STRENGTHEN | YPQI
Youth Program Quality Initiative
We support out-of-school-time programs in their continuous quality improvement with an initiative called the Youth Program Quality Initiative (YPQI). Research has shown that high-quality out-of-school-time programs can have positive effects on young people’s social behavior, attitudes toward school, academic performance, and long-term success.
Our Purpose
The purpose of the YPQI is to engage Alaska out-of-school-time programs in continuous quality improvement that increases participating youth’s access to positive development experiences, resulting in better youth outcomes.
Contact Erin Moriearty, Program Specialist at the Alaska Afterschool Network, by email here or at (907) 202-9347 with questions about our next cohort of YPQI.
Youth Program Quality Initiative Process
The YPQI utilizes assessment tools, resources, and trainings from the Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality. It is designed with three key phases (Assess, Plan, Improve) and is not intended to be linear in design.
In the Assess phase, program staff collect data through observing and rating their own program and/or have an external assessor from the Alaska Afterschool Network observe and rate their program using the Program Quality Assessment, a research-based observational assessment tool.
Based on the grade level of the students in their program, YPQI Teams will decide to use the Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA) tool (grades 5-12), or the School-Age Program Quality Assessment (SAPQA) tool (grades K-6). Program sites may also utilize the Organizational Assessment tool, which focuses on program quality at the organizational level and helps assess program policies and practices, staff development, connection to families and schools, program access, and strategies for program improvement.
Assessments are typically conducted in fall, before the Plan phase, and again in spring, after the Improve phase.
In the Plan phase, program managers and direct service staff come together to identify program strengths and gaps, and develop 90-day customized goals based on the data collected through self-assessment and/or external assessment data.
The Plan phase typically takes place in the winter through attending a “Planning With Data” workshop.
In the Improve phase, training and coaching support is provided as programs implement their goals. Attending two to three Youth Work Methods workshops that align with identified areas for improvement and with items on the YPQA and SAPQA may be part of implementation..
The Improve phase is typically January-March and precedes a Spring assessment to measure change.
Participation Requirements
The Alaska Afterschool Network recognizes the dynamic internal and external conditions that may affect program participation in the YPQI process. The Network strives to create on-ramps and off ramps to this initiative to accommodate changes that may occur in staffing, program funding, programming, or space utilization. We are all in this together and want to ensure this process is beneficial to your program. Successful applicants will commit to the following:
$75 per site fee to pay for the online data management system, to be invoiced after signing the Memorandum of Agreement. If this fee is prohibitive to your participation, please contact us for the possibility of alternative sponsorship.
Commitment of Executive Director to support full participation of program staff in all YPQI components
Identification of a program manager who will be the primary contact for the YPQI process (approximately 35 hours over the course of the initiative)
Engagement of a YPQI Team comprised of a program manager, site director, program staff. The Team may also engage youth, parents, or community members
Participation of program staff in learning community activities, trainings, assessments, and improvement planning (2-5 staff per participating site, approximately 25 hours each) including 2-3 Youth Work Methods workshops
Completion of two assessments using the YPQA or SAPQA, self and/or external :
Self-assessments involve program staff observing program, taking objective notes, and scoring notes on the PQA tool
External assessments involve an external assessor from the Alaska Afterschool Network observing program, taking objective notes, and scoring notes on the PQA tool
Enter PQA data and program improvement plan in a timely manner into the online system
Develop an improvement plan based on PQA data
Engage in coaching and training program staff
Provide the Alaska Afterschool Network feedback on how to improve the YPQI through an evaluation at the conclusion of the YPQI cycle
Eligibility Criteria
Any programs interested in the YPQI but unable to commit to the full Initiative cycle are invited to participate in aspects of the Initiative such as attending Youth Work Methods workshops. For questions or more information, contact Program Specialist Erin Moriearty by email here or at (907) 202-9347.
To be eligible for the Youth Program Quality Initiative, applicants must:
2024-2025 YPQI Schedule
(subject to change)
