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Quality Counts!

It has been thought that quality programming is like good art--you know it when you see it. What we know now is quality is definable and measurable. The Afterschool Quality Advancement (AQuA) tool does exactly that and helps create a roadmap for continual quality improvement. The needs expressed on the created action plan can seem overwhelming, especially considering limited resources available to organizations. This monthly publication will share ideas for moving quality forward, many of them free and/or easy to implement!  
Quality from the Beginning
DASN promotes quality from the beginning. Are you considering a self-assessment this fall? DASN recommends starting with Element 1: Environment and Climate to be sure your site is the safest it can be. Element 5: Programming and Activities is a great place to focus next. Read the indicators for both of these elements online at DASN.org/aqua. Remember you must be signed in as a DASN member to access this valuable piece!
Free and Easy
Practices that increase the quality of your program immediately:
1.  One staff member (or more!) should stand outside the doorway, smiling and greeting each child as he or she enters. This helps the child feel expected and welcomed and helps that child realize his / her self-worth.

2.  Encourage kids to engage. If you scan the room and find kids that are sitting out, try asking another kid to ask them to participate. If that is unsuccessful, encourage them to participate yourself or help them find another activity.

3.  Be flexible. If the plan for the day isn't going smoothly, try switching up the activity.  Give the kids a chance to provide feedback on what they would like to do instead.

As Seen in Our Programs

Quality Advisors share exemplary practices observed in our member programs:

Emergency procedures should be easily located in every room at all sites. This tablet form makes the information within very accessible! What a great idea!

Emergency Procedures Example 

It is important to post more information than just emergency procedures. Program rules, daily and weekly schedules, and staff names are just some examples. Even if you are sharing your program space, you can quickly and easily post all of your needed program documents. This tri-fold board is simple to set up and take down daily, and it even makes the program space more clearly defined!

Tri Fold Board Example
* This photo has been modified to protect the anonymity of the program.

 

Academically Speaking

Appropriate activities that support learning:

Clean desks and tables while practicing math facts! Squirt a bit of shaving cream on each work area and smear it around. Call out a math problem or hold up a flashcard while kids use their finger to "write" the answer in shaving cream! 

 

I'll take Fun Games for Kids for $200, Alex!  Play Jeopardy to get a better understanding of your kids' comprehension of a subject and to make reviewing information fun! Create questions in advance and write up categories and point values on a board or flip chart. Let kids raise their hand or hold a buzzer to answer the questions and rack up points. Give a kid a leadership role to act as a score keeper, and have fun reviewing Texas History, The Three Little Pigs, the Butterfly Lifecycle, and more!

It Takes a Bit of Work

These quality practices take a bit of time or money to implement:

Incorporate news and current events into the program. Set aside time each week to talk about age appropriate news events. Check out Scholastic News or Time for Kids for more ideas!

 

Remember that the NUMBER ONE indicator of the quality of a program is the quality of staff! Training and coaching are the NUMBER ONE way to increase the quality of your staff! See DASN.org for upcoming trainings to prepare your staff for fall programming; from CPR to pre-service training and program manager courses, DASN is your NUMBER ONE place for afterschool program training.  

Research says...

This piece of research will help you explain the importance of quality to your stakeholders:

We know these things about summer programs:

  • Summer learning loss, which is disproportionate and cumulative, contributes substantially to the achievement gap.
  • Students who attend summer programs have better outcomes than similar peers who do not attend these programs. 
  • Strategies for maximizing quality, enrollment, and attendance are critical to achieving benefits.  
  • Partnerships can strengthen summer learning programs.

Read all about these and more in the Wallace Foundation report, Making Summer Count: How Summer Programs Can Boost Children's Learning, found here.  
Dallas AfterSchool Network is a 501(c)(3) organization comprised of more than 60 afterschool providers operating more than 300 afterschool sites and serving nearly 30,000 students in Dallas, Tarrant, Rockwall and Collin Counties.
 
www.dasn.org
214-306-8400
2902 Swiss Avenue, Dallas, TX  75204