What Makes High-Quality Afterschool Programming
When I was in undergrad, I worked at an afterschool program (ASP) for elementary school students that was one blacktop playground away from another. Every year, we would have one or two parents switch their child from our program to theirs. While the switch almost always revolved around programming costs, it was hard to see students leave. As I am sure many educators and those close to them know, you become invested in your students’ lives. You hear about their families, support them through personal struggles, and help them develop new skills.
As if saying farewell to students was not hard enough, almost every time we saw our old students, they would talk about needing snacks, not having the support they needed, or other students being mean. Most of the time, our students would end up coming back due to parents being shocked by the difference in quality between the two programs when we advertised the same services.
Due to the plethora of academic, social, and behavioral benefits associated with ASPs (Beal, 2024), there is a false assumption that the quality of programs is uniform and sufficient (Hirsch et al., 2010).
It is important that we challenge the assumption that all ASPs are created and implemented equally, as the benefits of ASPs are only present when program quality is high (Durlak et al., 2019; Yohalem & Wilson-Ahlstrom, 2010).
But what makes high-quality afterschool programming? That is the million-dollar question that researchers have yet to agree upon.
From my experiences working in and researching ASP, I believe that having a whole child-based design, prioritizing student engagement, having quality staff members, and strong administration are overarching tenets that make high-quality ASPs.
Having a whole child-based design
A whole child-based design recognizes the interconnectedness of students’ needs (e.g., social and emotional) and how these needs impact development (Learning Policy Institute and Turnaround for Children, n.d.). High-quality ASPs consider the interconnectedness of students’ needs to create supportive environments.
Prioritizing positive social relationships is a key component in having a whole child-based design (Little et al., 2021). Supportive youth relationships and opportunities for belonging create feelings of safety, inclusion, and connection (Leos-Urbel, 2015), leading to positive social processes and youth development (Yohalem & Wilson-Ahlstrom, 2010). Where I worked, we prioritized helping students build positive relationships by teaching them how to navigate conflict, express and regulate their emotions, and practice empathy. Positive relationships between peers and staff members have also been found to help youth mitigate the impact of stress and build skills such as confidence, motivation, and self-efficacy (Little et al., 2021).
Effective ASPs continuously adjust programming to respond to the needs of students (Hirsch et al., 2010; Ndlovu & Simba, 2021). This can look like tailoring activities to students’ age and developmental needs (Hirsch et al., 2010), providing health and social service support, and creating partnerships with other community organizations to meet needs (Little et al., 2021). Simply put, ASPs should act as support systems for students and work to help fill pockets of need.
While students will not all have the same needs, all students should have their culture be a valued part of their ASP community (Little et al., 2021). ASP environments should reflect the diversity represented in students, families, and their communities (Michigan Department of Education, 2021). In our program, this looked like creating culturally responsive crafts and having diverse literature available that reflected students’ identities.
Prioritizing Student Engagement
Another common misconception about ASPs is that students “vote with their feet” (Hirsch et al., 2010, p. 448). However, attendance rates do not represent student preference or engagement (Cross et al., 2010; Durlak et al., 2010; Hirsch et al., 2010). Student attendance is often involuntary, as many parents use ASP as childcare. Whether attendance is voluntary or not, if we want students to enjoy their time in ASPs and reap the benefits, we must prioritize their engagement (Hirsch et al., 2010).
Student engagement refers to how meaningfully involved students are in the program (Yohalem & Wilson-Ahlstrom, 2010). Multiple studies have found that programs can promote engagement by (Leos-Urbel, 2015; Michigan Department of Education, 2021; Ndlovu & Simba, 2021):
- Encouraging student choice and leadership;
- Having students share their history, expertise, and sense of self;
- And challenging students to think critically and creatively.
Consider asking students to participate in classic leadership roles like line leader, snack helper, and activity assistant, or get more serious with leadership roles like student body president. Giving students autonomy can also look like inviting students to share cultural dishes or experiences that you can do with the class and have them help you facilitate.
Challenging students to think critically and creatively can be hard in ASPs because they are often tired from a long day. What I have found to work well is challenging students to draw something from a predetermined scribble, having them use Legos to invent new products, and group show and tell with random items in their backpacks. Typically, the more creative I was, the more creative my students were.
Remember that as the leader, you set the tone. Staff members heavily influence student engagement as they play a vital role in influencing activities and fostering feelings of safety and interest (Hirsch et al., 2010; Leos-Urbel, 2015; Ndlovu & Simba, 2021; Yohalem & Wilson-Ahlstrom, 2010).
Having High-Quality Staff Members
High-quality staff members are the backbone of high-quality programs. As researchers Ndlovu and Simba (2021) wrote, “[programs] are not run on good intentions alone” (p. 9).
High-quality staff members embody characteristics such as being (Cross et al., 2010; Durlak et al., 2010; Little et al., 2021; Ndlovu & Simba, 2021):
- Committed to the vision and mission;
- Qualified to implement programming effectively through experience, training, or education;
- Skilled at creating positive, supportive, and culturally responsive social environments;
- And consistent and stable adult figures.
While these characteristics may seem simplistic, staff quality is often argued to be the single most important characteristic of program success because of how much influence staff members have on students, program climate, and implementation (Cross et al., 2010).
Having Strong Administration
Building off of staff is administration, the behind-the-scenes heroes. They have two critically important jobs – program implementation and funding.
While program design is important, implementation is how the design comes to fruition. The implementation of design features is often a key determinant of program characteristics and outcomes (Hirsch et al., 2010), as it affects every aspect of ASP previously mentioned (Cross et al., 2010). Understanding the power of implementation helps us see why some ASPs outperform others (Cross et al., 2010). Administrators should work with staff to uphold program design features through implementation.
It comes as no surprise that sustainable funding impacts the quality of ASPs. Inconsistent funding serves as a major hindrance to having resources and amenities available (Ndlovu &Simba, 2021), like snacks and materials for activities. Administrators should strive to have program budgets that support, align, and meet program goals and objectives (Michigan Department of Education, 2021). It is important to note that the amount of funding doesn’t determine program quality. Consistency of funding and how funding is managed determines quality (Ndlovu & Simba, 2021).
Conclusion
While perspectives on what high-quality ASPs look like may vary, it is time we come together and set a baseline. By investing in a baseline, we will not only enhance students’ lives but step towards a more equitable society. Policymakers, ASP directors, and community members must prioritize establishing standards. With collective commitment, high-quality ASP programs can transition from rare finds to common spaces.