The three key components of a good quality improvement process are program observation, professional development that aligns with that observation, and one-on-one coaching. Although it may seem like a good idea to wait until your program is well established to implement some of the things described here, it is actually a good idea to start incorporating these activities from the get-go. If your staff and program providers see quality as an important part of their work from the beginning, they are more likely to be supportive of - and engage in - continuous improvement. Each important step in the quality improvement cycle is described in more detail in the following sections.

Program Observation

It is a good idea to incorporate program observation into your quality improvement work. Numerous existing tools are either free or available for a fee as part of a larger quality improvement process. (See Tool 85: Program Observation Tools for a list.) These tools can help you provide staff members with needed feedback. They also can be an intervention in themselves. By reviewing the tools, staff members can learn about what is expected of them and work toward improvement, even without being observed. Try to observe your staff members and programs at least once per session or a couple of times a year. Sit down with staff members after conducting the observation to discuss what you saw. You may want to incorporate your observations into a larger quality improvement process that involves professional development and coaching. Some programs invite external people in to conduct observations to provide an objective viewpoint.

Professional Development

It is essential that you provide your staff members with a strategy for improvement after you have given them feedback from an observation. You can provide internal professional development that is only for your staff - delivered by staff members or local experts - or you can send your staff members to professional development opportunities in your community. What you can provide will depend on your budget. Regardless of the format, it is critical that staff members feel supported in making change.

Coaching

A third important aspect of professional development is coaching. Although group professional development is a good start, one-on-one coaching that is specific to a staff member and based on his or her performance and context can be so much more valuable. Coaching requires a consultant or peer with strong expertise in both program delivery and coaching. Coaching is a more sophisticated technique but can pay huge dividends in staff improvement.

Although implementing formal activities for program observation, professional development, and coaching are a crucial step in moving toward program improvement, equally important is creating a mind-set about the ongoing and continuous nature of program improvement. To foster a culture of continuous improvement in your program, remember that it starts with leadership. Program leaders can promote a culture in which evaluation is viewed in a positive light and seen as an opportunity rather than a burden. Strong, positive leadership makes a difference in staff perceptions of evaluation.

Share results! All too often, only senior management sees the evaluation results, and changes are made without explanation. It is essential to involve the front-line staff members who deliver activities in reviewing findings and contributing ideas for change. See Tool 93: Evaluation Report Template and Tool 94: Sharing Evaluation Results for guidance and ideas. Likewise, don’t wait until the evaluation results are released to discuss change. Make continuous improvement and reflection part of every staff meeting. Set aside time once per week with your team to discuss what is and isn’t working and what changes should be made.

Although it is important to recognize the extra effort required from staff members to enter data into a participant tracking system, hand out surveys, and gather permission slips, do not convey the message that they are doing someone a favor or should feel burdened. Try not to apologize for asking them to do these important tasks. Rather, make sure they understand why they are being asked to do these tasks, how important their contribution is, and what you will do with the results. Make them part of the evaluation and the results and value their contribution to the process. Foster an atmosphere in which staff members recognize data collection and analysis as opportunities to increase their marketable skills and professionalism.

You should develop a strategy that allows your program to keep all potential supporters and participants informed about the process of change. Everyone who has a stake in the program should be notified of the evaluation results and informed about the process through which changes based on those results will be made. Host a town meeting one evening for families and program providers. Hand out information sheets during pickup time or send them home with youth if you use buses. Schedule a lunch with your board, local funders, or other key stakeholders in the community or set up one-on-one meetings with your superintendent or principal if you are a school-based program. Once or twice a year, bring partners together to discuss big picture issues and your vision for the program. The daily demands of running an afterschool and expanded learning program encourage a “putting out the fires” management approach. Often, staff members and other partners feel like they never get to discuss their hopes and dreams for the program. Provide time for that. Use Tool 95: “Big Picture” Meeting Agenda to get started.

This section has just begun to touch on the concept of continuous quality improvement. A great resource for learning more about quality improvement is Building Citywide Systems for Quality: A Guide and Case Studies for Afterschool Leaders (Yohalem, Devaney, Smith, & Wilson-Ahlstrom, 2012). Whether through formal quality improvement activities that are part of a larger system of supports or smaller, everyday discussions and fixes, continuous improvement must become a way of operating for afterschool and expanded learning programs. It simply can’t be an add-on or something extra that you do when and if you have time. Use Tool 96: Continuous Improvement Reflection Tool to help you and your team be intentional about planning for continuous improvement and incorporating it into all that you do.