Overview of MAAP Accreditation

What is Accreditation? Accreditation is both a status and a process Status: Accreditation provides public notification that standards of quality are met as set forth by an accrediting agency. Process: Accreditation reflects an organization’s desire and commitment to not only engage in self-study, but to submit to an external review and to continuously seek ways in which to enhance the quality of service, education, and training provided.

MAAP Accreditation is the ultimate indicator of quality in afterschool programs. It provides afterschool professionals with performance indicators to guide in program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Quality

Why is it good for programs? Why Accreditation? Why is it good for programs? Why is it good for families? staff? children?

Why Accreditation? Provides a sustainable framework for program quality improvement efforts Provides a context for ongoing professional development Measurably strengthens afterschool programs and services Serves as a foundation for positive youth outcomes Fosters a competent, caring, qualified team of caregivers Transforms individual staff members into a strong professional team Minimizes staff turnover Conveys a commitment to quality Informs families’ decisions about afterschool care

MAAP 2.0 Standards and Indicators Grouped into five Foundation Areas: Administration Wellness Activities Relationships Environment

Foundation Areas The Foundation Areas are broad categories of program work and include: Administration, Wellness, Activities, Relationships, and Environment (AWARE). Each Foundation Area includes a brief statement of the rationale describing the area’s impact on quality. Each area includes multiple Standards.

Standards Standards are expressions of the expectations of high-quality programs and are phrased as a statement of the desired practice. Meeting each of the Standards demonstrates that a program is sufficiently strong in each Foundation Area. There are multiple Standards in each Foundation Area. Each Standard includes multiple Indicators.

Indicators Indicators describe in detail the practices that are needed to meet the Standard. Some standards have just a few indicators, while others have many indicators. Indicators may be either ‘required’ (R) or ‘emerging’ (E). Required Indicators are those practices that must be demonstrated for a program to receive accreditation. These practices are considered essential to high quality and/or are foundational to other emerging practices. All required indicators must be met for a program to become accredited. Emerging Indicators are those practices that are linked to exceptional outcomes for youth but may still be only partially implemented in high-quality programs. These indicators represent cutting-edge practices in the profession or supporting practices that provide an enhanced level of challenge for high-quality programs to work toward. During the validation visit, emerging indicators are scored using a 0-3 point scale. To become accredited programs must score 80 of the possible total points of all emerging indicators.

Foundation Area I Administration Effective administration practices support transparency and openness, helping to create an environment in which program quality and positive youth development are most likely to occur and be sustained.

Foundation Area II Wellness The program’s policies and practices support the wellness of the youth participants.

Foundation Area III Activities The program plans and implements activities that support youth development and engagement.

Foundation Area IV Relationships Relationships are developed among staff members, youth, and families to promote youth development.

Foundation Area V Environment The program environment is safe and accessible and promotes youth development across domains.

Stages of MAAP Accreditation

Enrollment in MAAP Complete the MAAP Intake Form. Subsidies and supports are available for qualifying programs, and the Intake Form is used to determine eligibility. Complete the Enrollment in MAAP form and submit a $250 enrollment fee. Select a MAAP Certified Accreditation Coach.

Building a Community of Support for Program Improvement Prepare the Staff Prepare the Community Staff Families Youth Host Recruit the Stakeholder Team

Host an Accreditation Kick-Off Event Ideas for building a community of support: Invite school staff, administrators, parents, and other community stakeholders for “Happy Hour.” Serve treats and provide an overview of MAAP Accreditation. Initiate participation in the Stakeholder Team Host a Kids Performance Night – simple skits, songs, or demonstrations of their activities can be displayed, and treats served.

Next Steps to Accreditation Members of Stakeholder Team engage in the self-study process: Conduct and tally surveys Conduct initial program observations Schedule Stakeholder Meetings Develop and implement an Action Plan for Program Improvement Submit the Intent to Continue in the MAAP Process form, along with fee

MAAP Cohort Meetings & Foundations Trainings Cohort meetings are open to programs currently going through accreditation and are free of charge. These meetings are geared toward site directors, program coordinators, and administrators who are involved in the paperwork and processes of going through MAAP. Foundations Trainings Foundations trainings are public trainings open to anyone, regardless if they are going through accreditation or not, and have a registration fee associated with them. These trainings break down the five Foundation Areas, and their corresponding Standards & Indicators, and are appropriate for any staff members that may want to learn more about how to implement these elements into their classroom and the program.

Prepare for Validation Visit Coach and Stakeholder Team conduct final program observations Stakeholder Team may decide to re-survey to ensure program improvements are embedded in everyday practice Validation Visit Application is submitted Pre-Visit Documentation is prepared and submitted, along with a the validation visit fee

Visit Day & Accreditation Decision Validation visit day is scheduled by MnSACA staff Site director works with validator to arrange the visit day logistics Visit day arrives! Program is notified of accreditation decision within 120 days of the visit

Accreditation Is…

Email maap@mnaeyc-mnsaca.org Questions? Call 651-789-3586 Email maap@mnaeyc-mnsaca.org MAAP 2.0 Self-Study Tool and Master Key to Quality, as well as many other supporting documents and other resources are available to enrolled programs only.