We have 20 Core Values at Children's Choice. The first is quality.
We know that high QUALITY afterschool programs have strong
positive effects on the academic, social and emotional development of children.
We know that what children do during their out-of-school-time hours has as much
influence on their success as what they do during the school day. We know that
participation in high-quality afterschool programs is associated with better
academic achievement, better work habits, stronger task persistence, better
school attendance, better attitudes toward school, more self-confidence,
stronger self-esteem, and better social skill development. We know that these
benefits continue to grow even after students leave elementary school.
At Children’s Choice, we value quality. We believe in
studying, defining, redefining, and advancing QUALITY. Our mission includes
providing a model of quality school-age child care programs. We believe that
quality afterschool programs are grounded in safety, enriched learning
environments, novel and challenging activities, positive relationships,
positive social norms, playfulness, opportunities to belong and develop
autonomy and competencies. We believe that a more highly educated and paid
staff, high staff retention, small group sizes, small staff-to-child ratios,
alignment with school standards, good principal and faculty relationships, and
continual program quality assessment and improvement are ALL indicators of
QUALITY.
We use the National Afterschool Association's Quality Standards, the New Mexico
Essential Elements of Quality, the School-Age Child Care Environmental Rating
Scale, the Council on Accreditation’s Accreditation Standards, and our own
research-based book, Best Practices: Guidelines for School-Age Programs to
continually assess our QUALITY. It is our goal to provide a model of quality:
organizational leadership, family and community relationships, planning,
decision making, resource management, risk management, professional
development, and afterschool programming.
We believe that QUALITY does not cost, it PAYS! Investing in
quality yields significant returns in positive youth development, delinquency
prevention, and workforce development.
National School Board Association. (2005). Building and
sustaining afterschool programs. Successful practices in school board
leadership. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Vandell, D., Reisner, E., Pierce, K., Brown, B., Lee, D.,
Bolt, D., & Pechman, E. (2006). The study of promising after-school
programs: Examination of longer term outcomes after two years of program
experiences. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin
– Madison.
– Madison.
Durlak, J., & Weissberg, R. (2007). The impact of
after-school programs that promote personal and social skills. Chicago, IL:
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.
great
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