Why Quality Matters

Research from ChildTrends indicates that only high quality afterschool programs create positive student outcomes.  Children who attend a low quality program  show no more improvement in academics, risky behavior, or social development than students who attend no program at all.

Because only high quality programs change children’s lives, DASN is committed to helping local afterschool providers improve the quality of the programs they deliver for the benefit of the children they serve.  Our Program Quality Initiative is designed to help local programs become certified to national quality standards.   Use the links to the left to learn more about this process.

Downloads:

• ChildTrend’s Research Brief “How Out-of-School Time Program Quality is Related to Adolescent Outcomes”  August 2010.
• University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development "Quality Matters in Afterschool Programs" May 2008