1. Safe
Environment
• What is your
staffing? How
many staff work
directly with children?
• What training do you
provide frontline
staff?
• Tell me about
supervision inside and out
• What are your
emergency procedures?
• Are staff trained in
child and/or youth
development and
conflict resolution?
Social
and Emotional
Well-Being
• How does staff
promote positive peer
interactions?
• How does staff
handle conflict?
• Do kids know what
behavior expectations are?
• How do you approach
discipline?
• How does staff build
relationships with
kids?
Program
Activities
• What do kids get to do?
Can I see a schedule
of a typical day?
• What skills will my child
learn from your program?
• What is staff’s approach
to kids who struggle with
an activity?
• Are there
opportunities for kids
to demonstrate what
they learn?
• How will you share with
me what and how my
child is doing?
Youth
Engagement
• When do kids get
choice in their activities?
• Do students
get to plan activities for
the group?
• What leadership roles
do kids get to play?
• Do they get to reflect on
what they learned? How?
• Has youth feedback
influenced your program?
• Has parent/family
feedback influenced
your program?
Other things
to look for
• Do staff welcome
children by
name upon arrival?
• Do staff say goodbye to
kids and parents at pickup?
• Do staff appear happy and
interested in the kids?
• Do staff provide you with
verbal or written
information about what
your child is doing,
progress made, skills
developed?
Safe
Environment
Social
Safe
Environment
Safe
How to pick a HIGH-QUALITY
program FOR KIDS
• After-school programs get better
the more they assess themselves
and make changes based on those
assessments (The Weikart Center, 2012)
• High quality after-school programs
can lead to improved attendance,
behavior and coursework. (Durlak,
Weissberg, Pachan 2010)
• Teens who do not participate in
after-school programs are nearly
3 times more likely to skip classes
than teens who do participate. They
are also 3 times more likely to use
marijuana and other drugs and are
more likely to drink, smoke and
engage in sexual activity. (YMCA of the
USA, 2001)
For more information about finding great programs for kids,
visit parentmap.com/education and schoolsoutwashington.org
TREE for print.indd 1 4/22/15 8:36 AM