As parents, what do you look for in a quality afterschool program?  OKAN is in the process of developing a quality criteria information piece so that you, as parents, can more fully assess the programs you are considering for your child.  Check back later for this update!  Until then, check out the resources and tools below:

The Parent's Guide to Priority Academic Student Skills (PASS) Standards

The Oklahoma State Department of Education created the Priority Academic Student Skills to serve as standards to a student's academic growth within the areas of language, mathematics, science, social studies, and the arts.  The purpose is to ensure quality education and foundational skills in order to keep Oklahoma's future bright.  These standards are a great way to assess extending learning programs for your child.

Oklahoma State Department of Education

What to Look for in an Afterschool Program

A breakdown of charactersitcs that should be present within  different age groups for quality   afterschool programming.

Afterschool Alliance

Selecting a High-Quality School-Age Program for Your Child

This checklist has useful tips and concerns to think about when you are looking for high-quality child care in your community.  Child Care Aware builds consumer awareness and supports families in making choices for the care and education of their children.

Spanish Version

Child Care Aware

Putting it All Together: Guiding Principles for Quality After-School Programs Serving Preteens

The Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health commissioned  Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) to produce this report, which identifies  characteristics of quality after-school programs that are linked to positive  outcomes for preteens.

Public/Private Ventures

Systems Building Challenges for After-School  Initiatives:  Developing Common Measures of Quality

The webinar focused on the Collaborative for Building After-  School Systems (CBASS) initiative to identify and track common measures of quality for out-of-school time (OST) programs.

The After-School Corporation

Focus on Families! How to Build and Support Family-Centered Practices in  After School

This comprehensive, easy-to-read guide to understanding how to engage  families in after school programs is a critical resource for after school  providers looking to create or expand an existing family engagement  program. It offers a research base for why family engagement matters,  concrete program strategies for engaging families, case studies of  promising family engagement efforts, and an evaluation tool for improving  family engagement practices.

Harvard Family Research Project

Quality Checklist

Print this checklist and take it with you when you visit child care programs. It will help you notice important things about the place where your children will spend their days.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services