Research has shown that key components necessary for a quality program are:
1. Trained staff skilled in activities school-age children enjoy.
2. A safe place that meets the physical, emotional and social needs of children and youth.
3. A wide variety of materials appropriate to ages and developmental levels of the children.
4. Family involvement in the program.
5. Opportunities for children to choose activities and pursue interests.
6. Curriculum and staff which reflects racial and cultural heritage of children and promotes diversity.
7. A climate characterized by positive interaction of staff with children.
The single most important factor in child care quality is the effectiveness of the caregiver. The best programs succeed because of the presence of consistent, sensitive staff who are well trained and well paid. According to the 1989 National Child Care Staffing Study, low wages are the major cause of staff turnover which in turn is believed to lower the quality of care provided. An eleven-year-old child describing quality school age care says it very well: "They listen to you; They care what you are saying; They try to understand."
The National School Age Care Alliance (NSACA), in collaboration with the National Institute on Out of School Time (NIOST), formerly the SACC Project at the Center for Research on Women at Wellesley College, developed a set of standards based on the ASQ (Advancing School-Age Quality). The standards provide a baseline for quality and the reassurance that programs are committed to providing each child with a unique growing and learning experience. They describe the best practices in out of school programs for children and youth between the ages of five and fourteen. These standards will be used to assess programs applying for NSACA accreditation.
There are some unique characteristics of school-age care that are addressed by the NSACA program improvement and accreditation system. These include the wide range of ages served, the sharing of staff, facilities, calendar, and even children, with the schools and the unique skills needed to work with school-age children, such as community outreach, child guidance, recreation planning, and group facilitation.
There are 36 keys to quality in the NSACA standards organized in six categories.
1. Human Relationships
2. Indoor Environment
3. Outdoor Environment
4. Activities
5. Safety Health and Nutrition
6. Administration
The first 20 keys are things you can see happening in a program. The 16 Administration keys describe behind the scenes practices that are the foundation of a quality program. Purchasing The Standards for Quality School Age Care and using it as a guide for staff in making improvements is the first step in the NSACA program improvement and accreditation system. You can review the standards and use the examples and questions to talk about how your program is doing. Next you focus on targeted improvements. The final step is to decide when you are ready to undertake a full self study and apply for NSACA accreditation. A program that is accredited by NSACA provides the reassurance that the program is indeed a quality program.
The revised and expanded edition of the CSACCA Standards is available at a cost of $15 ($12 for CSACCA members) plus $3.00 postage and handling from CSACCA Standards, P O Box 122 Trumbull, CT 06611. The self-study materials and accreditation kit are available from NSCACA, 1137 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02124.