12 Quality Standards

Point-of-service Quality Standards:

1. Safe and supportive environment
2. Active and engaged learning
3. Skill Building
4. Youth voice and leadership
5. Healthy choices and behaviors
6. Diversity, access, and equity
Programmatic Quality Standards:
1. Quality staff
2. Clearer vision, mission, and purpose
3. Collaborative Partnership
4. Continuous improvement
5. Program management
6. Sustainability
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ba/as/documents/qualitycrosswalk.pdf
How Standards Were Developed
The Quality Standards were developed in two distinct phases (Phase I and Phase II)
through a partnership between the After School Division and the California After
School Network Quality Committee.
The Work Group on Quality Standards emerged from the larger California Expanded
Learning strategic planning process. The development of quality after school
standards is embedded within the System of Support, the first goal of which is to
define elements of program quality."
In the fall of 2012, the California Department of Education After School Division
(CDE-ASD) contracted with the California After School Network (CAN) Quality
Committee to recommend a set of clearly defined standards of program quality in
California. CAN worked closely with the CDE-ASD and its Quality Committee CoChairs to form the Work Group on Quality Standards (Phase I). The Work Group,
selected through a competitive process, represented a broad and diverse set of
stakeholders including program providers, K-12 educators, technical assistance
providers, and evaluation experts.
The Work Group (Phase I) began their process by reviewing existing quality
standards and frameworks. The UC Davis CRESS Center was commissioned
to review and summarize after school standards from twelve cities or states. Based
on its analysis of these existing standards and with a foundation of the five Learning
in Afterschoool and Summer (LIAS) principles the Work Group (Phase I)
drafted recommendations for standards. After receiving several rounds of feedback
from a broad array of stakeholders across the state, eleven key standards of quality
were were recommended to the ASD in June 2013. Some revisions were made by the
After School Division, most significantly the addition of a twelfth standard for
Sustainability. The Quality Standards were adopted by the After School Division and

released in the winter of 2013. This work, including the twelve approved quality
standards, is summarized in:
Winter 2013 Quality Standards for Expanded Learning Phase One Report
In early 2014, CANs Quality Committee created the Quality Standards Work Group
(Phase II). Its charge was to create recommendations for what the approved Quality
Standards should look like in action, as well as inform the development of a
Crosswalk of tools that could be utilized to assess program quality as outlined by
the Standards. The Quality Standards Work Group (Phase II) began its work in
March 2014. The work group created a draft of Standards in Action based on public
input and existing quality frameworks, and then revised this draft multiple times
based on public input and suggestions from Work Group members. The Work Group
submitted its final recommendations on Standards in Action, as well as the
Crosswalk to the After School Division, in June 2014. This work is encapsulated in
the following two documents:
Quality Standards for Expanded Learning in California: Creating and
Implementing a Shared Vision of Quality
12 Quality Standards and descriptions of what each Standard should look like in
action (Standards in Action). Standards in Action are described at the programmatic,
staff, and participant levels.
A Crosswalk Between the Quality Standards for Expanded Learning and Program
Quality Assessment Tools
This Crosswalk outlines a number of available tools that can be used for quality
assessment and improvement.
The Purpose of Quality Standards
The purpose of the Quality Standards is to describe high levels of quality of a
program at the programmatic, staff, and participant levels. The quality standards are
not intended to serve as a compliance tool, but as the following:
A framework of clear expectations for all stakeholders.
A guide to inform the After School Divisions decision-making, e.g., technical
assistance decisions, language in requests for application, and policy development.
A guide for program providers to assess their own programs in order to help
determine what they are doing well and what needs improvement.
A guide for parents and youth to identify quality programming.
A guide for school principals and district superintendents to reinforce and advance
key priorities.
A complement to other standards in the State of California focused on quality
improvement, e.g., Learning in After School and Summer, Quality Self-Assessment
Tool, Quality Self-Assessment Rubric, Center for Youth Program Quality, etc.

Two Standards Highlighted

Skill Building
Kids should be learning life skills and learn how to translate them into other aspects of
their lives. These life skills can be learned from quality interactions with well-educated
staff. This ties in with Larsons idea of fostering initiative for positive youth
development meaning students are participating in a program that allows them to be
motivated from within in order to direct their attention and efforts toward a challenging
goal. I chose skill building because I feel that my program enhances this standard. Girls
that participate in my program are provided with structured voluntary activity meaning it
is completely up to them to engage in the activity however when participating they follow
a structured set of rules and are constantly intrinsically motivated to reach personal goals.
They practice every day and they thrive because they are aware that their efforts have a
purpose and they have opportunities to show their improvements throughout the
competition season.
Quality Staff
After-school programs are well positioned to deliver high quality services and
demonstrate effectiveness at a scale because a strong foundation has been built for
continuous improvement. Students engagement with quality staff is beneficial for their
development with a variety of relationships and social norms; it also provides them with
an opportunity to build on skills and become accustomed to routines and structures.
Quality staff is extremely prevalent at my site. As an assistant coach I report quality of
the program to the head coach when she is out; for example I routinely report
performance data, how did this gymnast train today? as well as attendance, Who
showed up to practice? and youth outcomes, today this gymnast showed improvement
on all the skills required for level 4, she may be ready to move up to level 5etc. Our
site is constantly developing and tweaking activities based on youth outcomes and parent
concerns and involvements. Every season is different and more efficient in developing
these young athletes technical skills as well as life skills in the most effective way
possible. In our case have less staff that have been thoroughly educated in the sport has
been beneficial but also quite the workload. Our program could improve by training more
potential staff.