 The six critical stages of the program planning process are as follows:
Philosophy and Goals: Afterschool programs generally operate within another organization. Find out what the mission of that organization is and whether or not you are willing to share in attaining that mission. Should you be starting a program from scratch, you will need to develop a mission statement for your own organization. This philosophy forms the parameters under which your program will operate. Needs Assessment: Conduct a needs assessment to find out what types of programming could benefit your community. It should involve researching what programs currently exist. There should also be outreach efforts made to parents, youth, and educators to find out what needs are not being met in the community. From this outreach, decide what the goal(s) of your program will be, and pass these identified needs back to the mission of your program and/or organization. Strategic Plan: Planning and development vary according to the nature of each program, but with afterschool programming the following steps must be taken before you get started: - You will need to find out about licensing requirements and liability insurance needed to operate your program. For information in Rhode Island, go to the Department of Children, Youth and Families' web site, or the Department of Human Services' web site;
- You will need an operational budget as well as to have begun looking for additional funding support. Your budget upon starting should reach beyond the immediate if you are to have a long-lasting program;
- You will need to secure age-appropriate, engaging materials for program activities. Ask the youth participants what types of activities, speakers, and field trips interest them before you plan everything out. Meet with other program providers to find out what past successes they have had in their programs. Remember that the programming should address the initial needs identified. Then you should begin to plan the day-to-day programming. It is advantageous to develop a weekly or monthly plan to be certain that you are prepared well ahead of time and always have a backup in case intended activities don’t work out.
Program Implementation: Once you have secured funding, materials, a location, and support, there are several steps necessary to guarantee that your program runs smoothly: - Staffing: Develop job descriptions for both paid and volunteer staff. Recruit the board/planning committee to assist with interviews and the hiring process. Before officially hiring an individual, a thorough training process must be implemented to ensure that staff and volunteers are comfortable with their roles when they start;
- Budgeting: Now that your program is in effect, you will have to spend the resources made available to you. Design a budget to reflect not only what you must spend on the program itself, but on overhead as well. If funders allow, design your budget to consider the future. The Finance Project offers a useful budgeting worksheet (in PDF format). Budgeting can be time-consuming (and difficult, if numbers are not your forte). This is a time when it might be helpful to recruit the assistance of a board member or a volunteer who has a strong background in financial planning;
- Flexibility: The initial stages of running a program are when you will likely find out that things are not going as planned. It is crucial that you exhibit a willingness to change (both internally and externally) as things move along.
Self-Assessment: Honest assessment of your program should be an ongoing effort and demonstrate your commitment to self-improvement. In order to provide the highest quality care for the children and youth you serve, frequent self-assessment--of both program and staff--is important, as is periodic evaluation from an outside, neutral source. Evaluation: You will need to assess whether or not the program was effective and efficient, and whether or not it had any impact. The evaluation process is indispensable to the success of any program and serves three main purposes: Performance Monitoring, Decision Making, and Feedback. RIASPA offers the following as a checklist of the key elements necessary to implement a well-rounded evaluation of your afterschool program.
Program Evaluation Checklist Appropriateness
How appropriate is the program for the community being served?
How suitable are the strategies being used to achieve the program objectives?
How applicable are the program objectives to the community’s needs? Adequacy
Are the program’s resources enough to meet its objectives?
Are the program implementers involved enough?
Should more people (staff, volunteers, families, participants) be involved?
Did program providers plan enough activities?
Are the program’s objectives too large or too small in comparison with greater community needs? Effectiveness
How much has happened as planned?
Are resources being properly used?
Have activities resulted in a completed strategy?
To what extent have needs decreased? Efficiency
Should resources be different?
Can resources be downsized or combined?
Should the activities change?
Should the strategies change?
How cost-effective is it to achieve program goals?
It is important to remember who your audience is during your evaluation process. Change the wording of the questions accordingly, taking into account age, literacy level, and understanding of the language in which the evaluation is written. It is advisable to keep student evaluations to a page. Bear in mind, too, that parents and teachers are often overwhelmed with other duties. If at all possible, keep their evaluations to one page: front and back. Remember that the longer the evaluation is, the more of a task it becomes. Leave plenty of space for people to leave their own comments; ask why? and how? questions when fitting. The feedback of program participants (and those closest to them) is the only way to know how effectively you are implementing the program. Let them know that their opinions are important to you.
Tips for Starting or Managing a Youth Program The National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth (NCFY) has a new Guide to Starting a Youth Program. This guide gathers together a wealth of online information about how to start and manage a nonprofit organization or project that serves youth and their families. Rather than duplicate information that's already out there, the guide attempts to put youth workers on the right track by guiding them to web sites written just for grassroots organizers and youth service professionals. The guide tackles generating ideas, launching the organization, finding funding, locating best practices, and evaluating outcomes and practices. Readers can plunge into whatever topic with which they require help.
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