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F. Out-of-School Time Readiness Questionnaire
Appendix F. Out-of-School Time Readiness Questionnaire Chapter 7, Coaching Strategies
NIOST developed this questionnaire to help program leaders gauge their program’s ability to engage in CQI. In addition, completing the survey can help leaders to:
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• Develop an early picture of issues that need attention • Involve stakeholders who need to buy into the CQI process If you are an external coach, you can use this questionnaire with program leaders in the early stages of the CQI process. If you are an internal coach, completing this questionnaire will help you set the stage for CQI.
Directions More than one person in a program can fill out this questionnaire. One should be the program leader, who may be a director or a site coordinator. The person in charge of personnel and fiscal decisions, if different from the program leader, should also fill out the questionnaire. Staff may also fill it out as a team. The more individuals involved, the more reliable the information, and the more likely these people are to participate when it comes time to implement change.
Once respondents have completed the questionnaire, program leaders can review the answers and summarize findings on the last page. Now they have information to help them gauge the program’s readiness to begin the CQI process.
© National Institute on Out-of-School Time
QUESTIONNAIRE
In answering the following questions, select the answers that most accurately describe your program. Be conservative and honest in judging your program’s ability to fully engage in quality improvement.
1. Motivation, time, and support Being motivated to work on improvement is important for success, but you will also need the time to do the work involved. Check every statement that is true.
The staff team is motivated to make program changes.
The administrative team is motivated to make program changes.
The program leader can work 4 hours per month this year on program improvement.
A few staff members can each work 2 hours per month this year on program improvement.
A few parents or stakeholders can each work 10 to 15 hours this year on program improvement.
We have 2 or 3 hours of staff or volunteer administrative support per month to help with improvement tasks.
We have staff or volunteer capacity to collect and compile data once or twice a year.
Having concrete support from the host agency (if applicable) is another key to success. Check every statement that is true.
Our host agency will assign a representative to work actively on improvements.
Our host agency is willing to consider improvements that may require changes in space or budget commitments.
Our host agency will help to make sure program staff have time to work on improvements.
Review: The more boxes you checked, the more prepared your program is to initiate CQI. If you checked only a few boxes, brainstorm with your staff or coach to find ways to make time for this work and build your host agency’s support.
© National Institute on Out-of-School Time
© National Institute on Out-of-School Time 2. Program transitions Check every statement that is or may be true this year.
We expect that more than one-third of our staff will turn over this year.
We plan to expand participant enrollment by more than 25%.
We plan to add programming for the first time, such as extended learning, a summer program, or a before-school program.
Our program has to find new space.
We will be adding a new site to our program.
We are facing budget uncertainty.
Our agency is reorganizing in structure, staff, and/or programs.
Review: A program that expects to have a lot of changes, growth, or instability will find it difficult to focus on program improvement. If you checked one or more boxes for question 2, consider postponing quality improvement to focus on the issues that affect program stability.
3. Staff recruitment and retention Check the one description that best fits your program.
More than one-half of our staff has turned over in the last year, including staff leaders (director, site coordinator, and/or group leaders).
More than one-third of our staff has turned over in the last year, but some leaders have been here for over a year.
Leadership is stable, and less than one-third of our staff turned over last year.
Review: If you checked the first box, work on reducing staff turnover before tackling other improvement issues. If you checked the second box, consider the reasons for staff turnover and work on resolving that issue as a main priority of your quality improvement plan.
4. Community and family support Check every statement that describes your program.
Our program staff can attend community training opportunities.
Our program leader is part of a professional support network or has access to technical assistance, coaching, or a quality advisor.
We are part of a community network working on program improvement.
Parents and/or community members volunteer in our program.
Check every statement that describes your program.
Most staff members have little opportunity to communicate with families.
Staff communicate frequently with families during pick-up time, through a bulletin board, or by email or an e-newsletter.
Families attend special events such as performances, game nights, and potluck suppers.
We assess individual family needs at least once a year and act on those needs in the program.
Review: The more boxes you checked, the better prepared your program is to involve staff and families, support the program leader, and include the community. The program is less prepared if you checked no items or one item for these questions. In that case, consider ways to forge deeper connections with the community and families before undertaking CQI.
5. Staff meetings and training Check the one statement that best describes how often staff members meet to plan, review programming, or connect with parents or the host agency.
Staff meet a few times a year.
Staff meet once a month.
Staff meet at least twice a month.
Check the one statement that best describes how often staff attend training in one year, whether in your agency, outside your agency, or online.
Most staff members are not able to attend or participate in online trainings.
Most staff members attend 8 hours or less of in-person or online training in a year.
Most staff attend more than 8 hours of in-person or online training in a year.
The program is less prepared if you checked only the first item of these questions. In that case, consider ways to create more staff meeting time and opportunities for staff training.
© National Institute on Out-of-School Time
6. Capacity for data collection Check every statement that describes your program.
We have sufficient infrastructure (time, finances) to research and select assessment tools and to be trained to use them OR we have existing tools.
We have sufficient staffing or external resources to conduct data collection and analysis.
We have a team identified to lead the CQI work.
We intend to share data with staff and stakeholders and create an action plan.
Review: CQI is based on the collection, analysis, and sharing of data. You’re ready for CQI if you checked all four items.
© National Institute on Out-of-School Time
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Areas of strength:
Areas for growth:
How do you perceive your program’s readiness to engage in CQI?
Ready!
Almost ready, but we need support in ________________________________
Not ready: We have significant challenges that prevent CQI work at this time.
If you are ready to start a CQI process, congratulations! NIOST advises programs to work with a coach who can help you set realistic goals, find resources or other supports, set a time table, and create a community team to share responsibilities. If a coach is unavailable, create your own team to divide up the responsibilities, share the work, and enjoy the rewards. Contact NIOST for assistance at niost@wellesley.edu.
© National Institute on Out-of-School Time
