Quality Counts!

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 knows quality of programs most often resides with quality of staff working with children in those programs. Hiring qualified candidates and supporting their growth as professionals takes program resources. AQuA Element 4: Staff Development (available to DASN members who login to dasn.org/aqua) defines best practices in this area. Also see dasn.org for training opportunities for all levels of your staff, including the series: Those Pesky People! Dealing with HR Issues.

Free and Easy

Practices that increase the quality of your program immediately:

1. Introduce your activities. Assuming your kids already know how to do a project or game can set them up for failure or frustration. Walk them through the process before they start, even before you pass out supplies if they're needed. Give the kids a chance to ask questions so that everyone understands what they will be doing.

2. Overcome unruly transition times. Create and communicate clear expectations for moving from one program space or activity to another by including qualifiers (the how) in your directions (the what). For example, instead of saying, "Go to the gym," say, "Please walk quietly in groups of two to the gym."

3. Incorporate structured games into your outdoor or gym time. Some time for unstructured play is healthy, but it is important to incorporate facilitated games as well. Have a few games in your 'back pocket' and organize a game of snatch the bacon, moving statues, crows and cranes, etc. for the kids that want to play. To find these games and more, click here.

As Seen in Our Programs

Quality Advisors share exemplary practices observed in our member programs:

Find a place in your program space to display your kids' artwork or projects. Self-portraits are a great project to post so that kids see that they are part of the afterschool community and build a sense of belonging.

Faces of Our Community

*This photo has been modified to protect the anonymity of the program.

Take it a step further, and these fun projects can also become permanent art installations at your site. Have kids create or decorate a mural, pillar, table top, or sidewalk.

Academically Speaking

Appropriate activities that support learning:

Creative Storytelling with a Twist!

Have the children tell a story in order of where they sit in the classroom. Tell the first person that he/she will start and the last person that he/she will end the story. Provide a topic or a beginning sentence such as, "It was a stormy Saturday..." Have the first child finish that sentence, then the next child will add to the story by saying a sentence. This will continue in order until the last child ends the story. Take notes to keep track of the topics and changes that were integrated into the story.

As a group, discuss the story and ask several children how they thought of what to add to the story. Discuss improvisation, ad-libbing, and how one thing can cause us to think of something else that appears to be totally unrelated.

Watch it Blow!

Children are inquisitive and enjoy learning new things. Science experiments for the young are as entrancing as magic. Blowing a balloon up with vinegar and baking soda is an easy experiment that can be done in an afterschool setting.

Things You'll Need:

½ Cup of vinegar

Water bottle

Measuring spoons

Baking soda

Funnel or rolled up paper

Round-shaped balloon

Measure 1/2 cup of vinegar and place in the water bottle.

Place the end of the balloon on the end of the funnel. Measure 5 tbsp. of baking soda and place in the funnel. Shake the baking soda into the balloon. Remove the balloon from the funnel.

Pinch the neck of the balloon closed so the baking soda will not spill. Stretch the end of the balloon open and carefully place it over the top of the bottle making sure not to spill any of the baking soda in the vinegar. Let the top of the balloon full of baking soda hang down the edge of the bottle.

Grab the top of the balloon and move it so it extends over the top of the bottle. This allows for the baking soda to begin spilling into the vinegar and mixing. Let go of the balloon. The baking soda and vinegar will begin to fizz and make bubbles. The balloon will expand from the chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar that is creating carbon dioxide gas.

Behaviorally Speaking

Suggestions for Managing Participant Behavior

Structure the physical environment

Arranging space and time wisely can enhance the likelihood of positive or desired behaviors. Chairs in a circle for group discussions, brief activity periods for short attention spans, and efficient use of time to reduce transitions are all ways to better manage your environment. Space should be used in the most logical way; for example, eating snacks on tables as opposed to hallways and active games in open spaces as opposed to small, crowded rooms.

Reinforce desirable behavior

Provide clear, direct reinforcement following the observation of positive behavior. A sincere smile, praising gesture, or verbal feedback encourages youth to maintain or increase acceptable actions. This strategy of "positive reinforcement" works particularly well with younger students.

Make it developmentally appropriate

Activities that are either too difficult or lack sufficient challenge for an individual or a group may result in negative or even disruptive behavior. Know your age level and match activities to the ability levels of the participants. Activities and challenges should be at a child's level or one small step above, causing children to put forth just enough effort to be successful.

It Takes a Bit of Work

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

Create an environment that welcomes families!

Support families by focusing on the family. Consider the concerns and needs of the families and children served, and solicit family input (surveys, interviews, phone calls). Share information about GED classes, adult literacy, job readiness programs, and computer classes offered in the community. Hire and develop family-focused staff by recruiting individuals who share parents' experiences and background and/or designating a staff member to be a liaison with parents.

Research says...

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

Researchers concluded that engagement in the arts nurtures the development of cognitive, social, and personal competencies. Arts programs can increase academic achievement, help decrease youth involvement in delinquent behavior, and improve youth attitudes about themselves and the future.

More specifically, researchers found that learning in and through the arts:

Contributes significantly to improved critical thinking, problem posing, problem
solving and decision-making;
Involves the communication, manipulation, interpretation, and understanding of
complex symbols, much as do language and mathematics;
Fosters higher-order thinking skills of analysis, synthesis and evaluation;
Regularly engages multiple skills and abilities; and
Develops a person's imagination and judgment.