2001, Sam developed and managed school-based youth programs at the regional and national levels.

In 1996, Sam joined the Community Network for Youth Development, to help launch and serve as Managing Director of the San Francisco Beacon Initiative, a large public and private partnership dedicated to transforming public schools into vibrant community centers serving youth in the afterschool hours. When California began it’s unprecedented expansion of state-funded afterschool programs, Sam help shape the growing afterschool movement in California. He chaired and served on several key state committees and joined with others to build a state-wide system of support for new programs, align state afterschool policies with youth development principles, and successfully support the launch of the state’s After School Safety and Education for Teens, a large state-wide high school afterschool initiative.

Sam has served as editor and contributing author of several important practice guides and journal articles on afterschool programming. Sam holds a Masters Degree in Social Welfare, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and the father of Max, age 19.

BIO
Sam Piha, Founder and Principal, Temescal Associates

Afterschool, Education and Social Work
Sam discovered his interest in children in 1974 through part-time work in an afterschool program. This experience led to a ten-year career as a classroom teacher, grades K-1 and 5/6. In an effort to expand his knowledge and skills beyond the classroom, Sam earned his Masters in Social Work in 1985 and his LCSW in 1989. He worked with children and adolescents as a counselor and psychotherapist before returning to school-based settings as prevention counselor and school-social worker, working during classroom and afterschool hours.

Afterschool Program Management
Sam joined Bay Area Community Resources (www.bacr.org) for eight years where he supervised school-based afterschool programs in 20 local schools. In 1996, he joined the Community Network for Youth Development (www.cnyd.org) in San Francisco to launch and manage the San Francisco Beacon Initiative, a large public and private partnership dedicated to transforming public schools into vibrant, community centers serving youth in the afterschool hours (www.sfbeacon.org).

Aligning Program Quality and State Policy with Youth Development Principles
When California began it’s unprecedented expansion of state-funded afterschool programs, Sam joined with others to build a state-wide system of support for new programs, offering training and technical assistance. At CNYD, he led the development and distribution of The After School Guide for Youth Development, developed and led state-wide trainings in youth development, and co-designed and co-led two multi-year learning communities in partnership with the California Education Department: the Regional Learning Centers Initiative, a three-year effort to promote afterschool demonstration sites across the state, and the High School Afterschool Learning Community, designed to support newly funded afterschool programs for high school teens.

Sam also worked extensively with afterschool advocates and program leaders to align state afterschool policy and a state accountability system with youth development principles. He also worked successfully to support the launch of the California After School Safety and Education for Teens (ASSETs) initiative, which will fund up to 200 new high school programs in 2007.

Temescal Associates: Education and Youth Development Consultants
In 2006, Sam founded Temescal Associates, a consulting group dedicated to building the capacity of leaders and organizations in education and youth development who are serious about improving the lives of young people. Temescal Associates provides presentations on emerging field issues, as well as training workshops and consultation on relevant field issues. Temescal specializes, however, in providing consultation and support over time for new strategic afterschool initiatives and partnerships, particularly those focused on program expansion and the promotion of program quality.

PUBLICATIONS

Piha, S. Capturing Promising Practices in Afterschool: A Scan of Promising Academic and Enrichment Activities prepared for the Buffalo Providers Network  (2007). (Published by the Public Policy and Education Fund of New York with support from the New York State Afterschool Network.)

Hall, G & Piha, S., Issue Editors, Serving the Needs of High School Age Youth. New Directions for Youth Development. (Part of the Jossey-Bass Psychology Series, published by Wiley Subscription Services, San Francisco, CA.)

Barr, S., Birmingham, J., Fornal, J., Klein, R. & Piha, S. (Fall 2006) Three High School Afterschool Initiatives: What We Have Learned in  Serving the Needs of High School Age Youth. New Directions for Youth Development. (Part of the Jossey-Bass Psychology Series, published by Wiley Subscription Services, San Francisco, CA.)

Piha, S. (Winter 2006) Holding Afterschool Programs Accountable, distributed by the California Committee on Afterschool Accountability

Fletcher, A., Piha, S. and Rose, R. (2005) A Guide to Developing Exemplary Practices in Afterschool Programs. (Published by the Center for Collaborative Solutions, the Community Network for Youth Development, and the Foundation Consortium for California’s Children and Youth.)

Miller, B. & Piha, S. (2004) Getting the Most From Afterschool: The Role of Afterschool Programs in a High-Stakes Learning Environment. (Published by the National Institute for Out of School Time.)

Prepared by the National Institute of Out of School Time, based on an original paper by Sam Piha. (2004) Promising Practices: Promoting Caring and Supportive Relationships Between Adults and High School Age Youth. (Published by the National Institute for Out of School Time.)

Eldredge, S. & Piha, S. with Levin, J. (fall 2002). Building the San Francisco Beacons. Journal: New Directions for Youth Development. (Part of the Jossey-Bass Psychology Series, published by Wiley Subscription Services, San Francisco, CA.)

Piha, S. Commentary: Voices from the Field (2002) as part of:  Noam, G., Biancarosa, G. & Dechausay. Learning Beyond School: Developing the Field of After School Education, A White Paper. (Published by Harvard Education Publishing Group.)

Adams, A., Eldredge, S., Piha, S. & Tamar-Mattis (2001) The Youth Development Guide: Engaging Young People in After School Programs. (Published by the Community Network for Youth Development, in partnership with the California Department of Education and the Foundation Consortium. Distributed to after school programs throughout California.)

EDUCATION & LICENSING

LCSW, State of California, 1989 (#LCS 14078)
MSW, Social Welfare, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, 1985
Multiple Subject Teaching Credential, State of California, 1979
BA, Liberal Studies, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, 1979