Quality and Sustainability Work

What Youth Deserve

Quality out-of-school time programs inspire and promote learning and positive youth development by providing opportunities for autonomy and leadership; caring relationships; connections to families, communities and schools; safe environments; and engaging activities.

Statement of Quality in Afterschool

PSAYDN’s Statement of Quality in Afterschool defines core elements that should guide afterschool programming and provides a framework to define quality for Pennsylvania’s OST/afterschool programs and all other individuals and organizations that are interested in the quality of these programs, including public and private funders, parents and youth. The Statement of Quality outlines the necessary elements of a quality program in four core areas.

Structure and Management

• Well-trained, consistent staff and volunteers that represent the community being served
• Written policies and procedures that are consistently used and updated, and supported by management
• Sustainable funding and sound fiscal management
• Continuous improvement methods including evaluation, outcomes measurement, participant/family input, strategic planning, and professional development

Positive Connections

• Positive relationships between and among youth and staff
• Strong partnerships with families, schools, businesses and other community stakeholders
• Opportunities for youth to contribute to the well-being of the community

Safety and Health

• Safe and accessible environment
• Clean and well-maintained facilities
• Programming and environments which promotes fitness, good nutrition and healthy choices

Activities

• Activities that are intentionally designed, age-appropriate, develop skills, promote learning and foster positive youth development
• Activities that contain varied content, learning strategies and combine different academic, recreational and cultural elements
• Activities that are youth-centered, responsive to youth interests and actively involve youth in program development, planning and implementation
• Activities that promote understanding and respect for youth’s and others’ cultures

• Assessing Women and Men in Engineering Project
• Assessment Tools in Informal Science
• Carnegie STEM Excellence Pathway
• Core Standards for Philadelphia’s Youth Programs
• Environment Rating Scales
• Framework for Evaluating Impacts of Informal Science Education Projects
• Program Quality Assessment
• The Quality Campaign
• Survey of Academic and Youth Outcomes – Youth Survey