Human Services News

Chapin Hall

Parents, teachers, educators, business people, those who work in juvenile justice and law enforcement, health and safety professionals, and the public as a whole sometimes worry about risky behaviors and lack of educational support for young people during unsupervised time.

Through meaningful participation in such programs, children and youth can also develop self-direction and build identities as persons and citizens who believe they can and should contribute to their communities.

This self-study guide is intended to help primary support organizations in their important work.

Primary supports are developmentally appropriate and promote healthy development by expanding opportunities to experiment with a wide range of activities in a variety of settings with a variety of peers and adults.

We believe energy should also be focused on socializing, educating, and caring for all children and youth.

Most families, cultural groups, and societies have some goals for what they believe their children should do to become healthy, competent, and fulfilled adults.

Although goals differ among groups and families, there are minimal skills for life on which most can agree.

We include in this category the ability to speak the language of one's own culture as well as the language necessary for functioning in the wider society.

The self-study guide provides indicators and questions that can assist staff and management to set goals and work towards improvements over time.

A minimum level of physical safety is provided.

Children and youth are safe from physical assault outside or inside.

Staff create an environment that is free from humiliation.

Staff and volunteers speak the language of children and youth in our program.

When children and youth are asked what they like about programs, they frequently report that they enjoy and value the opportunity to interact with their peers and with responsive adults in ways that are free from fights or criticism.

For young people in some neighborhoods, having a place to interact with prosocial peers is extremely important and can serve as a space where their development is fostered and where they are encouraged to stay in school or stay away from gangs, delinquency, drugs, or unsafe sex.

For younger school-age children, having a space to interact with a wider age range of peers in less formal ways than in school offers the chance to develop communication skills and social skills that enhance friendships.

For young people who are still experimenting with and defining who they are, and may feel pressure from school, family, or various peer groups to act certain ways, having a space where they can be themselves may be extremely important.

Staff members interact with children and each other in positive ways.

The developmental quality of programs for older children appears to be associated with staff knowledge of child and adolescent development and staff opportunities to observe and discuss practices that promote the development of young people.

Sometimes, effective staff practices may derive from personal experiences with youth programs and activities while they were growing up.

At a more advanced level, young people can be engaged in constructing activities that not only challenge them to grow but that stretch the possibilities of the activities themselves, the engagement of group members in the activities, or the quality of the products of the activities.

Because of the wide range of activities sponsored by primary supports organizations, the indicators of quality and questions for discussion are quite general.

Developmental goals are explicit and staff members understand the developmental capabilities of the children they serve.

· Do staff members receive regular consultations, in-service workshops, or take time to deepen capacities to do this?

Similarly, larger organizations often limit resources devoted to administrative staff and structure to give as much financial support to programs as possible.

Funds for primary support programs---whether situated within large or small organiza-tions---are often limited and unpredictable.

Staff members make some contact with parents at the time of registration.

The organization has ongoing mechanisms for assessing the quality and usefulness of its services, has developed relationships with the community to facilitate appropriate referrals and to improve its own service quality, and regularly assesses who it is not reaching and considers new approaches to improve mix of participants.

Staff members have opportunities to learn from individuals outside our organization.

When did we last examine our ways of communicating with kids and families?

What relationships do we or should we have with schools, mental health providers, or other primary supports providers to facilitate referrals and improve our own services?

Staff members are encouraged to develop a sense of program ownership by being involved in defining the program's mission and planning for its future.

We engaged in a strategic planning process to involve staff, parents, volunteers, and participants in considering the service needs of our community and our vision for meeting them over the next years.

Do youth have opportunities to provide leadership to younger children through training, coaching, or mentoring?