School’s Out Washington’s professional learning model includes coaching and training aligned to the Washington State Core Competencies and Program Quality Standards for Afterschool and Youth Development Programs. SOWA’s coaching approach is youth centered, relationship-based, and holistic to foster equity, inclusion, and cultural responsiveness. This document provides an overview of our Coaching Philosophy and services.
Research confirms that high quality afterschool and youth development programs positively impact social skill development, academic achievement, and risk reduction for the youth they serve. While a variety of factors contribute to quality, research shows that trained and skilled staff are essential to creating safe, engaging, interactive, youth-centered programs. This document outlines Continuous Quality Improvement including its Standards, Measures, Cycles and Supports.
There are many ways to engage with Quality and work with your team to support continuous quality improvement. One of the most intensive is to join a Quality Cohort. This questionnaire will help you gauge your organization and/or program’s capacity to participate in a Quality Cohort.