Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA)

Overview:

Children’s Institute has identified the Youth Program Quality Assessment (High/Scope Educational Research Foundation) to document and implement quality improvement efforts for after school programs. The YPQA is a nationally recognized, research-based standardized observation tool that identifies and builds on strengths of the program and provides concrete ideas for program improvement.

Audience:

After school programs in schools, child care settings, and community-based organizations

Goals:

To improve after school outcomes and document strong child outcomes
To increase skills and best practices of after school programs staff
To increase data informed decision-making
To increase staff, student, and parent partnerships in programs

Benefits:

Can result in an enriched range of after school experiences for the children to improve youth development
Increased staff and parent awareness of the components of high quality after school programs
Low stakes assessments
Measures and processes that are easy to use and understand
Provides reliable and valid feedback on issues ranging from curriculum and instruction to equipment and capital improvement needs
Improved programs and practices may result in increased enrollment, funding, lower staff turnover, and policy enhancements at the local, state, and national levels

How it Works:

Teachers and administrators are trained on the YPQA so that they know what to expect from the observation
Local experts in after school programs are highly trained to achieve “Master Observer” status to observe and rate the programs
Open-ended interviews with staff, parents, and children give detailed information
Summary reports allow programs to see their strengths and areas for improvement
The summary reports allow for anonymous benchmarking with other program in the area

Awards and Recognitions:

Children’s Institute is recognized as a local expert in program quality assessment. Our afterschool assessment process follows the collaborative model of the Rochester Early childhood Assessment Partnership (RECAP) led by Children’s Institute for more than ten years.
Our afterschool quality assessment is sponsored by the Greater Rochester After-School Alliance (GRASA) hosted by the Rochester Area Community Foundation. The initiative is in its fourth year.
GRASA assessment: 2007-08 third annual report