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Homepage >The QSA Tool: Get Started with Your Self-Assessment! > Linkages between Day and After School
Linkages between Day and After School
A quality program has its staff work closely with school staff to ensure that afterschool academic components and activities are aligned with and enrich school standards and curricula.
MORE ON LINKAGES BETWEEN DAY AND AFTER SCHOOL
A quality program works with the school(s) attended by program participants to share information about young people’s needs and progress, to assign staff roles, and to coordinate use of space and other resources. A program that is linked to the school day allows program staff and school leaders to establish regular mechanisms for ongoing communication and coordination. In a true partnership, schools and afterschool programs share the responsibility for young people’s educational, social, and emotional development and work collaboratively to improve outcomes for youth. As a result, schools and afterschool programs complement one another.
Click here to fill out the Linkages between Day and After School section of the QSA Tool electronically.
Zooming In
For definitions of what each quality indicator might look like at performance levels 1-4, click here.
Taking Action
Program Element |
Quality Indicator |
Perf. Level |
Timeline for Improvement and Improvement Steps |
Person(s) Responsible |
Resources Needed |
Linkages Between Day and After School |
#3 Establishes strong links to the school day. |
1 |
Right Now |
1. Hold meeting for Site Director and local principals to discuss school learning goals and opportunities for working together toward the district mission.
2. Schedule a follow-up meeting with staff members to discuss how the program currently supports learning and the district mission.
3. Create an action plan to strengthen efforts and explore new ways of creating continuity between the school day and afterschool program.
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1. Site Director: Anne Johnson
2. School Staff: Pete Jones Susan Silver John Kim Carlos Rivera
3. Staff Members: Eddie Rivera and Jessica Rubenstein
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1. SEDL Curriculum database
2. National 4-H activity database
3. NYS Learning Standards 4. Training Facilitator
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This Year |
1. Work with school teachers to share best practices in learning and to plan authentic applications of school day lessons in the afterschool program.
2. Meet on a quarterly basis to share enrichment curriculum that can be used in the program.
3. Regularly hold meetings for Site Director and local principals.
4. Routinely check-in with youth about what they are learning in school and which topics they would like additional assistance with. |
Next Year |
1. Hold joint retreat for school and program staff to identify learning goals, outline program curriculum, and identify shared resources and professional development opportunities.
2. Request a seat on the leadership teams at local schools for Site Director.
3. Maintain open lines of communication with teachers to discuss young people’s progress, share successes, and review remaining academic needs. |
 Tips for Success
“Our goal this year has been to be more intentional about learning in all of our afterschool programs. We are seeing a better product because the planning is better.”
Kenyatta Funderburk, Director of Afterschool Programs, Inwood House
As part of efforts to link their afterschool program with the school day, the staff at Inwood House, a community-based organization, has started utilizing the New York City Department of Education’s student pacing calendar as a tool for program planning. The pacing calendar outlines topics and skills to be developed per grade. For example, if the content topic is pollution, the afterschool program might have youth develop a talk show, skit, or cartoon to address and explore the issue of pollution in their communities. The tips below are based on the lessons learned by Inwood House as they used the pacing calendar:
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Have the program leadership meet with the principal or assistant principal to coordinate logistics.
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Provide training for staff on academic learning standards and goals, including the pacing calendar.
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If possible, compensate staff for planning time.
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Share your program plans with school staff.
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Meet with staff periodically to capture what is working and what needs improvement.
For Inwood House, using the pacing calendar has resulted in stronger communication with schools and increased connections to the school day. |
 Try This!
Create a Homework Resource Center
As an afterschool program, you may have the task of helping young people complete their homework. You can do more than simply help them complete assignments by presenting school material in new and different ways. Through individualized tutoring or recreational, arts, or community service projects, you can change their attitudes about learning. There are many innovative ways to integrate literacy and other academic skill development into afterschool projects and activities.
The following provides ideas and tips to help you successfully integrate homework help into your program and get kids excited about learning:
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Try to create a designated space for homework and tutoring. The space should be comfortable and well lit.
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Set up peer tutoring pairs.
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Make allowances for different learning styles. Some learners might need a space that is completely quiet to complete their homework; others may prefer to work in small groups.
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Provide materials and supplies needed to successfully complete homework such as paper, pencils, dictionaries, erasers, etc.
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Prepare engaging learning games for young people who complete their homework early or do not have any assignments.
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Create a homework sign-off log to let staff and parents know when a young person’s homework has been reviewed.4
4 “Tip Sheets: Simple Ideas to Address Important Out-of School Topics,” National Institute on Out-of-School Time
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 Spotlight
Strengthening School Communications and Collaborations
Doreen Teh, Site Director of PS24 Beacon Program, Child Center of New York
As a site director of a school-based afterschool program in Queens, New York, my role is to foster and nurture collaborative relationships with school staff and oversee the daily operations of the program. Incorporating the QSA Tool into the culture of our program has allowed me to develop strong partnerships with key stakeholders, get buy-in, and create a self-sustaining program structure. It has strengthened the communication between the afterschool program and the school: all staff have a clear understanding of the program goals and can identify real opportunities for working together. We are speaking the same language and are more focused and intentional in our practice. It has created a common framework to guide our work.
It wasn’t always a smooth process. In the beginning, I just gave the entire QSA Tool to a few key staff and expected them to fill it out. I quickly realized that they were overwhelmed and resistant to the process. Now, I work with a few key staff and am able to pull out the elements of interest and relevance to the different stakeholders. For example, with the principal, I only focus on the environment/climate, relationships, programming/activities, staffing/professional development, and linkages between daytime school and afterschool. With the parent coordinator, I focus on the environment/climate, relationships, programming/activities, and parent/family/community partnerships.
At the end of year, I meet with the different stakeholders and use the QSA Tool to guide the conversations around where we are, what’s working, what needs improvement, and how we move forward. Once I have met with all the stakeholders, I meet with the principal to share our accomplishments, improvements, and vision for the upcoming program year. This process has created a cohesive team, empowered staff who now take ownership of the program, engaged staff and others in meaningful discussions around visioning and goal-setting, enhanced the partnership with the school, and allowed for the sharing of resources. Last year, we partnered with the school staff developer to offer afterschool staff training on math teaching methodologies to improve our homework-help component, offered a parent workshop through the PTA on asset-building strategies, and restructured our dismissal procedure to minimize chaos and ensure the safety of all participants. This year, I can honestly say that I have very few staffing issues as a result of this process. Staff are encouraged and supported to take on leadership roles within the program; they are publicly recognized for their commitment and hard work; and they are confident in running the program in my absence. There is a shared sense of accountability.
My advice to agencies embracing this self-assessment process: What are the top three areas that need to be improved? Once you have prioritized and have a sense of what areas you want to impact, think about whom you will need in this process. What would be the best way to get their feedback? Keep in mind that how you incorporate this process is not written in stone. Always revisit the process and ask your team for suggestions on how to make it better. |
Research, Tools and Templates, and Resources
Tools and Templates
Principal Check-List for Supporting Afterschool Programs, adapted from the Ventura County Office of Education's After School Education and Safety Program
List of ways in which principals can support afterschool programs
The Role of Afterschool Programs in Increasing High School Graduation Rates in New York State, NYSAN
This policy brief provides an overview of the benefits to high school graduation; describes the New York State context; links afterschool to factors that improve high school graduation rates; and recommends a number of policies that can forge a stronger partnership between schools and afterschool programs in addressing this issue.
Resources
Academic Content: After-School Style, A Notebook and Guide, Foundations, Inc.
Resources on teaching and linking to academics in afterschool programs
Practice Matters: Enhancing Service Through Effective School/Community Collaboration, Act for Youth Upstate Center of Excellence
Leading After-School Learning Communities: What Principals Should Know and Be Able to Do, National Association of Elementary School Principals Guide for helping principals to collaborate and form effective partnerships with afterschool programs to maximize learning
New York State Learning Standards, New York State Education Department Search for learning standards and performance indicators to better align program activities with academics
NY Learns Website
Website with searchable database of statewide learning standards, teaching resources, and professional development opportunities.
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