Lesson 3: Developing Standards

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In the development of the community-campus AfterZone model, the Providence After School Alliance led the community in a rigorous effort to define the standards it would use to build a successful after-school learning network. The PASA group of partners (including key network members like parents, funders, youth, educators, and program providers) reviewed and created a set of standards culled from such existing sources as the National Afterschool Association and from cities including Baltimore, Chicago, Kansas City, and Washington, DC, but that are reflective of the particular needs and priorities of Rhode Island and the city of Providence.

These standards helped PASA and its partners create a quality-improvement strategy to support the growing AfterZones. Those standards serve as benchmarks for assessment and have evolved into a quality-assessment tool called the Rhode Island Program Quality Assessment Tool (RIPQA) (27KB). In this lesson, we discuss how to develop your own standards; the next lesson highlights the evaluation and assessment process based on those standards.

PASA's standards cover five broad areas of program quality:

To see the research behind creating these standards, visit the PASA Resources page.

Download "Guide to After-School Quality Standards": a detailed report on PASA standards (76KB)

Health, Safety, and the Environment

The after-school environment involves how a program looks and feels: the physical space, its safety and security, the atmosphere it conveys, and aspects of health and nutrition. The environment helps an after-school "shopper" develop a first impression of the program and influences whether a youth and/or family member decides to participate. It also contributes to keeping young people "coming back for more." The following environmental characteristics are critical to developing a successful after-school program:

Relationships

Relationships are the glue of an after-school program. For children and youth to feel engaged and excited about the program and activities, staff and volunteers must work together to foster strong, respectful relationships at every level -- among staff, youth, families, and the community. For an after-school program to function optimally, it is important that the following factors are in place:

Programming and Activities

When surveyed, children and youth nationwide indicate that their number-one criterion when selecting an after-school program is that it's fun. Beyond being fun, after-school programs can contribute to positive learning and personal growth. Ongoing involvement in an after-school program is connected to the quality and variety of activities offered. The following programming and activities characteristics are important:

Download "Out-of-School Time and Youth Development: A School-Community Analysis": a research report cosponsored by the United Way and Providence Public Schools (2.1MB)

Staffing and Professional Development

As in any profession, after-school staff and volunteers require ongoing resources, support, and training so they can provide high-quality programming that has a meaningful impact on participants' lives. Methods of recruiting, hiring, training, and technical assistance are important to consider. Staff who are involved in delivering high-quality programming tend to be more satisfied with their jobs and stay at them longer; professional development can therefore make a program more consistent and sustainable. The following factors are important for staffing and professional development:

Administration

An after-school program must have appropriate organizational supports in place to run smoothly and effectively and serve youth in the best way possible. Administrative areas that deserve attention include management supports, policies and procedures, links to others, and program assessment. The following administrative policies help ensure an after-school program's success:

Vocabulary

We use these terms throughout this and other PASA lessons:

Aftervschool: The hours after school, primarily the time between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Providence After School Alliance (PASA): An intermediary agency responsible for creating a system of high-quality after-school opportunities for middle school youth in Providence, Rhode Island. Initially funded by the Wallace Foundation and Bank of America, PASA is driven by the collective efforts of over 150 public and nonprofit after-school providers and is spearheaded by Mayor David N. Cicilline.

Quality standards: A set of agreed-on benchmarks that after-school programs identify as being important to their success. They also serve as guides to continuous improvement and accountability.

Key Points

PASA staff offer this advice for developing standards: