1. Raising the Bar for Afterschool: The Georgia Afterschool & Youth Development Quality Standards
Katie Landes, Director
Gail Ledezma-Smith, Senior Manager of Outreach and Quality Initiatives
Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network
September 2017

2. Active Introductions

3. Objectives Participants will:
Understand the ASYD Quality Standards program improvement process.
Learn how to use the ASYD Quality Standards Assessment Tool.
Discuss how to use the ASYD Assessment results to improve your program.

4. Why Afterschool?

7. What the Research Says The ABCs: Attendance, Behavior, and Coursework
Closing the achievement gap
Better health
Confidence and self-efficacy
Productive Parents
Minimizing Risks

8. What are the Georgia ASYD Quality Standards?
Framework for providers to evaluate and continue improving the quality of their programming
Grounded in the widely held and well-established understanding that children, youth, and families benefit when programs increase their capacity to provide high quality programming.
Common language around what quality afterschool programming looks like

9. Georgia Afterschool & Youth Development (ASYD)

10. The ASYD Assessment System
Designed for programs that:
Serve children and youth between the ages of 5 and 18.
Serve youth who attend regularly. 
Are well established. 
Offer youth a range of enriching experiences.
An evaluation system that helps afterschool and youth development programs improve program quality and outcomes for children and youth

11. The ASYD Assessment System
Data Analysis
Action Planning
Data Collection

12. Why Use the ASYD System? Can help you answer key questions:
What is the quality of our program?
What are we doing well? Where are our strengths? What practices should we sustain?
Where should we focus our program improvement efforts? What program practices should we target in facilitating this improvement?
Where should we focus our professional development efforts?
How can we work as a team to ensure program improvement?

13. Principles of Quality Improvement
There is always room for improvement.
Change that involves everyone is the most successful.
Slow, gradual change will last.
People working together are the best resource.
Sharing the leadership role will increase participation.

14. Continuous Improvement
Plan and Select Quality Elements
Implement Assessment
Reflect on Findings
Make Action Plan
Make Program Changes

15. The Standards, Quality Elements, & Indicators
The standards are organized into nine distinct categories called quality elements.
Each of these nine quality elements includes a series of related standards.
Each standard includes indicators that demonstrate what the standard looks like in practice.
Introduction to the ASYD Tool
Read the “Introduction to the Georgia ASYD Quality Standards Assessment Tool”.
What are some of the fundamental assumptions and key components?

17. Quality Element 1: Programming & Youth Development
Guiding Principle: A quality program designs and implements a flexible, well-rounded daily schedule that supports the physical, social, and cognitive development of all youth by providing programming and activities that are well organized, developmentally appropriate, and offer opportunities to gain new knowledge and skill.
Sample Standards
1.2 Offers project-based, experiential and hands-on activities
1.12 Ensures that programming is culturally appropriate and linguistically sensitive

18. Quality Element 2: Linkages with the School Day
Guiding Principle: A quality program communicates and collaborates with school personnel to ensure that afterschool programming and activities complement and support school day learning, support performance standards, and build strong content knowledge and academic skills in youth.
Sample Standards
2.1 Establishes and maintains strong and intentional links to the school day
2.4 When appropriate, incorporates academic support, including homework assistance and/or tutoring

19. Quality Element 3: Environment & Climate
Guiding Principle: A quality program provides a safe, clean, and developmentally appropriate environment that meets the physical needs of all youth, supports best practice programming, and reflects the needs and interests of youth.
Sample Standards
3.3 Adheres to state and local licensing requirements
3.7 Allows for the inclusion and engagement of differently-abled youth

20. Quality Element 4: Relationships
Guiding Principle: A quality program fosters and nurtures positive relationships and interactions among staff, youth, families, and communities; provides a tolerant and respectful environment that is safe from teasing, bullying, and violence; and promotes diversity.
Sample Standards
4.2 Ensures that staff are role models of positive and respectful adult relationships
4.4 Teaches and encourages use of conflict resolution skills among youth

21. Quality Element 5: Health & Well-being
Guiding Principle: A quality program supports and promotes the social and emotional needs of youth, is committed to diversity, tolerance and inclusion, and provides opportunities for youth to be physically active and learn and practice healthy habits.
Sample Standards
5.1 Provides a socio-emotionally safe and supportive environment that is free of bullying and harassment for youth
5.3 When suitable to program duration, incorporates nutritious snack and/or meal options, if provided

22. Quality Element 6: Staffing & Professional Development
Guiding Principle: A quality program employs staff and volunteers who value each youth, understand youths’ developmental needs, and develop working relationships with coworkers, youth, families and caregivers and other partners.  A quality program supports the professional growth of staff and volunteers by providing ongoing professional development that bolsters the knowledge and skill necessary for implementing best practice programming.
Sample Standard
6.2 Offers all staff and volunteers ongoing professional development and fosters a commitment to continual growth

23. Quality Element 7: Organizational Practices
Guiding Principle: A quality program has a clear mission and well-defined goals, sound fiscal management, and clear policies and procedures that support quality and sustainability.
Sample Standards
7.3 Establishes program policies and procedures and makes them available to families and caregivers and stakeholders
7.5 Maintains a system for the collection and monitoring of youth attendance data

24. Quality Element 8: Evaluation & Outcomes
Guiding Principle: A quality program has measurable program and outcomes-based goals; and a system and plan in place for gathering data, engaging in data-driven decision-making, implementing program improvement strategies, and regularly reassessing outcomes.
Sample Standards
8.1 Delineates measurable program goals and objectives that reflect the organization’s mission
8.6 Develops the capacity in staff to carry out the data-driven decision-making process as a team

25. Quality Element 9: Family & Community Partnerships
Guiding Principle: A quality program builds meaningful relationships and collaborates with families and caregivers to enhance programming and foster the healthy development of youth.  A quality program develops community partnerships to establish an educative community and form an interconnected network that supports the holistic well-being of youth.
Sample Standard
9.1 Builds meaningful relationships with families and caregivers and interacts with them in respectful and welcoming ways

26. Explore the ASYD Tool
Look through the ASYD Quality Standards Assessment Tool.
With your group discuss the following questions:
What does it measure?
How is it organized?
How is it similar or different from other quality assessment tools you have seen or used?
What does it measure? 
How is it organized?
How is it similar or different from other quality assessment tools you’ve seen or used?
What Does It Measure?
Process quality refers to the actual experiences that occur in afterschool and youth development settings including children and youths’ interactions with staff and peers, and their participation in different activities.
Structural quality refers to the characteristics such as youth: adult ratio, group sizes, program offerings, and connections with family and community.

27. The ASYD Tool Rating Scale
4 = Very True
3 = Mostly True
2 = Somewhat True
1 = Not True
Non-Applicable / Don’t Know

28. The ASYD Assessment Process
Building Your ASYD Assessment Team
Observation Best Practices
Coming to Consensus
Understanding Your Data
Action Planning
Can’t go through all of these in detail today – extensive go through all steps in full day training

29. Building Your ASYD Assessment Team
Who will lead the assessment team?
Which staff, partners, and stakeholders should be represented on the team?
What knowledge and perspective can different individuals bring to the team?
Provide “Exercise: The Who, When, & How of Using the ASYD Quality Standards Assessment Tool” as a resource for later review and use in planning

30. Observation Best Practices
Observe the typical program
Be objective
Focus your observation on the assessment items
Be comprehensive
Observe the typical program
Prepare staff and youth in advance to ensure typical program practices
Be a fly on the wall – you are not a participant
Attend to your body language and facial expressions
Be objective
Check your biases
Allow sufficient observation time – wait for the program to “prove you wrong”
Be an outsider – describe what you see, not what you know
Ask questions when appropriate
Focus your observation on the assessment items
Focus on the standards and indicators outlined in the tool – read them carefully and rate them based only on that specific practice, behavior, or item
Take notes about other observations not included in the tool
Be comprehensive
Teak notes to describe the practices and behaviors you observed to support your ratings
Ensure that you complete all of the ratings during the observation period. Pause to complete rating of observed program areas and practices at minute intervals

31. The Who, When, & How of Using the ASYD Tool
Review the handout called “Exercise: The Who, When, & How of Using the ASYD Quality Standards Assessment Tool”.
Discuss the questions on the handout with your group. Consider the benefits and challenges of the various options.

32. Coming to Consensus
Discuss your ratings with your group and describe the supporting evidence.
Come to consensus on a final rating for each Standard.
You may use the Rating Summary Sheet to chart your ratings.
Observe the typical program
Prepare staff and youth in advance to ensure typical program practices
Be a fly on the wall – you are not a participant
Attend to your body language and facial expressions
Be objective
Check your biases
Allow sufficient observation time – wait for the program to “prove you wrong”
Be an outsider – describe what you see, not what you know
Ask questions when appropriate
Focus your observation on the assessment items
Focus on the standards and indicators outlined in the tool – read them carefully and rate them based only on that specific practice, behavior, or item
Take notes about other observations not included in the tool
Be comprehensive
Teak notes to describe the practices and behaviors you observed to support your ratings
Ensure that you complete all of the ratings during the observation period. Pause to complete rating of observed program areas and practices at minute intervals

33. Strategies for Resolving Differences of Opinions
Ask the other person:
What would the “perfect practice” look like for you?
How does our program measure up to your expectations, based on observable practices and policies?
How does the rating you chose (e.g. 3) align with the examples you gave?
Tell your teammate what you hear them saying to ensure that you are interpreting them correctly.
Observe the typical program
Prepare staff and youth in advance to ensure typical program practices
Be a fly on the wall – you are not a participant
Attend to your body language and facial expressions
Be objective
Check your biases
Allow sufficient observation time – wait for the program to “prove you wrong”
Be an outsider – describe what you see, not what you know
Ask questions when appropriate
Focus your observation on the assessment items
Focus on the standards and indicators outlined in the tool – read them carefully and rate them based only on that specific practice, behavior, or item
Take notes about other observations not included in the tool
Be comprehensive
Teak notes to describe the practices and behaviors you observed to support your ratings
Ensure that you complete all of the ratings during the observation period. Pause to complete rating of observed program areas and practices at minute intervals

34. Strategies for Resolving Differences of Opinions
Ask yourself:
Is my teammate using a different definition of the practice than I am?
Does my teammate have additional information about our program?
Do we have a similar understanding of the rating scale?
How does this new input affect my opinion about the rating?
Observe the typical program
Prepare staff and youth in advance to ensure typical program practices
Be a fly on the wall – you are not a participant
Attend to your body language and facial expressions
Be objective
Check your biases
Allow sufficient observation time – wait for the program to “prove you wrong”
Be an outsider – describe what you see, not what you know
Ask questions when appropriate
Focus your observation on the assessment items
Focus on the standards and indicators outlined in the tool – read them carefully and rate them based only on that specific practice, behavior, or item
Take notes about other observations not included in the tool
Be comprehensive
Teak notes to describe the practices and behaviors you observed to support your ratings
Ensure that you complete all of the ratings during the observation period. Pause to complete rating of observed program areas and practices at minute intervals

35. Understanding Your Data
What can you learn from this data?
What additional information would you like to have in order to better understand this data?
What program modifications or other actions might you suggest to this program?

36. Action Planning

37. Georgia ASYD: 2017 Introduction to the Standards Online Workshops
Quality Element Specific Online Workshops
Topic Specific Workshops
Georgia ASYD Mobile App
Opportunities for Technical Assistance
Continued ASYD Newsletters and new information on
Save the Date! The next Georgia ASYD Conference will be held September 26-28, 2018 in Columbus, GA. We hope to see you there!

38. Gail Ledezma-Smith, Senior Manager of Outreach and Quality
Katie Landes, Director
Gail Ledezma-Smith, Senior Manager of Outreach and Quality
Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network