Because the summer learning and after-school fields differ in their program structures, alignment with school curriculum, and pre-service training, they need tools to increase the alignment, coherence, efficiency, and effectiveness of their quality improvement efforts. The project will produce a quality assessment tool that draws upon two measures: the Youth Program Quality Assessment and the Comprehensive Assessment of Summer Programs that assess quality in after-school and summer programs respectively. Data collection includes focus groups and interviews with users at 10–20 summer learning sites in 2–4 communities. The project will produce new materials, staff cross-training across both organizations, and a summer learning quality assessment tool that more closely aligns with assessments used in after-school settings. Widespread interest in more closely aligning after-school and summer initiatives suggests that this work may an immediate impact.
The National Summer Learning Association and the Forum for Youth Investment seek to increase alignment between the summer learning and after-school fields.
