Data Use in Out-of-School Time, Part II: How to Build a Comprehensive Afterschool System in Rural & Frontier Regions

Out-of-school time programs in rural and frontier regions serve youth throughout the nation. Yet many existing frameworks to support out-of-school time professionals are misaligned with the unique needs of rural and frontier communities, unintentionally preventing staff in these programs from building their own skills. In this session, learn how the Wyoming Afterschool Alliance (WYAA) and the National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) partnered to create a statewide system of quality improvement from the ground up. Key features of the current system include program self-assessment processes facilitated by quality improvement coaches, with a strong focus on building programs’ internal capacity to provide high quality OST experiences. Panelists will speak about the unique assets that programs in rural and frontier regions bring, as well as strategies they use to address programs’ geographic isolation. This session will offer practical guidance to anyone seeking to meaningfully engage programs in rural and frontier areas in continuous quality improvement. This presentation is part of a two-part series featuring contributors to Measure, Use, Improve! Data Use in Out-of-School Time, from Information Age Publishing.