print

THE DEFINITIVE PROGRAM 2018

RESOURCE FOR BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS
 The Definitive Program Resource
for Boys & Girls Clubs

The information contained herein is intended to be used as a guide for implementing standard program practices by each member organization, and should not be
construed to expand or reduce any rights or obligations set forth in the constitution. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this document, the standards
and requirements in the constitution shall prevail.

The Program Basics BLUEprint guides Boys & Girls Club professionals in implementing sound youth development practices and planning and delivering effective
programming. These practices should be adapted by each local organization, reviewed by their legal counsel, approved by its board of directors, and applied with
consistency. Although details may vary by state laws or local community standards, the consistent application of general process enables organizations to make good
decisions about protecting those we serve.
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Foreword
As time marches forward and technologies advance, so do the needs of youth.
As the largest youth development organization in the world, our obligation to
provide our professionals with the tools they need to offer engaging programming
also evolves. Our last Program Basics handbook was published in 1999. We
have rebuilt it to ensure youth across America and military installations around
the world receive an Outcome-Driven Club Experience.

Our 24-member Steering Committee of Club professionals partnered with the

Program Basics Advisory Network of over 300 professionals from Clubs around
the country to develop this Program Basics BLUEprint. We designed it to guide
youth development professionals of all experience levels in delivering world-
class programming. It starts with the fundamentals of Boys & Girls Clubs and
leads Club staff through the ins and outs of programming.

The opportunity to be a voice for Club professionals was an honor. We hope

we served with integrity and respect for our mission:

To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach
their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

With this, we humbly submit the Program Basics BLUEprint.

In Service,
Leslie Benitez, Boys & Girls Clubs of Monika Keenan, Boys & Girls Club
Southern Nevada, Las Vegas, Nev. of the Smoky Mountains, Sevierville,
David Cook, Boys & Girls Clubs of Tenn.
Central Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. Debby MacHold, Boys & Girls Clubs
Daniel Custer, Boys & Girls Clubs of of San Francisco, Calif.
Columbus, Ohio Billy Mawhiney, Boys & Girls Clubs
Sarah Funk, Boys & Girls Club of of the Sioux Empire, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Lake County, North Chicago, Ill. Mary Moua, Boys & Girls Clubs of
Brit Gartner, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, Ga.
Door County, Sturgeon Bay, Wis. Desirae O’Neill, Glen Cove Boys &
Brian Gustafson, Boys & Girls Clubs Girls Club at Lincoln House, Glen
of Skagit County, Mount Vernon, Cove, N.Y.
Wash. Ben Perkovich, Boys & Girls Club of
Brandy Harris, Boys & Girls Clubs of Green Bay, Wis.
Springfield, Mo. Jeri Peterson, Keesler AFB Youth
Kamisha Jackson, Maverick Boys & Program, Biloxi, Miss.
Girls Club of Amarillo, Texas Adriana Rendon, Boys & Girls Clubs
Nicole Jackson, Boys & Girls Clubs of Edinburg Rio Grande Valley,
of Bellevue, Wash. Edinburg, Texas
JeuneElle Jeffries, Boys & Girls Club Angi Sada, Boys & Girls Clubs of the
of Northern Utah, Brigham City, Utah Midlands, Omaha, Neb.
Donyell Jones, Boys & Girls Clubs of Allen Smith, Boys & Girls Clubs of
the Coastal Plain, Winterville, N.C. Cleveland, Ohio
Lowena Kahana, Boys & Girls Clubs Mark Washbush, Boys & Girls Clubs
of Portland Metropolitan Area, of Silicon Valley, Milpitas, Calif.
Portland, Ore. Kaureen Whittaker, Buckley AFB
Youth Program, Aurora, Colo.

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 BLUEprint

Table of Contents
Introduction 1 Section 4: Principles
of Program Planning
Section 1: The Foundation

SECTION 1
and Delivery 58
of Boys & Girls Clubs 5 Section Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Section Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Building Blocks of Programming . . . . . . . . 62
Our Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Key Factors for Enhancing Program Quality . . . 73
Our Core Beliefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Planning Your Own Programs and Activities . . . 81
Our Formula for Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Next Steps for Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

SECTION 2
Our Perspective: Positive Youth Development . . 15 Reference Handout: Integrating Character
Program Quality Standards and Continuous Development Throughout the Club Day . . . . . 85
Quality Improvement . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Session Planning Template . . . . . . . . . . 86
Next Steps for Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Reference Handout: Elements of a
Reference Handout: Our Formula for Impact . . 21 High-Quality Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Reference Handout: Practicing Social-Emotional
Section 5: Site-Level

SECTION 3
Skills to Develop Character . . . . . . . . . . 22
Reference Handout: Inclusion Guidelines . . . . 23 Program Planning
and Assessment 89
Section 2: Putting Youth
Section Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Development Into Practice 25
Continuous Quality Improvement . . . . . . . . 92
Section Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Overall Program Planning and Assessment . . . 93

SECTION 4
Practicing the Five Key Elements for Positive Next Steps for Learning . . . . . . . . . . . 105
Youth Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Club-Wide Goals and Strategies Plan
Next Steps for Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Reference Handout: Integrating Homeroom Sample Club-Wide Goals and Strategies Plan . . 107
Into Your Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Targeted Program Plan Template . . . . . . 108
Reference Handout: Scheduling Opportunities
and Expectations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Sample Targeted Program Plan . . . . . . . . 109

SECTION 5
Reference Handout: Building Recognition Into
Each Club Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Glossary of Terms 110

Section 3: Understanding Endnotes 119

Children and Teens 48
Section Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Developmental Milestones of Children and
Teens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Developmentally Appropriate Programming . . . 50
Progressive Programming . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Next Steps for Learning . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Reference Handout: Developmental Milestones
of Children and Teens . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

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BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Introduction
Welcome to the Program Basics BLUEprint. It’s the definitive guide
to program planning and delivery in Boys & Girls Clubs and BGCA-
affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military installations! If you are a
youth development professional, site-level program director or site
director, this guide is for you.

As you can see, the BLUEprint has the look and feel of a set of construction
plans. That’s because it’s your practical guide to facilitating positive youth
development through high-quality programs and activities.

The Program Basics Suite

The BLUEprint forms the cornerstone of the Program Basics Suite. The suite
is a collection of resources to support your organization's ability to enhance
program quality and improve the Club Experience for youth. The suite includes:
• The BLUEprint – This resource reviews key Boys & Girls Club Movement
history, culture and youth development fundamentals. It guides youth
development professionals and their supervisors in planning and delivering
effective programming.
• The Playbooks – These tools are designed to help any Club professional
create an Outcome-Driven Club Experience for youth in any physical space,
time of day, or Core Program Area of a Boys & Girls Club or Youth Center.
• The Planner – This online collection of tools will make it easier and quicker
to construct effective Club program plans and schedules.
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• The YDToolbox mobile app – This gives easy, immediate access to

tips and activities that give youth a high-quality experience. It provides
supervisors with tools for training staff members as effective youth
development practitioners. We’re renovating the app’s features, content
and look to make it even more useful for programming.
• Spillett Leadership University Learning Opportunities – From online
micro-learning videos to instructor-led sessions, all Club professionals can
explore the Program Basics Suite and assemble its components to build
high-quality programming.

What Is the BLUEprint?

This guide’s name – and its unique capitalization – are no accident. Hundreds
of Boys & Girls Club professionals partnered with Boys & Girls Clubs of
America (BGCA) to develop this resource, and they christened it.

The word blueprint, according to Merriam-Webster, means:

1. A photographic print in white on a bright blue ground, or blue on a white
ground, used especially for copying maps, mechanical drawings and
architects’ plans
2. Something resembling a blueprint (as in serving as a model or providing
guidance); especially a detailed plan or program of action

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 BLUEprint

The all-caps “BLUE” in the name pays tribute to more than a century of
Boys & Girls Club wisdom and tradition, embodied in our signature color and Youth Development
“knuckles” logo. It affirms our “Boys & Girls Club blue” culture and identity. YDP Professionals

So, think of the BLUEprint as your set of plans to constructing the best-possible
Outcome-Driven Club Experience for youth, as defined in our Formula for Impact.
Site-Level
The BLUEprint has five sections that build on each other somewhat PD Program Directors
sequentially. They can also be used as stand-alone resources. How you use
them depends on your learning and professional development needs, and
those of your staff if you are a supervisor.

1. The Foundation of Boys & Girls Clubs – Primarily for youth development
professionals, this section provides our Movement’s mission, Core SD Site Directors
Beliefs, and Boys & Girls Clubs' perspective on positive youth
development for the 21st century, while explaining our Formula for Impact
theory of change. It features a history of our youth development approach,
and draws a link between that history and where our Movement is
today: working collectively to enhance program quality and drive positive
outcomes through a focus on sound youth development practice.

2. Putting Youth Development Into Practice – For youth development

professionals, site-level program directors and site directors, this
section uses our Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development as
the scaffold for a rich set of practice tips to strengthen program planning
and delivery. It explains the importance of developing character by infusing
social-emotional skills into every aspect of programming.

3. Understanding Children and Teens – All youth development professionals

need to know the typical developmental characteristics of youth at
different ages. This section provides up-to-date, research-based
information about the developmental milestones of children and teens. It
helps ensure your programming is not only developmentally appropriate,
but also progressive. That way, it evolves with youth as they grow and
continue building their skills.

4. Principles of Program Planning and Delivery – For new youth development

professionals, this section describes the basic building blocks of
programming. It walks site-level program directors and site directors
through enhancing program quality at their site. Then it shows how to bind
everything together in careful daily session and program planning.

5. Site-Level Program Planning and Assessment – Primarily for site

directors and site-level program directors, this section introduces the
basic phases of a continuous quality improvement process. It outlines
tasks for annual program planning and assessment. This includes
establishing Club-wide goals and strategies, and building those into
seasonal and weekly program schedules. It also provides tips and
resources for evaluating overall program effectiveness.

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BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

How Do I Use the BLUEprint?

We’ve built in many features to make the BLUEprint practical and easy to use.

• Each section starts with a Section Summary. This is a brief sketch of the
key points to review and reinforce learning.
• Each section ends with Next Steps for Learning. This poses questions for
reflection and discussion with a supervisor. It suggests Spillett Leadership
University or other resources for taking learning to the next level.
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• Within each section, practice tips appear in bulleted lists, so they’re easy
to find. Relevant resources stand out in the margins. Sidebars, which
appear in blue boxes, detail important concepts or practices.
• Each section also provides reference handouts, templates or samples to
use in program planning.
• The BLUEprint ends with a comprehensive Glossary of Terms.

Using the BLUEprint to Support

Professional Development
If you’re a new youth development professional:
The BLUEprint can be your steady companion and guide as you complete your
orientation and initial onboarding. We recommend reading the first four sections
in order over your first 90 days. After you complete each section, write your
responses to the reflection questions. Then discuss them with your supervisor
in a one-on-one meeting. Ask your supervisor for coaching to meet your
particular needs and for relevant in-service training opportunities.

If you’re a seasoned youth development professional or a

site-level program director:
Review the sections Putting Youth Development Into Practice and Principles
of Program Planning and Delivery. This will ensure you’re doing all you can
to practice high-quality youth development and implement the best possible
programming. Consider what you can do to step up your continuous quality
improvement efforts, either as an individual contributor or as someone who
guides a team in planning and delivering programming. Then read the Site-
Level Program Planning and Assessment section. Talk with your supervisor
about opportunities to contribute more significantly to overall program
planning and evaluation.

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 BLUEprint

If you supervise youth development professionals:

Become familiar with the entire BLUEprint for two reasons. First, to confirm
you understand and embrace all the principles and recommended practices.
Second, to ensure you can effectively lead, guide, and coach your staff in
providing high-quality youth development and programming. It will also guide your
continuous quality improvement process. Take a personal, hands-on approach
to developing your individual staff members. This includes providing them with
dedicated planning time, regular one-on-one supervisory meetings, individualized
performance goal-setting, ongoing training and coaching, and opportunities to
develop their leadership. Use the BLUEprint’s content and tools as a resource
in providing this kind of supervision. Ask your supervisor for the same kind of
support and coaching to strengthen your own knowledge and skills.

If you provide onboarding and in-service training

opportunities to staff at your site or organization:
The BLUEprint is designed to be a helpful learning resource for you. You can
design the onboarding process for new staff members’ first 90 days around
the content of the first four sections of the BLUEprint. Use the Section
Summaries and Reference Handouts to review and reinforce critical content
with new staff. Work with supervisors to integrate each section’s reflection
questions into their regular one-on-one meetings. Ask them to coach staff
on how to use the BLUEprint’s planning templates. For in-service training
opportunities, encourage supervisors to incorporate key BLUEprint content into
their regular staff meetings. Review the BLUEprint to identify other BGCA and
Spillett Leadership University resources for staff.

Thank you for reading this Introduction. It’s time for you to delve into the Program
Basics BLUEprint. Enjoy using it to build the best possible programming for young
people at your site.

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 The Foundation of
Boys & Girls Clubs
5
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Section Summary:
The Foundation of YDP

Boys & Girls Clubs PURPOSE/AUDIENCE

SECTION 1
Primarily for youth development

Our Mission
professionals, this section provides
our Movement’s mission, Core Beliefs,
and Boys & Girls Clubs' perspective on
To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach positive youth development for the 21st
their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. century, while explaining our Formula
for Impact theory of change. It features

Our Core Beliefs a history of our youth development

approach, and draws a link between
that history and where our Movement is
Boys & Girls Clubs and Youth Centers provide kids and teens:
today: working collectively to enhance
• Safe, positive and inclusive environments in which to learn and grow program quality and drive positive
• Opportunities to develop positive, meaningful, and healthy connections outcomes through a focus on sound
with peers and youth development professionals youth development practice.
• High-quality programs and activities that build upon young people’s
strengths, allow them to explore new experiences, and help them develop
skills for good decision-making
• Experiences that foster hope, a sense of belonging, and a purpose
• Opportunities for youth to lead, share ideas, and be heard and recognized

Our Formula for Impact

This describes how Clubs and Youth Centers, individually and collectively, can
increase our impact on young people. Our formula says that if we take the
Young People Who Need Us Most and provide them with the best possible
Outcome-Driven Club Experience, they will achieve positive outcomes in the
priority areas of Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and
Healthy Lifestyles.

The Outcome-Driven Club Experience has four components.

1. Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development: These are fundamental
to your overall program. They’re based on the results of a research
project that studied many Clubs’ best youth development practices. The
study articulated five key elements that Clubs and Youth Centers should
implement to make a beneficial difference in young people’s lives:
{{ Create a safe, positive environment

{{ Generate fun and foster a sense of belonging

{{ Encourage supportive relationships with peers and adults

{{ Provide opportunities and set expectations

{{ Offer recognition

2. High-Yield Activities are hands-on, interactive, fun experiences that

intentionally develop and reinforce core skills explicitly taught through SECTION
Targeted Programs and help support our three priority outcome areas.
3. Targeted Programs are sequenced learning experiences with specific
objectives for building skills and knowledge, organized into five Core
Program Areas. They are targeted to help youth achieve positive outcomes The Foundation of
in one or more of the Formula for Impact’s three priority outcome areas.
Boys & Girls Clubs
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4. Regular Attendance is important for deepening our positive impact on

NOTES: young people. We need to make sure they become members, attend
SECTION 1

often, and stay members as they grow up. When Clubs and Youth Centers
use a youth-centered approach – where youth have voice, choice and
autonomy – it helps to support frequent attendance and retention of
members, especially through the critical teen years.

Our Perspective:
Positive Youth Development
Youth development refers to helping young people have the building blocks
needed for positive cognitive, social, emotional and physical development so
they can thrive and be resilient.

For Clubs and Youth Centers to foster the development of the whole
child, youth development professionals should focus on creating positive
experiences, relationships and environments for youth through implementation
of the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development. Positive experiences,
relationships and environments are the foundation for building good character,
and, ultimately, positive outcomes in our three priority areas for youth.

Program Quality Standards

and Continuous Quality
Improvement
BGCA has set five program quality standards to help Clubs assess their
strengths and areas of improvement:

1. Club professionals display high-quality youth development practices.

2. Club professionals deliver a variety of developmentally appropriate
Targeted Programs and activities that offer youth expanded opportunities.
3. The Club is a youth-centered environment that showcases youth
engagement and youth voice.
4. Youth development professionals and Club leadership participate in
regular professional development opportunities around high-quality youth
development practices and environments.
5. Each site and the organization as a whole has a quality improvement plan
focused on the Club Experience and high-quality staff practice. ■

SECTION

The Foundation of
Boys & Girls Clubs
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The Foundation of
YDP
Boys & Girls Clubs
Congratulations! You’re part of a nationwide federation of Boys NOTES:

SECTION 1
& Girls Clubs, and BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military
installations, with an enduring history of delivering life-changing
services to young people. It’s important for you to know about
Boys & Girls Clubs’ mission and Core Beliefs, who we serve and
how we serve them, and how Clubs are unique among providers of
out-of-school-time programs.

This section of the Program Basics BLUEprint will help you better understand
your critical youth development role and serve as an effective advocate for
your organization and the youth you serve.

Our Mission
Let’s start at the beginning, with the mission statement for the collective
federation of all Boys & Girls Clubs (often referred to as the Boys & Girls
Club Movement):

To enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach
their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

Boys & Girls Clubs serve the young people who need them the most, however
that is defined in their local communities.

Your Boys & Girls Club organization may have a slightly different mission
statement than the one for the entire Club Movement. Check with your
supervisor to be sure of the wording of your Club’s mission statement, and
jot it down here:

Our Core Beliefs

Boys & Girls Clubs historically have had Core Beliefs that help distinguish
them from other youth-serving organizations. These statements reflect the
values and essential features of all Clubs.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) has collaborated closely with many Club
SECTION
and Youth Center professionals across our federation to update the Core
Beliefs presented in this publication. The updated Core Beliefs are grounded in
the best current youth development research and practice. They speak to the
challenges and opportunities our young people face in the 21st century. They
are also linked to the character traits we want staff and youth to demonstrate:
The Foundation of
caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility and trustworthiness.1 Boys & Girls Clubs
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This chart will help you to understand what each of the Core Beliefs mean.
NOTES:
SECTION 1

Core Belief What it means

Safe, positive, and This belief reflects and emphasizes one of our Five
inclusive environments Key Elements for Positive Youth Development: safe,
in which to learn and positive environment. The statement ensures all
grow young people know they are welcomed and accepted
at Boys & Girls Clubs. When youth development
professionals model behaviors that help youth
feel physically and emotionally safe, and create
positive experiences that engage everyone, youth
demonstrate respect and fairness.
Opportunities to This belief emphasizes the crucial connections young
develop positive, people form at Boys & Girls Clubs. When members
meaningful, and healthy feel connected to peers and adult staff, it helps them
connections with peers develop socially, learn to be responsible, show respect
and youth development for self and others, be fair-minded, and express care
professionals and concern for others.
High-quality programs This belief emphasizes the importance of
and activities that build building upon young people’s strengths when
upon young people’s introducing them to new experiences. Through
strengths, allow these experiences, and with the guidance of
them to explore new caring adults, youth learn to get along with others
experiences, and help and build many skills, along with developing the
them develop skills for character virtues of responsibility and citizenship.
good decision-making
Experiences that foster This belief speaks to how high-quality Club
hope, a sense of Experiences can unlock young people’s potential,
belonging, and a sense not only by sparking hope, but also by instilling in
of purpose them a sense that they are part of a community,
with a sense of purpose for their lives.
Opportunities for youth This belief emphasizes the importance of youth
to lead, share ideas, voice. It calls all Boys & Girls Clubs to empower
and be heard and young people to actively shape and own their
recognized Club Experience.

Our Formula for Impact

Today, many of the young people who need us most take advantage of the
programs, activities, and services Clubs and Youth Centers provide. These youth
benefit from trained, caring professional staff and volunteers who help them take
control of their lives, envision productive futures and reach their goals. Only with
SECTION your commitment to your day-to-day work with young people can we be successful
in helping them achieve the key outcomes they need to realize their full potential.

To make sure this happens, Boys & Girls Clubs adopted the Formula for Impact,
a theory of change that describes how they can increase their impact. A theory
of change defines all the building blocks required to bring about a long-term
The Foundation of goal or goals. It creates a commonly understood vision of how the goals will be
Boys & Girls Clubs achieved, and how to measure progress.

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YDP

Our theory of change says if we take the Young People Who Need Us Most
and provide them the best possible Outcome-Driven Club Experience, they will NOTES:

SECTION 1
achieve positive outcomes that will enable them to be Academically Successful,
demonstrate Good Character and Citizenship, and live Healthy Lifestyles.

The Reference Handout, Our Formula for Impact, located at the end of this
section, provides an illustration of our theory of change.

The Outcome-Driven Club Experience

As you look at the Formula for Impact illustration, you’ll notice the true work
of Clubs and Youth Centers – the heart of what you do – lies fittingly in the
center. You can successfully provide young people with an Outcome-Driven
Club Experience by implementing its four components:
• Five Key Elements for Positive • Targeted Programs
Youth Development • Regular Attendance
• High-Yield Activities

We know it is the overall Club Experience – the power of enriching programs in

youth-centered environments where adults and youth work in partnership; fun,
new experiences; and supportive relationships – that connects children and
teens to their Club or Youth Center, and assures they will participate often and
stay engaged through high school.

Thus, the Formula for Impact challenges you to work in a more holistic,
intentional manner. It requires you and your teammates to work toward
common goals: to start with your Club’s end in mind. You play an important
role in making sure every aspect of the programming at your Club or Youth
Center helps children and teens achieve positive outcomes.

Three Priority Outcome Areas

Our theory of change states that if we implement the four components of the
Outcome-Driven Club Experience well, we will enable young people to achieve
positive outcomes in the three priority outcome areas of Academic Success,
Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles.

Why these particular outcome areas? Take a moment to consider the risks
and obstacles today’s young people face. By prioritizing these three outcome
areas, we’re better positioned to fulfill our mission of enabling all young people
to reach their full potential.

Here are descriptions of our desired outcomes for young people:

• Academic Success: Graduate on time, motivated to learn, with a plan to
succeed in today’s modern workforce
• Good Character and Citizenship: Develop strong character and take
actions that make a difference in the community
SECTION
• Healthy Lifestyles: Make healthy lifestyle decisions resulting in social,
emotional and physical well-being

Now that we have our end goals in mind, let’s explore each of the four The Foundation of
components of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience in more depth.
Boys & Girls Clubs
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NOTES: Five Key Elements for Positive Youth

SECTION 1

Development
What are they?
The Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development are fundamental to
your overall program. When these elements are in place, they enable youth to
participate meaningfully in their Club Experience and help boost their positive
outcomes. They’re based on the results of a research project that studied
many Clubs’ best youth development practices.2 The study articulated Five Key
Elements that Clubs and Youth Centers should implement to make a beneficial
difference in young people’s lives:
1. Create a safe, positive environment
2. Generate fun and foster a sense of belonging
3. Encourage supportive relationships with peers and adults
4. Provide opportunities and set expectations
5. Offer recognition

Why are they important?

The Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development lay the foundation for
implementing effective Targeted Programs and High-Yield Activities. When
used, these elements help young people to build core physical, cognitive, social
RESOURCES and emotional skills. Remember: Your core work is youth development. The
The YDToolbox mobile app helps Club programs and activities you implement are simply the vehicles through which
staff and managers build their youth you accomplish your core youth development work. Therefore, it’s up to you to
development skills with over 100 ensure all young people experience all five elements whenever they spend time
tools tied to the Five Key Elements for in your Club or Youth Center. When you implement the Five Key Elements for
Positive Youth Development. Download Positive Youth Development intentionally and consistently, young people will get
the app for free on the Google Play
the most benefit out of your Targeted Programs and High-Yield Activities, and
or Apple stores by searching for
“YDToolbox,” or access it on your
attend your Club or Youth Center more often.
computer at ydtoolbox.goodbarber.com.
To learn more about how to put the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth
The Club Experience Blog offers activity Development into practice in your program planning and delivery, read the next
ideas, learning opportunities and section of the BLUEprint, Putting Youth Development Into Practice.
practical wisdom from Club professionals
that you can implement to cultivate a
high-quality Club Experience. Access the Honoring Our Youth Development Traditions
blog on the YDToolbox mobile app or
online: clubexperience.blog. In the late 1800s, the first Boys’ Clubs pioneered a unique approach to
guiding youth that still endures in some form today. The first Club professional,
John C. Collins, developed a “method of taking boys off the street and
improving their behavior.”3 It included:
• Engaging boys in a building-centered program, with the freedom to
SECTION choose how they would participate
• Providing a variety of fun, supervised play and games
• Retaining boys through friendly and mutually respectful relationships with
adult staff
• Establishing a feeling of trust so boys were more receptive to staff’s
The Foundation of guidance in personal, social, cultural and educational areas4
Boys & Girls Clubs
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Over many decades, Club professionals continued to adapt the original NOTES:

SECTION 1
method according to the communities and the youth they served. But the
focus remained the same: providing opportunities for youth to meet their
developmental needs and build character through informal but intentional
guidance and supportive relationships with caring adults.

During the 1980s, as Clubs continued evolving to meet changes in society,

Boys Clubs of America adopted the Youth Development Strategy. The
strategy defined how Club professionals and volunteers should interact with
young people. It called for all programs and activities to help youth acquire
four basic “senses.” These “four senses” would help them build self-esteem
and grow into responsible, caring citizens. The strategy was based on a 1972
University of Colorado study, which found that youth who developed into well-
adjusted adults had four components in common.5

The “four senses,” abbreviated with the easy-to-remember CUBI or BUIC,

were defined as follows:
• A Sense of Competence – Young people feel proud and confident
when they acquire new skills and know they can do something well.
• A Sense of Usefulness – Young people know the satisfaction from
doing something of value for others.
• A Sense of Belonging – Young people know they are welcome and feel
they fit in and are accepted.
• A Sense of Power and Influence – Young people know their opinions
are heard and valued and that they can influence decisions.

Fast forward another two decades. In 2004-05, BGCA partnered with

the Search Institute to identify core Club and Youth Center practices
instrumental to fostering high-quality youth development.6 The research
yielded 62 strategies and hundreds of practices! These were codified as
the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development and became central
to our Formula for Impact theory of change.

As you can see, all of these approaches put youth development at the
very heart of our work. They all emphasize that we focus first on forging
supportive relationships with youth to help them become the best they
can be. We then build on that foundation to help them achieve positive
outcomes needed for success in life, all by participating in Club or Youth
Center programming.

High-Yield Activities
Let’s look at the second component of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience:
High-Yield Activities. Plenty of research tells us that youth need multiple
SECTION
opportunities to learn and grow at home, in school and in the community.
Combine that with our own youth development experience, and we know if we
are to truly engage youth, those multiple opportunities to learn and grow must
also be fun.
The Foundation of
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What are they?

NOTES:
SECTION 1

High-Yield Activities provide youth with enjoyable experiences that are hands-on,
interactive, intentionally develop and reinforce the core skills explicitly taught
through Targeted Programs, and help support our three priority outcome areas.
They appeal to members’ interests and their desire to play, and can even include
some friendly competition. They can be done with individuals, small groups and
large groups. They motivate members to explore, develop, create and learn.
When done well, they remove the division between learning and playing.

Why are they important?

By integrating High-Yield Activities into the Club Experience, Clubs and Youth
Centers help youth extend their learning beyond the regular school day and
develop into enthusiastic, self-directed, lifelong learners. High-Yield Activities
help enhance the Club Experience by injecting fun, an element of surprise and
excitement into the day-to-day routine.

Refer to the Principles of Program Planning and Delivery section of this

BLUEprint to learn more about what High-Yield Activities look like when done
well and how to do them.

Targeted Programs
Now let’s consider the third component of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience:
Targeted Programs.

What are they?

Targeted Programs are sequenced learning experiences with specific objectives
for building skills and knowledge through five Core Program Areas. They are
chosen to help youth achieve positive outcomes in one or more of the Formula for
Impact’s three priority outcome areas. In order to be effective, Targeted Programs:
• Are planned
• Are designed to achieve stated goals and objectives in a Core Program Area
• Are designed to build upon existing knowledge and skills
• Are conducted for a specific audience
• Are sequenced, meaning they are conducted over a specific period of time,
using multiple lessons in a certain order
• Use specific delivery methods
• Measure and evaluate the extent participants achieve goals and objectives

Why are they important?

Targeted Programs help youth acquire useful knowledge and build new skills.
They also help youth avoid, cope with, or overcome risks and challenges that
SECTION are prevalent in our society. These challenges include dropping out of school,
engaging in violence or delinquency, high rates of obesity, and alcohol or other
drug use. All of these hurdles can compromise members’ well-being.

To learn more about Targeted Programs, refer to the Principles of Program

Planning and Delivery and Site-Level Program Planning and Assessment
The Foundation of sections of this BLUEprint. Read about what they look like when done well
Boys & Girls Clubs and how to implement them, and get tips on building partnerships.

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Regular Attendance NOTES:

SECTION 1
If we want to have a life-long positive impact on the youth we serve, we need
to make sure they become members, attend often, and stay members as they
grow up. When Boys & Girls Clubs use a youth-centered approach – where youth
have voice, choice and autonomy – it helps to support frequent attendance and
retention of members, especially through the critical teen years.

What is it?
Regular Attendance is defined by three indicators:
• Annual visits (frequency of attendance) – the number of visits per
registered member on an annual basis
• Average daily attendance (ADA) – the average number of registered
members per day participating in on-site or off-site Club programs
and activities
• Retention/renewal – the number of current registered members in a
given year who renew their membership within a 12-month period after
the expiration of their previous membership

It’s likely that your Club has set and is tracking specific goals around these
indicators. Ask your supervisor for this information.

Why is it important?
A 2009 study showed that young people who attend Clubs more often and
over a longer time are more likely to achieve positive outcomes than those who
attend less often. The study found that youth were more likely to demonstrate
greater positive outcomes when they attended at least 52 times per year. The
positive effects were even greater when they attended 104 times per year.7

Another after-school program evaluation showed that achieving positive

outcomes takes time, and these results often do not become evident until
after 12 months or longer.8

How do I implement this in my Club or Youth Center?

To engage young people in Club or Youth Center life and keep them coming
back, build personal connections with and for them. A great Club Experience
helps youth build strong, supportive, trusting relationships with each other,
and with caring adult role models and mentors. But this takes time. Thus,
making a concerted effort to increase young people’s attendance is one of the
best strategies your Club or Youth Center can use to increase its impact.

Encourage youth to:

• Attend more often
• Register as full-fledged members, versus just dropping in on occasion or
taking part in a short-term recreational league SECTION
• Participate more actively in programs, especially targeted ones
• Renew their membership from year to year

Of course, all Clubs have to balance how many youth attend regularly with
how many staff there are to serve them. Staff-to-youth ratio is the number of The Foundation of
supervising adult staff members compared with the number of youth in a Club Boys & Girls Clubs
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YDP

or Youth Center program. Many organizations or sites adhere to specific overall

NOTES: ratios because they operate as state-licensed day care providers; have grant-
SECTION 1

funding requirements (e.g., 21st Century Community Learning Centers); or

are a certain type of site (e.g., BGCA-affiliated Youth Centers on U.S. military
installations). If you work in such a site, you need to know your organization’s
or site’s policies on this so you can adhere to them.

BGCA also recommends specific ratios depending on the developmental

characteristics of certain age groups and the type of activity being offered.
Read more about this in the section of this BLUEprint called Principles of
Program Planning and Delivery.

Our Perspective:
Positive Youth Development
Have you ever heard that Boys & Girls Clubs have a secret sauce? Well, the
secret is out! There is actually a set of core ingredients that work together to
provide high-quality experiences for youth. And, it’s based on science!

Youth development refers to helping young people develop the building blocks
needed for positive cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development so
they can thrive and be resilient in their lives. Positive youth development is an
intentional, prosocial approach that engages youth within their communities,
schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive
and constructive; recognizes, utilizes and enhances young people’s strengths;
and promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing opportunities,
fostering positive relationships, and furnishing the support needed to build on
their leadership strengths.9

This may all sound very complicated. So, let’s break down some key terms in
order to really understand positive youth development.

Intentional means to do something on purpose or to be deliberate to create

meaningful experiences for youth.

Prosocial means behavior that is positive, helpful, and intended to promote

social interactions and build good character to support the development of
positive relationships.

For Boys & Girls Clubs and Youth Centers to foster the development of the whole
child, it is important that youth development professionals focus on three tasks:
1. Plan and deliver skill-based High-Yield Activities and Targeted Programs
(positive experiences).

SECTION 2. Create social learning experiences to support peer relationships and

belonging (positive relationships).
3. Implement high-quality youth development staff practices that support an
Outcome-Driven Club Experience (positive environments).

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Boys & Girls Clubs' Approach to Positive NOTES:

SECTION 1
Youth Development
When Clubs and Youth Centers use the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth
Development, they increase their ability to create positive experiences,
relationships and environments for youth. For this to occur, it is your
responsibility, as well as that of the youth you serve, to demonstrate good
character. For Boys & Girls Clubs, positive experiences, positive relationships
and positive environments are the foundation for building good character and
positive outcomes in our three priority areas for youth.

Consider this:
Staff Model Good Character + Youth Practice Skills
Regularly = Character Development
For example, when staff model respect – and when they create opportunities for
youth to practice related social-emotional skills like empathy, communication and
perspective-taking – we strengthen our foundation to create positive experiences,
relationships and environments. Social-emotional skills are related to:
• How youth feel about themselves
• Their relationships with others
• Their ability to regulate emotions
• Their ability to solve problems

As you can see, strong character is a condition for positive youth development
to occur.

Review the Reference Handout: Practicing Social-Emotional Skills to Develop

Character at the end of this section for more guidance on the skill practice
needed to support character development.

Inclusion Is Critical to Positive Youth Development,

and Vice Versa
To fulfill our mission, Clubs and Youth Centers must create safe, positive and
inclusive environments for youth of every race, gender, gender expression,
sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, religion or cultural belief. By
creating inclusive environments at our Club, we improve the overall experience
for all young people.

When youth development professionals use the Five Key Elements for Positive
Youth Development, they help ensure all youth:
• Feel represented
• Have a sense of belonging
• Can meaningfully participate in programming SECTION
Review the Reference Handout: Inclusion Guidelines at the end of this section
for more guidance to support inclusion.

The Foundation of
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YDP

NOTES: Program Quality Standards and

SECTION 1

Continuous Quality Improvement

Improving program quality and young people’s
Club Experience requires Clubs and Youth
Centers to take part in continuous quality
improvement (CQI). CQI is a way of ve A
thinking and learning, and a cyclical,

Impro

ss
ongoing process with three phases:

ess
• Assess
• Plan
• Improve

CQI is about fostering a culture of

learning, with the belief that we can always
Pla n
do better. It’s about:
• Collecting data and using it to make decisions
• Experimenting with new strategies to improve your Club or Youth Center’s
operations, programming and youth development practices
• Encouraging your teammates to build new skills and change behaviors
• Creating a safe environment in which staff feel they can practice
new techniques and stretch their wings; and where failure is seen as
necessary for learning, a result of taking positive risks and experimenting
in order to get better
• Establishing feedback loops to check on progress toward improvement goals
and regularly asking for input from youth, staff, volunteers and partners

Every Club or Youth Center, no matter its size or resources, and every Club
or Youth Center professional can and should make continuous quality
improvement activities part of their practice.

Site managers and staff should choose their improvement strategies and
tactics based on their organization’s priorities and capabilities, and the results
of their own assessments. Feel free to start small and work toward achieving
some quick wins, if that is best for your site or organization. The point is to
start your journey of improvement and then to keep going!

Collectively, though, what are we driving toward? How does "good" look?

BGCA has set five program quality standards. Each standard comes with a
description of how it looks when done well.10 They are:
1. Club professionals display high-quality youth development practices.
SECTION Encourage youth and support them in building skills. Create opportunities
for youth to develop a sense of belonging by recognizing their contributions
and accomplishments, and helping them build relationships with their
peers. Remember to adopt youth-centered approaches to reframe
conflict. Then acknowledge young people’s feelings and help them see the
The Foundation of connection between their emotions, behaviors and consequences. Finally,
Boys & Girls Clubs help them identify their own solutions.

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YDP

2. Club professionals deliver a variety of developmentally appropriate

Targeted Programs and activities that offer youth expanded opportunities. NOTES:

SECTION 1
Offer a variety of fun experiences throughout the day that tap into youth
interests. Help them build multiple skills in the priority outcome areas of
Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles.
Offer youth a choice of age-appropriate, individual or one-on-one mentoring.
Include small-group or large-group activities in different Core Program
Areas facilitated by adult staff, youth or both. Be sure to plan, present and
pace the flow of each session in a manner appropriate for the age range of
participants, the group size and the scheduled time frame.

3. The Club is a youth-centered environment that showcases youth

engagement and youth voice.
Provide a welcoming atmosphere and ensure your activities support
young people’s active engagement. Be sure to offer youth opportunities
to influence the format or content of program offerings based on their
interests, preferences and satisfaction. Consult youth about the design
and use of the physical environment. Invite youth to help facilitate or lead
sessions and activities for their peers or younger youth.

4. Youth development professionals and Club leadership participate in

regular professional development opportunities around high-quality youth
development practices and environments.
New staff (paid, volunteer and substitute) participate in at least eight
hours of orientation to the job before working with children and youth,
with a particular focus on safety and youth development principles and
practices. Existing full-time and part-time staff participate in at least eight
hours of training annually, with a particular focus on safety and youth RESOURCE
development principles and practices. Managers co-develop professional BGCA has developed a series of staff
development plans with staff members that reflect their individual management bulletins for Club and Youth
interests, needs and aspirations. Managers support staff through regular Center directors on promising practices for
one-on-one supervision meetings, observing their program facilitation with hiring, onboarding, facilitating teamwork
youth, and coaching them to build their skills. and communication, supervision, coaching
and professional development. The
5. Each site and the organization as a whole has a quality improvement bulletins contain tools such as interview
questions, a sample onboarding checklist,
plan focused on the Club Experience and high-quality staff practice.
a staff meeting agenda template,
The site and organization employ strategies for program improvement conversation prompts for one-on-one
based on regularly assessing youth outcomes and experiences, staff supervision meetings, tips for conducting
practice and program quality. Each site has a written plan for program effective staff observations, etc.
quality improvement with a time frame of one year or less. Managers BGCA.net/ProgramQuality
provide ongoing coaching and training to support staff in meeting site
improvement goals.

SECTION

The Foundation of
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 BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Next Steps for Learning:

YDP
The Foundation of
Boys & Girls Clubs
SECTION 1

Take your learning to the next level using these reflection questions and resources.

Reflection Questions
After you think about and answer these questions, share your responses with your supervisor in your next
one-on-one meeting. Ask for help as needed.

1. When someone asks you where you work or what you do, how precisely and clearly can you describe
what your Club or Youth Center is, who it serves, and what it does for kids? Why is it important to be
able to do this well?

2. How evident are the Core Beliefs in your Club? What can you do in your own work to embody the
Core Beliefs?

3. Which components of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience are easiest for you to embrace and put
into practice in your day-to-day work?

4. Which components of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience are the most challenging for you to embrace
and put into practice in your day-to-day work? What supports do you need to overcome those challenges?

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YDP

5. How well do you feel you can put the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development into practice
at this time? What supports do you need to make them part of your day-to-day practice?

SECTION 1
Suggested Action Steps and Resources
To build your knowledge and skills on the Formula The Club Experience Blog offers activity ideas,
for Impact and the components of the Outcome- learning opportunities and practical wisdom from
Driven Club Experience: Club professionals that you can implement to
Visit the BGCA.net Training page to access Spillett cultivate a high-quality Club Experience. Access
Leadership University. Log in and use the search the blog on the YDToolbox mobile app or online:
function to find a full range of learning opportunities clubexperience.blog.
for Club professionals in varying roles. These
To get tools and resources for improving program
include in-service learning modules facilitated by
quality and the Club Experience:
certified learning coaches, online courses, and
instructor-led sessions and workshops. Visit BGCA.net/ProgramQuality. This page offers
easy, one-stop access to many helpful tools and
To better put into practice the Five Key Elements resources for Club organizations and sites. For
for Positive Youth Development: example, the Club Experience brochure explains
Use these online, mobile-friendly tools. The what a high-quality Club Experience is, why it is
YDToolbox mobile app helps Club staff and important, and key drivers for improvement. It gives
managers build their youth development skills insights for enhancing program quality and tips for
with over 100 tools tied to the Five Key Elements leading a continuous quality improvement process.
for Positive Youth Development. Download the
BGCA encourages Clubs and Youth Centers to
app for free on the Google Play or Apple stores by
use the David P. Weikart Center’s Youth Program
searching for “YDToolbox,” or access it on your
Quality Assessment as an observational
computer at ydtoolbox.goodbarber.com.
assessment tool in their efforts to improve
program quality. Ask your supervisor if they use
this tool in your Club or Youth Center.

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 BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Reference Handout:
YDP
Our Formula for Impact
SECTION 1

YOUNG OUTCOME- PRIORITY

PEOPLE WHO DRIVEN CLUB OUTCOMES
NEED US MOST EXPERIENCE
Academic
Success
Graduate on time, motivated to
Five Key learn, with a plan to succeed
Elements High-Yield in today’s modern workforce
for Positive
Youth Activities Good Character
Development and Citizenship
Develop strong character and
take actions that make a
difference in the community

Targeted Regular Healthy

Programs Attendance Lifestyles
Make healthy lifestyle decisions
resulting in social, emotional
and physical well-being

21
 BLUEprint

Reference Handout:
Practicing Social-Emotional YDP

Skills to Develop Character

SECTION 1
The chart below provides guidance on how your Club or Youth Center can focus on developing specific
character traits using social-emotional skills. Strive to have youth practice these social-emotional skills
in all Targeted Programs, activities, and High-Yield Activities they participate in, across the three priority
outcome areas of Academic Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles.

Social-Emotional Skills for Youth to Practice

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Respect: Treating others with
honor and dignity ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Fairness: Treating all people
with dignity and respect, without ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
favoritism or discrimination
Character Traits

Trustworthiness: The ability to be

relied on as honest or truthful ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Responsibility: Taking ownership

of thoughts, words and actions ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

Caring: Displaying kindness and

concern for others ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Citizenship: Behavior exercised
by a person who is a member of a ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
community

What You Might See Young People Doing

Respect Fairness Trustworthiness Responsibility Caring Citizenship
Youth work together Youth recognize Youth make Youth recognize Youth appreciate, Youth understand
and communicate and balance the ethical choices how their behavior understand and community issues
effectively with needs of others. and communicate affects others have compassion and dynamics, and
one another, even They make good them to others in positive and for the feelings, collaborate to find
when there are decisions where honestly and negative ways. experiences and a solution. Youth
disagreements. they recognize respectfully. Youth perspectives of creatively use
and value the follow through on others. Youth resources in order to
contribution of commitments to demonstrate solve problems and
others. self and others compassion positively affect the
to accomplish a for others well-being of others
common objective. through ethically and community.
responsible
actions.

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 BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Reference Handout:
YDP
Inclusion Guidelines
Inclusion is another core component for building a safe, positive environment
NOTES: in your Club or Youth Center. Youth will feel physically and emotionally secure
SECTION 1

when everyone is focused on making sure ALL youth feel included. In order
to fulfil our mission, Clubs and Youth Centers must create safe, positive and
inclusive environments for youth of every race, gender, gender expression,
sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, religion or cultural belief.
When we create inclusive environments at our Clubs and Youth Centers, we
improve the overall experience for all young people.

The inclusion standards ensure ALL youth:

• Feel represented
• Have a sense of belonging
• Can meaningfully participate in programming

1. All youth have access to program spaces and materials.

Clubs and Youth Centers are required to act in a non-discriminatory manner,
and to make reasonable accommodations to provide equal opportunity
and service to all youth. Part of your work is to ensure youth do not have
any physical barriers to prevent them from having an Outcome-Driven Club
Experience. Your program space should include materials and resources
that all youth can use in order to participate fully in activities.

How it looks when done well:

• Indoor and outdoor spaces are accessible to those with disabilities.
• Barriers that prevent youth from accessing program spaces and
materials are regularly identified and addressed.
• Equipment, materials, and tools are appropriate for a wide range of
abilities and adapted as necessary to support participation.

How to do it:
• Hang book bags on hooks, rather than allow them to be scattered
around the room. This will help keep the floor free of obstacles for
youth using mobility supports.
• Include sensory-friendly toys in your Club, such as bubbles, Slinkys,
play dough, putty, squishy balls and toys, beads and kaleidoscopes.
• Use equipment that supports diverse needs. This could include
adjustable goals, adjustable tables, various sized balls, accessible
slides and swings.

Search for Examples of Possible Accommodations for Youth With

Disabilities on BGCA.net.

2. All youth are able to engage in meaningful participation.

SECTION To ensure emotional safety in a positive Club climate, make sure all
youth are able to participate in a meaningful way. Your job is to create
a welcoming setting in which youth can play and feel like they belong.
Giving youth opportunities to participate and succeed, no matter their
background or ability, is part of high-quality youth development. When you
give youth opportunities to engage in program activities and have high
The Foundation of expectations for them, they are able to realize their potential.
Boys & Girls Clubs
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How it looks when done well:

• Activities follow a natural skill progression and provide members with NOTES:

SECTION 1
opportunities to be introduced to, develop and master new skills.
• Reasonable accommodations are made as necessary to support
individual needs.
• Adjustments are made to activity requirements, and/or additional
options are created as necessary to promote meaningful participation.

How to do it:
• Break down tasks into manageable parts as needed. In other words,
give directions in small chunks so youth can follow along.
• Use picture schedules, pictures with words, sign language or visual
communication to increase comprehension in an activity.
• Facilitate activities so that new instructions, rules or challenges are
introduced one round at a time, instead of all at once.

Search for the Inclusion Checklist for Clubs on BGCA.net.

3. There is a clear commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.

You have the opportunity to create a climate where youth see themselves
reflected positively in the space. By implementing this standard, you will
ensure youth are emotionally secure and feel like they belong.

How it looks when done well:

• Club space and activities reflect youths' diverse backgrounds, abilities
and identities.
• Staff interactions foster respect for individual differences.
• Staff support peer interactions by encouraging collaboration,
teamwork and positive communication.

How to do it:
• Post pictures of youth on the wall that reflect ALL youth in your Club.
• Include books, posters, games, and other materials featuring
characters and pictures of people with diverse backgrounds, identities
and abilities.
• Display flags from different countries, and make sure materials are
labeled in multiple languages.

Search for Inclusive Club Goals and Top Tips for Inclusive Clubs on BGCA.net.

SECTION

The Foundation of
Boys & Girls Clubs
24
 Putting Youth
Development
Into Practice
25
 BLUEprint

Section Summary:
Putting Youth SD PD YDP

Development Into Practice PURPOSE/AUDIENCE

For youth development professionals,

Practicing the Five Key Elements

site-level program directors and site
directors, this section uses our Five Key
Elements for Positive Youth Development
for Positive Youth Development as the scaffold for a rich set of practice
tips to strengthen program planning and
At Boys & Girls Clubs, we implement the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth delivery. It explains the importance of
Development. When planning and delivering programs for and with youth, developing character by infusing social-

SECTION 2
focus on these elements every day; they provide the essential foundation of emotional skills into every aspect of
your programming. programming.

1. Safe, Positive Environment

For program planning, your primary goal is to reinforce physical and
emotional safety.

Essential staff practice: Ensure all youth are positively engaged in your
program area or experience. Regularly plan opportunities for youth to connect
and get to know one another.

For program delivery, your primary goal is to ensure youth are positively
engaged in the program space.

Essential staff practice: Facilitate discussion. Recognize and address negative

behavior by identifying the cause with those involved. Give youth the opportunity
to share their perspective and emotions, then guide them toward solutions.

2. Fun and Sense of Belonging

For program planning, your primary goal is to plan activities that are fun for you
and the youth you serve.

Essential staff practice: Plan opportunities for youth to make choices

within your activity or Targeted Program.

For program delivery, your primary goal is to ensure youth want to continue
to participate.

Essential staff practice: Provide opportunities for youth to make choices

within programs and activities to shape the direction of their experience.

3. Supportive Relationships With Peers and Adults

For program planning, your primary goal is to ensure youth feel connected
to adults and peers.

Essential staff practice: Include enough time in your session or activity

plan to get to know kids and teens as individuals, and develop meaningful SECTION
relationships built on trust and support.

For program delivery, your primary goal is to ensure the engagement and
inclusion of all youth.

Essential staff practice: Create ongoing and consistent opportunities for Putting Youth Development
youth to share what they are feeling in your program area. Into Practice
26
 BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

YDP PD SD

4. Opportunities and Expectations

NOTES:
For program planning, your primary goals are to create opportunities for youth
to develop skills and consistently reinforce expectations for behavior and
participation in activities.

Essential Staff Practice: Provide a balance of activity types in each program/

session time, including youth-led, adult-directed and self-directed activities.

For program delivery, your primary goal is to encourage the success of all
young people.
SECTION 2

Essential Staff Practice: Engage kids and teens in setting rules and
expectations that promote respect in peer and adult relationships.

5. Recognition
For program planning, your primary goal is to ensure that, in each program
area, youth have an opportunity to recognize their peers.

Essential Staff Practice: Provide pre-planned, structured opportunities for

youth to publicly recognize their peers’ efforts and accomplishments.

For program delivery, your goal is to provide recognition using encouragement.

Essential Staff Practice: Observe and recognize what youth are interested
in. During the session, recognize youth efforts. Take notice and acknowledge
moments when youth are trying. ■

SECTION

Putting Youth Development

Into Practice
27
 BLUEprint

Putting Youth
SD PD YDP
Development Into Practice
The way you interact with youth makes a difference in the way NOTES:
young people engage in and with their Club Experience. This
section will share how to incorporate the Five Key Elements
for Positive Youth Development into your practice as a youth
development professional in a Boys & Girls Club or Youth Center
setting. These practices are critical to developing the whole child.

SECTION 2
Practicing the Five Key Elements
for Positive Youth Development
The Outcome-Driven Club Experience in our Formula for Impact has features
that work together to develop core social-emotional skills in youth and help
them to achieve positive outcomes in the three priority outcome areas. The
features of an Outcome-Driven Club Experience are:
• High-Yield Activities • Regular Attendance
• Five Key Elements for Positive • Targeted Programs
Youth Development

The first feature of an Outcome-Driven Club Experience, Five Key Elements for
Positive Youth Development, unlocks the other features. To ensure positive
youth outcomes, Boys & Girls Clubs implement these Five Key Elements for
Positive Youth Development:
• Safe, positive environment • Recognition
• Supportive relationships with • Opportunities and expectations
peers and adults • Fun and sense of belonging

The Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development are the foundation for
planning and delivering programs. Think of this first feature of an Outcome-
Driven Club Experience as a vehicle to building relationships and trust with
youth in order to engage them and deepen their participation. Let’s explore
each of the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development in greater detail.

Safe, Positive Environment

Every Club and Youth Center must be a place where young
people feel physically and emotionally safe; are able to form
positive, healthy relationships with staff and peers; and
can engage fully in programs and activities. Establishing a safe, positive
environment is an important step in achieving youth engagement because it
helps to forge trust and a sense of belonging. Staff do their part to ensure
youth experience an inclusive place that is free from judgment and bullying.
As a result, youth learn to be empathetic and caring because the adults in the
SECTION
Club or Youth Center consistently model these traits.

Physical Safety
A physically safe and secure Club has an environment where recognized Putting Youth Development
hazards are controlled so people are protected from harm. Start by identifying
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what improvements your Club needs to keep members safe. Share your
NOTES: findings with your supervisor. Look for physical safety hazards in places
like the neighborhood, shared facilities, extensive grounds, large buildings,
bathrooms, private areas and irregular layouts.

Use these everyday practices:

• When outdoors, be observant and communicate any external threats, such
as severe weather or an unknown person or vehicle.
• Make sure you can clearly see youth in every program space, whether
indoors or outdoors.
SECTION 2

• Conduct regular walk-throughs to check stairwells, bathrooms and

hallways where youth can drop out of sight or be unsupervised.
• Make sure unused areas are locked properly, with no exterior doors
propped open.
• Keep the Club clean, organized and free of hazards.
• Monitor Club activities, evaluate settings and take immediate action to
prevent physical injuries, abductions, sexual abuse or accidental death.
• Communicate defined policies and procedures; ensure staff are oriented
to them and implement them consistently.

As a youth development professional, know what physical, administrative,

electronic or technology-based solutions your Club or Youth Center has in
place. Using these will ensure the physical safety of youth, staff, volunteers,
parents and other stakeholders. Having policies and procedures in place
and abiding by them is vital. Following such procedures reduces the chance
of injuries and promotes a shared awareness. Consider the following when
developing and enforcing a safety policy in your Club:
• Adhere to relevant local and state laws and your organization’s licensing,
safety, and reporting policies and procedures.
• Restore safety by having an up-to-date Emergency Operations Plan.
• Conduct training and drills regularly so everyone can respond in emergencies.
RESOURCE
Emotional Safety
To assess areas of risk that require
If youth do not feel emotionally safe, then they simply do not feel safe at all.
safety improvements at the site and
organizational levels, and to receive Prioritizing emotional safety helps Clubs and Youth Centers create positive
automatic recommendations and links experiences, relationships and environments.
to safety resources, complete the online
Child Safety Organizational Assessment: Emotional safety relates to how safe youth feel in expressing their emotions,
BGCA.net/ChildSafety/Assessment. how secure and confident they feel taking healthy risks, and how excited and
confident they are to try new things. To achieve emotional safety in your Club
or Youth Center, it’s important to build trusting relationships with one another.

How Do I Foster Emotional Safety and Establish Positive,

SECTION Meaningful Relationships?
Emotional safety requires communication! Below are some tips to get you started.
• Lead Community Builders so youth can get to know one another and work
with those they normally would not work with.
Putting Youth Development • Create spaces within program areas where youth can work together in
large groups, small groups and individually; have several seating options
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• Display Group Agreements in program areas to create structure and routine.

• Ask open-ended questions to encourage self-reflection. Such questions don’t NOTES:
have a single right answer, so they give youth a variety of possible responses.
• Let youth share a high, something good that happened to them, and a low,
something negative that happened, during the day.
• Provide additional opportunities for youth to share their stories and
listen to others’. This allows youth to practice relating to each other with
acceptance and understanding.
• Address conflict consistently by identifying the problem, facilitating

SECTION 2
conversation between the youth in conflict, and helping them to determine
a solution.

The Principles of Program Planning and Delivery section of this BLUEprint

provides more information about Community Builders and Group Agreements,
some of the Elements of a High-Quality Session.

Tips for Planning to Support a Safe, Positive Environment

Your primary goal is to reinforce physical and emotional safety.

Essential staff practice: Ensure all youth are positively engaged in your
program area or experience. Regularly plan opportunities for youth to connect
and get to know one another.

Plan how to facilitate Group Agreements during your first activity or session
with a group. You could do this for each age group or grade level in your
program area. Prepare to lead your group(s) in answering three questions:
• How do we want to feel in ?
• What will we do to have these feelings every day?
• What will we do when we have conflict?

Double-check any equipment, materials, or tools needed for your activities

are appropriate for a wide range of abilities and can be adapted to support
participation. This also helps to ensure there are enough materials for
everyone participating so no one feels left out. RESOURCES
Anything can happen during the Club day, so think of activity adjustments in Visit the YDToolbox mobile app for a
case you need to quickly change course. Plan additional activity options to variety of Community Builder activities.
ensure all youth can participate – no matter what their ability level is.
Search for the Positive Club Climate
Guide on BGCA.net. This guide provides a
Tips for Delivery to Support a Safe, Positive Environment process to facilitate Group Agreements.
Your primary goal is to ensure youth are positively engaged in the program space.

Essential staff practice: Facilitate discussion. Recognize and address

negative behavior by identifying the cause with the young people involved.
Give youth the opportunity to share their perspectives and emotions, and SECTION
guide them toward solutions.
• Develop Group Agreements and post them in a visible area during the first
activity or session. Refer to the Agreements throughout the session and in
subsequent sessions.
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• Observe youth emotions and mood changes by listening actively. Establish

NOTES: a quiet area in the program space where youth can choose to go for time
to themselves.
• Use the last 10 minutes of each session to reflect on youths' experiences.
• Remind youth about their specific contributions to an activity.

Tips for listening actively :11

• Use nonverbal cues and maintain eye contact.
• Identify feelings and empathize.
SECTION 2

• Hold back and let youth speak.

• Remember the context and details.

Tips for encouraging success:

• Participate alongside youth.
• Encourage youth to describe their plans, feelings and goals.
• Make specific comments.
• Avoid judgment and be honest.

Steps for Responding to Youth Conflict 12

1. Approach young people calmly.
2. Acknowledge youth feelings and recognize the inappropriate action.
3. Stop the behavior and gather information.
4. Restate the problem.
5. Ask for solutions by using open-ended questions to help youth reflect
on their behavior.
6. Follow up. Clarify expectations by referring to Group Agreements, rules
and limits.
Use these questions to help youth reflect on how they expressed
themselves, consider how another person might have been affected, and
reflect and plan on what they can do to change their behavior.
• What happened? How did you feel? How did feel?
• What caused your feelings? What caused ’s feelings?
RESOURCE • How did you express your feelings? How did express
Visit the YDToolbox mobile app for their feelings?
sample ways to facilitate reflection. • What could you have done to handle the situation better? What can
you do now?
• What consequence is best suited for your actions?
• What is the agreement?
SECTION Provide youth opportunities to reflect and work through their feelings when
dealing with conflict. Also provide guidance and support in this reflection.

Ask the Club director or another staff member to step into your program
area so you can work with the young person(s) having a difficult time.
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Fun and Sense of Belonging NOTES:

Generating fun and fostering a sense of belonging are essential
to youth development work. Several key factors influence fun
and sense of belonging in your Club or Youth Center:
• Staff creativity
• Youth input
• Opportunities for youth leadership roles
• Opportunities for youth to choose their activities

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• Diversity of experiences offered
• Cultivating a home- or family-like atmosphere

Young people need to have fun just for the sake of having fun. But, fun is
also a means of breaking down boundaries and building trust. Fun and play
are vehicles for learning. Youth have fun when they are laughing, when they
fully engage in an experience, when they enjoy an experience so much they’re
sad when it is over, and when they choose to take on leadership roles. Fun
is the gateway to Regular Attendance and deeper engagement in programs
and activities! When youth experience a family-like environment, a home away
from home, a community with a shared identity and common goals, they feel a
strong sense of belonging.

How Do I Ensure Young People Have Fun in the Club or

Youth Center?
There are many things you can do to make sure your Club or Youth Center is
a fun place to be. It’s all about giving young people choices! Let youth help
set the direction of your programming. Keep them involved in the planning
and delivery of programs, and let them define leadership roles for themselves
and their peers. Give young people opportunities to choose relevant and
meaningful activities throughout the day. Regularly rotate games, activities
and programs to ensure they have a variety of new things to do. Keep it
interesting by playing music during program area transitions, or lead play
breaks throughout the day.

Another important factor to making sure young people have fun is the program
space. Pay attention to the aesthetics and layout! Provide various seating RESOURCE
options. These should be comfortable and allow youth to work in groups or Search for the Play Breaks Guide on
individually. Provide tables, soft pillows or couches, various lighting options, BGCA.net for spontaneous play breaks
rugs, etc. All of this makes your space inviting and contributes to a fun place that can be used to incorporate fun
throughout your program day.
where youth choose to be.

Use these everyday practices:

• Regularly ask youth what types of activities, programs or experiences
would be fun, engaging, and would attract other youth who do not yet
attend the Club.
SECTION
• Partner with youth to create and facilitate activities, programs and
experiences to ensure youth voice.
• During activities, ask youth to give a thumbs-up if the activity is fun, or a
thumbs-down if they aren’t enjoying it. If you receive a majority of thumbs Putting Youth Development
down, ask youth what would improve the activity.
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• Be spontaneous! Re-invent recurring happenings, such as youth

NOTES: assemblies or snack time, to make them more fun. What if all the staff
dressed up in costumes that represented the types of activities happening
in their program spaces?

Tips for Planning to Create Fun and a Sense of Belonging

Your primary goal is to ensure you plan activities that are fun for you and youth.

Essential staff practice: Plan opportunities for youth to make choices within
your activity or Targeted Program.
SECTION 2

Use a current youth trend as a lever to create an experience that is timely,

relevant and fun. For example, if an appropriate dance, song, documentary
or TV show is popular, think about how you can incorporate it into your
program session.

Determine what leadership roles are available for your session, and post them
in a visible area. Youth roles to advertise could include co-facilitator, timekeeper,
observer and supply distributor. Post job descriptions on notecards for each role
so youth know what is expected of them during the session.

Tips for Delivery to Create Fun and a Sense of Belonging

Your primary goal is to ensure youth want to continue to participate.

Essential staff practice: Provide opportunities for youth to make choices

within programs and activities to shape the direction of their experience.

Introduce the leadership roles that are available for the session. Have youth
sign up before you get started. Provide the job descriptions so applicants are
able to fulfill their roles.

Include reflection questions at the end of your session to find out what youth
liked or disliked. Conduct a Pulse Check to gauge how fun the session was by
asking youth to give you a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down.

Supportive Relationships with

Peers and Adults
Supportive relationships include interactions staff-to-staff,
staff-to-youth and youth-to-youth. Every child and teen should
feel connected to one or more adults and peers. They should observe warmth,
caring, appreciation and acceptance when staff interact. With proper guidance
in your interactions with youth, they will learn how to build healthy relationships
with adults and their peers, based on trust and mutual respect. When supportive
relationships exist, staff know young people’s interests, likes, dislikes and
SECTION passions. Youth have a variety of opportunities to work with their peers in small
groups, large groups, and independently during sessions and activities.

Strength-Based Approach
A strength-based approach emphasizes the strengths of young people, rather
Putting Youth Development than their deficits. The goal is to build on youths’ resiliency and help them
believe they can be successful. In other words, a strength-based approach
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identifies what a young person does well, finds ways for them to do more of it,
and then builds upon those skills. NOTES:

So focus on building up the positive, rather than preventing the negative. Use
the strength-based approach to cultivate supportive relationships and trust
with young people.

How Do I Build Supportive Relationships?

Learn young people’s names and call them by their names while you’re with them.

SECTION 2
Ask youth relevant open-ended questions. Frame questions in ways youth can
win in the conversation! For example, if you have a young person who has a
habit of leaving his backpack at school, refrain from saying: “Tom, you left your
backpack again?” Instead, try an open-ended question that allows him to reflect
on what is preventing bringing the backpack from school: “Tom, what would help
you remember to bring your backpack from school each day?” Then actively
listen to his response. Help him understand the consequences of leaving his
backpack at school, and set a goal for bringing the backpack next time.

Help young people get to know their peers. During times of transition throughout
the year – such as at the beginning of the school year or at the beginning of
summer programming – pair each new young person with a buddy or “family
group.” You may also consider creating homerooms, where youth of a similar
age group or interest come together each day at a designated time to build
community and regroup. For tips on setting up and conducting homerooms for
the young people in your Club or Youth Center, see the Reference Handout:
Integrating Homeroom Into Your Schedule at the end of this section.

Tips for asking effective questions:13

• Ask lots of open-ended, relevant, challenging questions.
• Balance questions with comments and dialogue.
• Make sure every young person in the group has input.

Tips for Planning to Develop Supportive Relationships

Your primary goal is to ensure youth feel connected to adults and peers.

Essential staff practice: Include enough time in your session or activity

plan to get to know kids and teens as individuals, and develop meaningful RESOURCE
relationships built on trust and support. Visit the YDToolbox mobile app for
• Build in time to review Group Agreements, expectations, rules and groupers. These are quick activities to
program limits. divide large groups into smaller groups.

• When planning your session, provide multiple activity options.

• Allow youth to work with others who have similar interests.
• Plan opportunities within your session to divide youth into smaller groups
to complete tasks. SECTION

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NOTES:
Rules, Expectations, Group Agreements and Limits
Clubs and Youth Centers set rules or behavioral expectations to keep
youth and staff members safe. These expectations are typically set by
adults and are fixed, meaning they do not change.

Some Clubs and Youth Centers include youth in their process of

establishing agreed-upon behavioral expectations to ensure everyone’s
physical and emotional safety. These expectations are typically referred to
as Group Agreements.
SECTION 2

And then there are limits. These refer to the parameters of specific
activities that take place in a particular program space. For example, it
could include the amount of time young people can spend at different
activity stations, or the types of materials they can use there.

Tips for Delivery to Develop Supportive Relationships

Your primary goal is to ensure the engagement and inclusion of all youth.

Essential staff practice: Create ongoing and consistent opportunities for

youth to share what they are feeling in your program area.

As youth arrive in your program space, ask them to form a circle. First, review
the Group Agreements. Then, facilitate a conversation starter. To do this, pose
an open-ended question for everyone in the group to answer. Here are 10
sample conversation starters to get you going:
• If you were the weather today, what would you be?
• What is something that makes you laugh?
• When do you feel at your very best?
• What do you dream about doing most?
• If you could meet any celebrity today, who would it be?
• If you could paint the sky any color, what would it be?
• If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?
• If there was a movie made about your life, who would be the actor or
actress to play you?
RESOURCE
• What is your favorite food?
Visit the YDToolbox mobile app for
• What are you most curious about?
attention getters to try out.
Next, introduce an attention getter, or have youth come up with one of their
own. This can be used throughout the session to get the group’s attention in
a respectful and engaging way. For example, when you are running a group
SECTION meeting or assembly with a large group of youth, tell everyone when they hear
you say, “Peanut Butter,” they should say, “Jelly Time!” Then all eyes and ears
should be on the person leading the attention getter.

Finally, before youth engage in activities, use a grouper to divide them into
smaller groups. This will allow everyone an opportunity to work with new people.
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Opportunities and Expectations NOTES:

Youth need to develop physical, cognitive, social and emotional
skills to be productive, contributing members of their
communities. Staff should acknowledge youths’ strengths,
and use them as a starting point to build other essential skills they may
be missing. Using youths’ strengths as a foundation, youth development
professionals can establish and reinforce high expectations. This helps young
people do well in school, pursue a postsecondary education, and ensure
workforce readiness. Because staff offer youth opportunities and encourage

SECTION 2
them to set goals that raise their own expectations, young people learn to be
accountable to themselves and others.

When opportunities and expectations are in place, staff plan activities,

programs, and experiences that expose youth to new ideas and concepts.
This challenges youth to move beyond their comfort zones. Staff provide
both self-guided and staff-led learning opportunities that support youth skill
development. They actively support individual youth in setting and achieving
personal goals, carve out time for youth to think about something they need to
pursue, and ask questions to guide the goal-setting process. Staff provide a
variety of options in youth program spaces.

How Do I Create Opportunities and Expectations?

• Provide youth with visual and verbal reminders about the expectations for
behavior and participation.
• Create routines for how youth arrive in your program space, choose
activities to participate in, access and return materials, clean up the
program space, and transition and depart from your program space.
• Share opportunities that will allow youth to stretch beyond what they are
comfortable or accustomed to doing.

For ideas on setting up a daily schedule full of new opportunities, both

structured and less-structured, review the Reference Handout: Scheduling
Opportunities and Expectations at the end of this section.

Tips for Planning to Support Opportunities and Expectations

Your primary goals are to create opportunities for youth to develop skills and
consistently reinforce expectations for behavior and participation in activities.

Essential Staff Practice: Provide a balance of activity types in each program/

session time, including youth-led, adult-directed and self-directed activities.

Determine the objective and purpose of each activity, and prepare to

effectively communicate this when delivering your session plan.

Plan reflection questions that specifically relate to the new experiences your SECTION
activities will introduce. Try questions like:
• What is something new that you learned today?
• What was challenging? Why is having a challenge important?
• What new skills did you gain? Why are these important? Where else could Putting Youth Development
you use these skills?
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Tips for Delivery to Support Opportunities and Expectations

NOTES:
Your primary goal is to encourage the success of all young people.

Essential Staff Practice: Engage kids and teens in setting rules and
expectations that promote respect in peer and adult relationships.

Check in and remind youth of the Group Agreements before implementing your
session plan. Give the group a chance to add to the Agreements, if needed.
When introducing activity options, state the goal and objective of each activity.
Then reiterate the expectations for youth participation in those specific
SECTION 2

activities. Finally, during the Main Activity, participate along with youth by trying
out key aspects of the activity.

Refer back to the tips for Safe, Positive Environment, which are also useful for
encouraging success.

Recognition
Caring adults acknowledge young people’s innate strengths
and talents. They use authentic gestures and encouragement
to positively reinforce their efforts and persistence, and they
celebrate their progress and successes. They commend good decisions and
choices. Clubs and Youth Centers showcase youth achievements on walls,
bulletin boards and monitors, during assemblies and special events, or in
newsletters or social media posts. As a result, Clubs and Youth Centers
formally and informally affirm young people’s self-worth and boost their sense
of competence. Young people gain confidence in their abilities to try new
things and succeed in those new experiences.

Recognition can be informal – in-the-moment acknowledgment of effort and

contribution – or formal – certificates or title designations, like Youth of the
Week/Month/Year. In cases where there is competition, recognition may be
limited to the one young person who is deemed a winner or holds a specific
title designation. It is important, especially in those instances, to remember
to recognize, acknowledge and encourage all youth. When youth experience
disappointment in competitive experiences, encourage them to continue to try
hard and persevere to overcome challenges.

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NOTES:
Encouragement Versus Praise
No matter how you choose to recognize young people, seek to offer
encouragement rather than praise.

Why? When you praise a young person, you provide general and non-
specific statements based on how you judge their actions. But, when you
offer encouragement, you give specific observations about their effort.

Praise = being judgmental and not specific

SECTION 2
Example of a praise statement: “Tiffany, you did great!”

Encouragement = being nonjudgmental and specific

Example of an encouragement statement: “John, I noticed that when you
were frustrated during the activity, you took the breaks you needed to
complete the task. This really made a difference in your group finishing the
activity. What was your experience like?”

How Can I Include Meaningful Recognition in Each Club Day?

Recognition should be a regular part of the Club Experience. For a sample
schedule featuring a variety of programs and activities that support recognition,
see the Reference Handout: Building Recognition Into Each Club Day at the end
of this section.

To get started, follow these tips, and you’ll be well on your way.
• Develop a clearly defined recognition system, including both informal and
formal recognition opportunities.
• Always seek to recognize youth interests, efforts and accomplishments.
• Collaborate with young people! Form a youth recognition committee, and
develop ways to recognize others both informally and formally.
• Look for moments when a young person is taking a risk. Specifically
acknowledge that they tried a new activity or persevered when things got
tough. Use language like: “I noticed how you really picked up speed at the
end of the relay race. You were really working hard for your team.”
• Seek to offer encouragement rather than praise, as in the example above.
Encouragement is a non-judgmental and specific comment that identifies
effort the young person makes.

Tips for Planning to Support Recognition

Your primary goal is to ensure that, in each program area, youth have an
opportunity to recognize their peers.

Essential Staff Practice: Provide pre-planned, structured opportunities for SECTION

youth to publicly recognize their peers’ efforts and accomplishments.

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When creating your session plan, include sufficient time for youth to recognize
NOTES: their peers at the end of each session. This can be done in a variety of ways.
• The recognition committee should establish a list of creative categories to
recognize others.
• Go down the list of categories and ask youth to recognize the peer who
best demonstrated the category during this program time.
• Keep track visually of who is recognized, and hold the group accountable
to make sure all youth have an opportunity.
• Open each recognition activity for shout-outs, so youth can acknowledge
SECTION 2

peers for their effort during the session.

Tips for Delivery to Support Recognition

Your primary goal is to provide recognition using encouragement. (See sidebar:
Encouragement Versus Praise.)

Essential Staff Practice: Observe and recognize what youth are interested in.
Ask them:
• What do you love doing?
• What have you always wanted to try?
• What is something you want to learn how to do?
• What is something you want to learn more about?
• What is something that you have tried before, or seen someone else
doing, that you want us to do here?

During the session, recognize youth efforts. Take notice and acknowledge
moments when they are trying. Acknowledge the effort right when it’s
happening, and be specific with your statements so youth attribute the
recognition to a specific task.

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Next Steps for Learning:

Putting Youth SD PD YDP

Development Into Practice

Take your learning to the next level using these reflection questions and resources.

Reflection Questions for

Youth Development Professionals

SECTION 2
After you think about and answer these questions, share your responses with your supervisor in your next
one-on-one meeting. Ask for help as needed.

1. What are your strengths in putting the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development into
practice? Think of an example working with youth that highlights this strength.

2. What Key Element for Positive Youth Development do you want to work on most? What will it look like
to practice and improve?

3. Based on what you learned, what is one change you will make in how you interact with youth and
model behavior for them?

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Reflection Questions for

Club Directors
Use these questions in your regular staff meetings to create an opportunity for staff to reflect on how the
Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development are showing up in your Club or Youth Center.

1. How are the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development displayed in our Club or Youth Center?
What specific examples do you see?
SECTION 2

2. What barriers are you experiencing when implementing the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth
Development?

3. What are our greatest opportunities for improving the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development?

4. What support do you need in order to implement the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development
consistently?

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Suggested Training for Youth

Development Professionals
To support your implementation of the Five Key Online Courses and Learning
Elements for Positive Youth Development and Coach In-Service Modules
the youth development practices that support
them, visit the BGCA.net Training page to access • Emotional Intelligence at Boys & Girls Clubs
Spillett Leadership University. Log in and use the • Creating Collaboratives

SECTION 2
search function to find a full range of learning • Strengthening Character Through Guidance
opportunities for Club and Youth Center staff in and Discipline
the School of Youth Development. These include
in-service learning modules facilitated by certified Youth Development Institute
learning coaches, online courses, and instructor- This interactive, hands-on opportunity provides
led sessions and workshops. Here are some youth development professionals with practical
specific learning opportunities pertaining to the skills geared to improve the quality of their
topic of this section of the BLUEprint. interactions with youth. It utilizes some of the
Youth Work Methods from the David P. Weikart
Webinars on Emotional Safety Center for Youth Program Quality, including
and Inclusion Structure and Clear Limits, Ask-Listen-Encourage,
• Supporting Youth With ADHD Through and Reframing Conflict.
Meaningful Relationships
• Designing Club Environments to Support
Sensory Needs
• Creating a Welcoming and Respectful
Membership Application Process
• Creating a Sense of Belonging for Youth With
Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Building Supportive Relationships for Youth
With High Social-Emotional Needs

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Reference Handout:
YDP PD SD
Integrating Homeroom
NOTES:
Into Your Schedule
Schedule homeroom time after youth decompress from school
– either by encouraging physical activity, playing with friends,
or having quiet time. Start by creating homeroom groups with
members of similar grades, and keep homeroom staff consistent
with each group. Include time for completing homework according
to their age. Staff overseeing each homeroom should become
SECTION 2

familiar with the type and amount of homework assigned, and

support members in their completion.

Homeroom should be a place where youth have fun and interact with their
peers. So, make sure homework isn’t the only thing youth do there. Offer
several self-directed projects for them to work on when they complete
their homework. Facilitate community-building activities, where youth get a
chance to know each other and make friends. As the year progresses, assign
homeroom members to choose and lead the community-building activities
with their peers. Keep a structured schedule, but alternate recognition and
community-building activities. See the two sample schedules below for ideas.

Sample Homeroom Schedule for First and Second Graders

(3:45-4:45 p.m.)
• Warm Welcome and emotional check-in board (5 min.)
• Homeroom shout-outs for youth to recognize their peers (5 min.)
• Circle homework goal check-in (5 min.)
(Have each member share their assigned homework, a goal for
homeroom, and what they will do if they complete their homework
while it’s still work time.)
• Quiet homework/project time (20 min.)
• Clean-up and transition (5 min.)
• Create celebration dance with partner and dance party (15 min.)
• Review afternoon schedule and have members share with their dance
partner what sessions they want to attend (5 min.)

Sample Homeroom Schedule for Fifth and Sixth Graders

(3:45–4:45 p.m.)
• Warm Welcome (5 min.)
• Emotion sticky notes (3 min.)
(Have everyone write their current emotion on a sticky note and put it
SECTION near their work space.)
• Homework goal journal (3 min.)
(Members write down what their homework is and a goal for the day.)
• Quiet homework/project time (30 min.)
• Toot Your Horn Tuesday (5 min.)
Putting Youth Development
(Have members share a reason they are proud of themselves.)
Into Practice
43
 BLUEprint

Reference Handout:
Scheduling Opportunities SD PD YDP

and Expectations NOTES:

Choices for youth can look different depending on the nature of

your session. Let’s look at a week’s worth of less-structured gym
activities. This example is for the beginning of the Club day, when
kids are still arriving and joining the session at various times (also
called a rolling arrival time).

SECTION 2
Gym
2:30–3:45 p.m.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Obstacle
Hula Hoop, Course, Basketball
Races or Jump Tag Games Line Games Clapping Spelling
Rope Games or Games
Double Dutch

On Monday, Thursday and Friday, young people can choose to participate

in any or all of the options set up in the gym. On Monday, stations for hula
hooping, various types of races (running, skipping, crab walk, etc.) or jump
rope will be available, and youth can try one or all three. Where they spend
their time is their choice, but the options are already determined for them.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, there is only one type of activity available in the
gym. That’s because both tag and line games take up a lot of space, as they
can accommodate large groups. Since there are many types of tag and line
games, youth can help decide which games to play. This could be determined
the day of, by offering three options and letting the group choose, or in
advance by asking members to offer suggestions and vote on a white board.
Remember to offer several variations throughout each time frame. Finally, end
each game while kids are still having fun, and move onto another variation.

Now let’s look at the art room during a structured time frame. Here you will
see layered choices and higher expectations of completion than in the gym’s
sample schedule. During the low-structure arrival time above, members move
between activities freely. But here, youth choose which session they want to
be a part of, and they stay with that activity for the entire session.

Art and Design Nexus

5–6 p.m.
Monday
Tracing Value
Tuesday Wednesday
Tracing Value
Thursday Friday
SECTION
Self-Portrait Leadership Visual Arts
Word on Word on
With Natural Skits Project (Youth
Printing Foam Printing Foam
Materials Ages 8 to 12 and Teens)
Ages 6 to 9 Ages 10 to 12

Monday, Wednesday and Friday is part of a 10-week Targeted Program – Print

Putting Youth Development
Making and Visual Arts Competition – which youth signed up for in advance. Into Practice
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YDP PD SD

They agreed to attend once a week for the full 10 weeks. This week in Print
NOTES: Making, they are discussing values that are important to them and their families.
They chose a value and started their design last week. This week, they will move
that design to the printing phase. It’s time for big decisions in this activity, which
engages youths’ creativity. Participants will each have to determine:
• How big will my print be?
• Will some areas be lighter or darker than others?
• What changes do I need to make to my design in order to carve it into foam?

On Thursday, there is a single session that members can choose to attend

SECTION 2

that day at the Club meeting. When they get into the session, they will talk
about leadership and share some examples of leadership in their own lives.
Then youth choose a topic and, with their team, make a choice about a
leadership scenario they want to act out. Next, they collaborate to select a
script, choose playing parts, and pick out costumes and props. For all of these
sessions, the choices are intentionally built into the activities, so youth play an
active role in the planning process.

As youth are engaged in planning, reserve sufficient time for them to explore
new interests and build foundational skills before asking them to commit to a
full Targeted Program. Consider this example: Your teens have been watching
Step competitions on YouTube and say they want to do Step at the Club. You’re
excited about offering this new program, and your goal is to have a thriving
teen Step team. Consider how an Introduction to Step program might look.

• Week 1: Have teens share their favorite Step videos with the group.
• Week 2: Organize a field trip or invite a guest speaker to perform.
• Week 3: Have the group choose their favorite three videos.
• Weeks 4 to 6: Schedule time for teens to watch one of the videos each
week and practice the steps; in a casual, less-structured space.
• Week 7: Reflect with the group during the open Step time.
• Week 8: Have the group choose their favorite two videos.
• Weeks 9 to 12: Help participants learn both routines from the videos.
• Week 13: Invite participants to perform their routines at the Club meeting.
• Week 14: Reflect on performance and team commitment. If members
express commitment and want to proceed, try to find a coach for the new
Step team. If teens do not express a level of commitment but want to
continue, repeat weeks 8 to 14.

You’ll notice from the schedule above, Weeks 1 to 7 are about exploring
and building commitment. Weeks 8 to 14 allow participants to demonstrate
application in a low-pressure, self-directed environment before committing to
being part of a full team.
SECTION

Putting Youth Development

Into Practice
45
 BLUEprint

Reference Handout:
Building Recognition SD PD YDP

Into Each Club Day NOTES:

Recognition is an important everyday practice at the Club or

Youth Center. It requires intentional planning to build important
recognition events into your Club schedule. Let’s imagine you’re
planning the weekly schedule for your Club, and you managed to
build in five opportunities for recognition. These are highlighted in
the sample schedule below.

SECTION 2
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Art and Design Nexus
Tracing Value Tracing Value
Self-Portrait Leadership Visual Arts
Word on Word on
With Natural Skits Project (Youth
Printing Foam Printing Foam
Materials Ages 8 to 12 and Teens)
Ages 6 to 9 Ages 10 to 12
Learning Alcove
African-
American Parks in My Planning Parks in My Drawing
Leaders Community Program Community Emotions
20 Questions Ages 10+ Showcase Ages 6 to 9 Ages 6 to 9
Ages 9 to 12
Gamesroom
State
Gamesroom Fabulous
Four Square
Cup Stacking Tournament Flags:
Tourney/Magic Spider Web
Tournament Practice Character
the Gathering
Version
Ages 6 to 10
Teen Center
Posters for Planning for Power Hour
College-Type Paying for Party
Keystone Torch Club
Exploration College
Elections Fundraiser Ages 6 to 9

In the Art and Design Nexus, there is time on Friday for youth to work on
their visual arts projects. These projects will be showcased in the winter
Visual Arts Competition, and participants will be recognized there. The
same principle applies to the State Gamesroom Tournament, where the
6- to 10-year-old members get a chance to practice on Tuesday before
representing their Club in the spring tournament. Teens will work on election
posters on Monday, in preparation for recognition by their peers in the
upcoming Keystone Club election. SECTION
On Friday in the Teen Center, a weekly Power Hour party is scheduled to
recognize children who reached their homework completion goals during the
week, while teen members are scheduled elsewhere. It’s a special treat for
younger members since the Teen Center is usually off-limits to them. Putting Youth Development
Into Practice
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YDP PD SD

On Wednesday in the Learning Alcove, a weekly session is scheduled for youth

NOTES: who are involved in planning the Program Showcase at the end of the current
seasonal schedule, recognizing awesome things youth achieved during this
period. This group of young people meets weekly with a staff person to plan
the event, create decorations, and pump up the excitement among their peers.

Use these examples to consider how you will recognize the young people in
your Club or Youth Center, and allow youth time to plan to recognize each
other, too.
SECTION 2

SECTION

Putting Youth Development

Into Practice
47
Understanding
Children and Teens
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 BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Section Summary:
YDP
Understanding
PURPOSE/AUDIENCE
Children and Teens
All youth development professionals
need to know the typical developmental All youth development professionals need to know the typical
characteristics of youth at different
ages. This section provides up-to- developmental characteristics of children and teens. Apply this
date, research-based information knowledge to how you interact with young people, and how you
about the developmental milestones of plan and facilitate programs and activities for them.
children and teens. It helps ensure your
programming is not only developmentally

Developmental Milestones of
appropriate, but also progressive. That
way, it evolves with youth as they grow
and continue building their skills.
Children and Teens
As youth grow, they develop physically, emotionally, socially and cognitively.
They also gradually define a unique self-identity.

Based on child development research, typical developmental milestones for

SECTION 3

the general population of youth are organized in certain age groupings: middle/
late childhood (6 to 9 and 10 to 12); early adolescence/”tween” (10 to 12 and
13 to 15); and adolescence/teen (13 to 15 and 16 to 18).

But individuals achieve developmental milestones at different times, which is

why the age groupings overlap. You may work with kids or teens who don’t yet
demonstrate certain developmental characteristics considered typical for their
age. Yet others may seem to be ahead of their age group in some aspect of
their development.

Developmentally
Appropriate Programming
All programs and activities should be developmentally appropriate for the
youth participating in them. This is one reason why Clubs and Youth Centers
traditionally structure their programming around certain age groups.

At your Club or Youth Center, look critically at the content of activities and
programs, and at the instructions for delivering them. Make sure they
match the developmental characteristics of the age groups you’re working
with. Based on what you know about youths’ particular characteristics and
needs, adjust the content or delivery methods to make programming more
developmentally appropriate for them.

Use the Tips for Program Planning and Delivery by Age Range in this section.

SECTION
Progressive Programming
Members who stay involved over multiple years need programs and activities
that evolve along with them as they get older. This is called progressive
programming. In order to keep youth engaged and challenged, and to build
Understanding Children upon their existing knowledge and skills, Targeted Programs especially need to
and Teens offer a progression. ■

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 BLUEprint

Understanding
YDP
Children and Teens
All youth development professionals need to be thoroughly familiar NOTES:
with the typical developmental characteristics of children and
teens. Apply this knowledge when interacting with young people,
and when planning and facilitating their programs and activities. In
terms of our Formula for Impact and achieving an Outcome-Driven
Club Experience, this means you need to ensure all Targeted
Programs and High-Yield Activities are developmentally appropriate
for the youth participating in them.

Developmental Milestones
of Children and Teens
What does this mean? As youth grow, they develop physically, emotionally,
socially and cognitively (relating to or involving conscious intellectual activity,

SECTION 3
such as thinking, reasoning or remembering). They also gradually define a
unique self-identity. Changes in one of these areas often affect changes in
another area. For example, as youth get older, they get better at handling their
emotions, which affects their relationships with others.

Additionally, individuals achieve developmental milestones at different times.

Many factors contribute to this, including family make-up, health conditions
and life experiences. So it’s very likely that you work with kids or teens who
may not yet demonstrate certain developmental characteristics that are
considered typical for their age. Or you may work with others who seem to be
ahead of their age group in some aspect of their development.

To learn more about the developmental characteristics of children and

teens, review the Reference Handout: Developmental Milestones of Children
and Teens provided at the end of this section. This chart lists typical
developmental characteristics of youth by three age groupings – middle/late
childhood (6 to 9 and 10 to 12), early adolescence/”tween” (10 to 12 and 13
to 15), and adolescence/teen (13 to 15 and 16 to 18). It also includes five
developmental categories – physical, emotional, social, cognitive and self.

Developmentally
Appropriate Programming
Because young people’s developmental characteristics change, what works in
your programming for one age group probably will not work as well for another.
This is one big reason Clubs and Youth Centers traditionally structure their SECTION
programming around certain age groups.

Look critically at the content of your activities and programs, and consider your
instructions for delivering them. Make sure your programming matches the
developmental characteristics of the age groups you’re working with. Based on Understanding Children
what you know about the characteristics and needs of your group, adjust the
content or delivery methods to make them more developmentally appropriate. and Teens
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YDP

Let’s say you’re playing a game of Keep-Away with a group of 10- to 12-year-
NOTES: olds. You tell them the goal is to throw the ball to their teammates, and for every
three passes they make in a row, they will receive one point. You notice the
group is having a difficult time earning a point because they can’t make three
passes in a row. So you adjust the rules. You tell the group their goal is still the
same, but this time, for every single pass they make, they will receive a point.

Your homegrown programs, developed by your own Club or Youth Center, also
should be developmentally appropriate. If your Club or Youth Center created
a program that teaches about local wildlife, it should offer different activities
for the various age groups participating. A nature program for a group of
6- to 9-year-olds might involve learning about local animals and hiking on
walking trails. For groups of 10- to 12-year-olds or 13- to 15-year-olds, the
same program might instead involve learning about conservation and doing
conservation projects in the community.

Try some of the following practical programming tips for specific age ranges or
developmental stages. Learn more about delivery methods in the BLUEprint
SECTION 3

section called Principles of Program Planning and Delivery.

Tips for Program Planning

and Delivery by Age Range
Middle/Late Childhood: Ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12
• Include plenty of physical activity and promote healthy eating.
• Keep rules and directions simple. Use posters or visual aids, and
frequently reinforce previously learned material.
• Provide a variety of opportunities to help brain development, such as
hands-on activities, real-world experiences, and stimulating environments
with many objects kids can interact with.
• Help children name and express their emotions in healthy ways.
• Strengthen youths’ sense of self and autonomy by encouraging them to
explore different opportunities (e.g., “Do you want to do A or B today?”).
Recognize them when they build skills and accomplish their goals.
• Model the behavior you want children to learn and copy, since they are still
making sense of the social world.

Early Adolescence/”Tween”: Ages 10 to 12 and 13 to 15

• Be reliable, consistent and supportive, because this challenging period is
marked by transition and change.
• Support young people’s emerging autonomy by giving them more voice in
programs and activities.

SECTION • Provide opportunities for youth to work and interact with friends and peers,
which they need at this stage.
• Create opportunities and activities for positive risk-taking, such as rock
climbing, zip lining, team sports and service learning. The brains of tweens
and teens are wired for risk-taking.
Understanding Children
and Teens
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YDP

• Respond positively when youth test boundaries, while still reinforcing Club
expectations. Youth will test boundaries as they begin to interpret the NOTES:
world and their place in it.
• Help teach boys healthy emotional expression, and help girls develop
positive self-esteem.
• Encourage youth to engage in prosocial activities like community service.

Adolescence/Teen: Ages 13 to 15 and 16 to 18

• Provide opportunities for teens to practice skills like decision-making, goal-
setting and impulse control.
• Support identity development by providing a variety of experiences and
activities. Encourage youth to step outside of their comfort zones.
• Talk with teens about your own experiences and opinions. They learn to
think based on their exposure to others’ thinking processes.
• Continue to give teens more independence, responsibility and choice in
program activities.
• Leverage teens’ idealism and passions. Encourage them to identify,

SECTION 3
plan, and conduct activities and events at the Club or Youth Center, or to
address issues they see in the community.

Progressive Programming
A related aspect of providing relevant, appropriate programs and activities
for youth is what we call progressive programming. Members who stay
involved in your Club or Youth Center over multiple years need programs and
activities that evolve along with them. In order to keep such youth engaged
and challenged, and build upon their existing knowledge and skills, Targeted
Programs especially need to offer a progression.

For example, when youth turn 11, they can join a Torch Club to start learning
about leadership, citizenship and service. When Torch Club members turn 14,
they can join a Keystone Club to advance their skills in those areas.

In this section, you’ve increased your knowledge of the typical developmental

characteristics of youth at different ages. You’ve learned how to incorporate
that information into your program planning and delivery to ensure it’s a
good fit developmentally for the youth you serve. You’ve also learned about
the importance of implementing progressive programming that keeps youth
engaged and builds upon their skills as they get older.

The next section of the BLUEprint, Principles of Program Planning and Delivery,
lays down the basic building blocks of Club programming. Together with the tips
for positive youth development practice and developmental appropriateness,
you’ll be well on your way to enhancing your programs and activities. SECTION

Understanding Children
and Teens
52
 BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Next Steps for Learning:

YDP
Understanding
Children and Teens
Take your learning to the next level using these reflection questions and resources.

Reflection Questions
After you think about and answer these questions, share your responses with your supervisor in your next
one-on-one meeting. Ask for help as needed.

1. What new insights have you gained from learning about young people’s developmental milestones? Is
there particular information that helps explain something you see in your daily work with youth?
SECTION 3

2. Based on what you’ve learned, what is one change you will make in how you interact with youth? What
is one change you will make in how you facilitate programs and activities for them?

3. Based on what you’ve learned about the developmental characteristics of youth at different ages, and
what you know about yourself, to what degree are your current work assignments a good fit for you?

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YDP

Suggested Action Steps and Resources

To learn more about the and how it applies to your site’s youth population
developmental characteristics and programming. You could use the reflection
questions above to guide your discussions,
of children and youth: and brainstorm action steps for improvements
Take time to study the Reference Handout: everyone can make.
Developmental Milestones of Children and Teens
at the end of this section. This chart lists typical To build your skills in implementing
developmental characteristics of youth by five developmentally appropriate and
categories (physical, emotional, social, cognitive
and self), and by three somewhat overlapping
progressive programs and activities:
age groupings. Visit the BGCA.net Training page to access
Spillett Leadership University. Log in and use the
With your teammates and supervisor, consider search function to find a full range of learning
conducting an in-service group study over a opportunities for Club and Youth Center staff in
number of weeks. You could focus on one category the School of Youth Development. These include
per week, for example, in which everyone reads in-service learning modules facilitated by certified

SECTION 3
the information. Then during a regular staff learning coaches, online courses, and instructor-
meeting, you could discuss what you learned led sessions and workshops.

54
 BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Reference Handout:
YDP
Developmental Milestones
of Children and Teens
14

The developmental milestones outlined here offer a general idea about what to
expect from youth of different ages. Young people develop at different rates and
in different ways, however, so consider these characteristics as a general rule
of thumb. Use this information to implement age-specific and developmentally
appropriate programs and activities that best meet the needs of the young people
in your Club or Youth Center.

Middle/Late Childhood Early Adolescence/Tween Adolescence/Teen

Ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12 Ages 10 to 12 and 13 to 15 Ages 13 to 15 and 16 to 18
Physical • Boys and girls experience • There is wide variation at • Puberty continues. Both
Development a steady growth in size, the onset of puberty, with boys and girls show outward
strength and coordination. some youth maturing early physical signs of maturation.
SECTION 3

Growth surges when and others maturing late. Towards the end of this
surrounded by positive Girls begin puberty earlier period, physical changes
relationships, secure than boys. level off.
attachment and low stress. • Early-maturing girls are • Most older teens experience
• Motor development more likely to engage in strong sexual feelings.
becomes more coordinated. negative health behaviors
Youth can play most and are at higher risk for
organized games with depression.
simplified rules. • Physical changes of
puberty become outwardly
apparent, and children
are more aware of their
changing bodies.
• Body image and eating
problems can sometimes
start at this age.

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 BLUEprint

YDP

Middle/Late Childhood Early Adolescence/Tween Adolescence/Teen

Ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12 Ages 10 to 12 and 13 to 15 Ages 13 to 15 and 16 to 18
Cognitive • Children are capable of • Youth develop greater • Most teens can think
Development learning a lot at young ages. cognitive abilities for logic abstractly and hypothetically,
This leads to advances in and reasoning. Youth discern underlying premise
memory, attention, logic and gradually can think more of situations, and think about
creative thinking. abstractly, imagine future the future. Thinking and
• Children struggle with possibilities, and consider reasoning are comparable to
abstract thinking, as they more complexity. adults'.
can only draw from events • Changes in the brain make • The parts of the brain
they have previously youth more sensitive to responsible for self-control
experienced. rewards (e.g., money, and decision-making have
food, peer approval) and further developed and are
exciting and emotionally still developing. Teens may
charged experiences. not be fully able to connect
These changes lead actions with consequences.
youth to engage in what • Older teens develop

SECTION 3
adults would consider increased capacity to
risky behaviors. These understand multiple
risk-taking behaviors can perspectives, leading to
increase when among the ability to grasp bigger
peers. societal issues.

Emotional • Children are more self- • Parts of the brain • Teens gradually become
Development conscious and worried about responsible for emotional more emotionally stable
what others think of them. response develop quicker as they start to gain
• Children develop better than those required for more coping and emotion
emotional awareness. self-control, leading regulation skills.
However, emotional to strong emotional • Youth start to become
outbursts are still normal responses and moodiness. aware of their unique
occurrences. • Youth become more self- personalities and opinions.
• Children increasingly use conscious and worried • Reflection becomes an
strategies to control their about what others important tool as youth
emotions, such as calming think about them. This become able to examine
themselves when angry. leads to thinking they their experiences.
are unique and people
don’t understand their
experiences.
• Youth often mask negative
or uncomfortable emotions
with neutral responses.
• Boys struggle with
expressing their emotions.

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YDP

Middle/Late Childhood Early Adolescence/Tween Adolescence/Teen

Ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12 Ages 10 to 12 and 13 to 15 Ages 13 to 15 and 16 to 18
Social • Having positive relationships • Peers’ attention and • Friendships with peers
Development with peers is especially approval is very important. remain important, but older
important. Children Young people feel intense teens are less influenced by
increasingly want to be liked peer pressure and may peer pressure. They begin
and accepted by friends. develop “best friends” or to define themselves on
Healthy friendships promote form cliques. their own terms.
positive development. • It becomes emotionally • One-to-one relationships
• Gender stereotyping important for children to are becoming increasingly
increases, with boys being have and keep friends. important, as friendships
more rigid in their beliefs • Youth interact and develop become based on intimacy
about gender roles than girls. friendships with members and trust rather than
• Children start to engage in of the opposite sex. They common interest and
prosocial behaviors in more become interested in activities. Friendships with
complex ways, such as romance and dating. members of the opposite
reassuring their peers and sex become common.
SECTION 3

helping others. • Teens are increasingly

able to view parents as
individuals with their own
perspectives.
• Boys may lose positive male
friendships due to pressure
to conform to gender and
cultural expectations.

Self • Children become interested • Self-esteem issues may • Identity formation takes
Development in how things work. develop. Early developing center stage. Youth may
• Children are mostly boys often have higher experiment with different
interested in the present, social status/self-esteem. styles, sexuality, friendships
with very limited thought Early maturing girls may and occupations.
towards the future. struggle with newfound • Teens’ autonomy increases
• Self-esteem varies as attention. as they start to inhabit
children discover their • Youth seek independence leadership roles and take
qualities and compare and test authority as on more responsibility in
themselves to others. they push for autonomy. different areas of their lives.
However, they need • Teens’ interests become
guidance and structure important gateways into
as they navigate new passions and purpose.
boundaries.
• Youth experiment with
different identities, but
identities are closely tied to
peer groups.

57
Principles of Program
Planning and Delivery
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 BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Section Summary:
YDP PD SD
Principles of Program
PURPOSE/AUDIENCE
Planning and Delivery
For new youth development
professionals, this section describes the You accomplish your core youth development work through the
basic building blocks of programming. It
walks site-level program directors and programs and activities you implement. When you engage youth
site directors through enhancing program more frequently and deeply using high-quality youth development
quality at their site. Then it shows how to practices and effective programs, you boost your ability to have a
bind everything together in careful daily
session and program planning. positive, lasting impact on their lives.

Building Blocks of Programming

Overall Program: The overall program encompasses all of the activities,
programs and services offered at your Club or Youth Center. This includes both
structured time, such as programs and assemblies, and less-structured time,
such as transitions and snack or meal times.

Core Program Areas: This refers to a grouping of programs designed to

achieve specific youth outcomes related to a common discipline. They fit into
and align with the Formula for Impact’s priority outcome areas of Academic
Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles. The five
Core Program Areas are:
• Leadership and Service • Health and Wellness
• Education • Sports and Recreation
• The Arts
SECTION 4

Targeted Programs: A component of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience,

Targeted Programs are intentionally designed and chosen to help Club
youth achieve positive outcomes in one of our three priority outcome areas.
Targeted Programs:
• Are planned
• Are designed to achieve stated goals and objectives
• Are designed to build upon existing knowledge and skills
• Are conducted for a specific audience
• Are conducted over a specific period of time, using multiple lessons in
a certain order
• Use specific delivery methods
• Measure and evaluate the extent to which participants achieve goals
and objectives

High-Yield Activities: This component of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience

provides youth with enjoyable experiences that are hands-on and interactive,
SECTION that intentionally develop critical thinking or other skills, and help them achieve
positive outcomes in our three priority outcome areas.

Session: Typically, a Club or Youth Center program schedule is made up of

standard blocks of time in particular spaces. All activities that occur in a space
during one of those blocks of time is a session. A session may be dedicated
Principles of Program to a High-Yield Activity or a Targeted Program. Planning time is essential to
Planning and Delivery successfully facilitate Targeted Program sessions and High-Yield Activities.

59
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SD PD YDP

Elements of a High-Quality Session: To ensure you implement high-quality

youth development practices consistently, use the following elements to NOTES:
structure your Targeted Program sessions or High-Yield Activities:
• Warm Welcome • Reflection
• Community Builder • Recognition
• Group Agreements • Closing and Transition
• Main Activity

Special Events: These important building blocks of a good overall program

boost fun, excitement and interest – for youth, staff, volunteers, families
and community partners. Examples include events that culminate theme- or
project-driven programming, youth performances, holiday dinners, family nights
and field trips.

Key Factors for Enhancing

Program Quality
Interest-Based and Needs-Based Programming: It’s important to offer youth
a balanced mix of interest-based and needs-based programs and activities.
Keep this in mind when you plan the schedule for your assigned program area
or age group, and when you get together with your team to plan your Club or
Youth Center’s overall program schedule. Needs-based programs address the
needs of the youth you serve in the context of their community. Interest-based
programs tap into the interests and passions of youth.

SECTION 4
Free Choice (Voluntary) Versus Fixed (Mandatory) Program Schedules: A
key factor for program quality has to do with how your Club or Youth Center
structures its program schedule, and to what degree youth are able to make
choices about what they participate in and when. A good schedule meets the
needs and interests of both youth and staff.

Some sites allow members to freely select the programs and activities
they will participate in, so they can exercise autonomy. This is a free choice
or voluntary program schedule. In other sites, young people’s choice of
programming is limited based on their age, programmatic philosophy or other
reasons. This is a fixed or mandatory program schedule. Some sites offer a
mixture of these two types.

Staff-to-Youth Ratios: Another key factor for program quality is how your Club
or Youth Center allocates and deploys staff in relation to the number of youth
being served. An adequate number of staff is crucial to ensure young people
are properly supervised, kept safe, and have the opportunity to form healthy
relationships with staff and other youth. A staff-to-youth ratio refers to the
number of youth in a program compared to the number of adult supervising SECTION
staff members.25 For example, 1:10 means that for every 10 youth, there is
one staff member.

Check with your supervisor to make sure you’re following your organization’s
policies and procedures. It’s critical to maintain the proper ratio at all times, Principles of Program
and to maintain accountability for all of the youth in your care.
Planning and Delivery
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YDP PD SD

Types of Interactions With Youth: Use different types of interactions or

NOTES: delivery methods in your programs and activities to engage youth more deeply
and help them build knowledge and skills. Each day, young people should have
opportunities to interact with staff, volunteers and other youth individually, in
small groups and large groups.

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI): CQI is a way of thinking and learning.

It’s a cyclical, ongoing process with three phases. Each day, take small steps
to practice personal CQI.
• Assess: Think about the effectiveness of your sessions with youth. Did
you use good youth development practices today? Did the kids have fun
and learn what they were supposed to learn?
• Plan: Make sure you’re prepared for your sessions. Make adjustments
based on what you learned. What will you try or do differently?
• Improve: Implement your planning and improvement strategies.

Planning Your Own

Programs and Activities
Planning is an important feature in implementing effective, engaging Targeted
Programs and High-Yield Activities. Your careful planning:
• Lends structure and context for young people’s learning experience
• Keeps you organized, well-versed in the content, and able to manage
time effectively
SECTION 4

• Helps you consistently incorporate high-quality youth development

practices by using the Elements of a High-Quality Session

When you start with a good plan, you can more objectively reflect on what went
well with your program or activity, what challenges you had, and how well youth
achieved the expected outcomes. ■

SECTION

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Planning and Delivery
In the first section of the Program Basics BLUEprint, you learned NOTES:
about our Formula for Impact theory of change. It states that if
we provide the young people who need us most with the best
possible Outcome-Driven Club Experience, we will enable them
to achieve Academic Success, demonstrate Good Character and
Citizenship, and live Healthy Lifestyles.

You also learned that certain components are necessary to create the
Outcome-Driven Club Experience:
1. Five Key Elements for Positive 3. Targeted Programs
Youth Development 4. Regular Attendance
2. High-Yield Activities

If we use the analogy of constructing a Club building to describe your work,

the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development form your building’s
foundation. Targeted Programs and High-Yield Activities are built on that youth
development foundation. In other words, you accomplish your core youth
development work through the programs and activities you implement. When
you engage youth more frequently and deeply – by using high-quality youth
development practices and effective programs – you boost your ability to have
a positive, lasting impact on their lives.

Building Blocks of Programming

SECTION 4
In order to achieve high program quality, it’s critical for Club and Youth
Center professionals to understand the basic principles for planning and
implementing effective programs. Think of these principles as the building
blocks of strong Club or Youth Center programming.

Let’s dig in by considering some basic vocabulary.

What Is a Program?
In Clubs and Youth Centers, you may hear the term “program” used in different
ways. Let’s quickly get clear on these different uses.
• Overall program: When you hear this phrase, think of everything your Club
or Youth Center provides young people. This encompasses the entire
range of activities, programs and services, including transition times,
available throughout the day. Some people also refer to this as Club or
Youth Center programming.
• Core Program Area: This phrase refers to a grouping of programs
designed to achieve specific youth outcomes related to a common
discipline. They fit into and align with the Formula for Impact’s three
priority outcome areas of Academic Success, Good Character and
SECTION
Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles. Clubs and Youth Centers organize their
work around five Core Program Areas:
{{ Leadership and Service {{ Health and Wellness

{{ Education {{ Sports and Recreation Principles of Program

{{ The Arts
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• Program: Clubs and Youth Centers use individual programs as the main
NOTES: method to help build and reinforce young people’s knowledge and skills.
Programs have specific goals and objectives, follow a sequence of
sessions or lessons, and are conducted over a specific period of time.
A typical program session uses varied delivery methods and multiple
activities that build off of each other. You might also hear some people
refer to a program as a curriculum.

Now let’s delve into each of these in more detail, and look at how you can
apply these concepts in your day-to-day work.

The Overall Club Program

The overall Club program encompasses all of the activities, programs and
services offered throughout the day at your Club or Youth Center. This includes
both structured time, such as programs and assemblies, and less-structured
time, such as transitions and snack or meal times.

Think of the day as a theatrical performance. For the opening act, you
greet youth warmly and help them feel safe, supported and welcome. Next
come a series of main acts (programs and meetings), in which you work
side-by-side with staff and youth. In each act, youth build knowledge and
skills as they play, create, experiment and interact with each other, staff,
and the materials and equipment in the space. Just like in a play, there
are transitions between each act. These transitions can be the time spent
moving from program to program, loading the field trip van or bus, or having
a snack or meal. In the closing act, you reconnect kids with their families
SECTION 4

and prep for another performance on the following day.

Most programming occurs in structured time. During this time, you facilitate
programs that build knowledge and skills. You also promote positive attitudes
and behaviors in youth related to our priority outcome areas.

In reality, arrivals from school, checking in and out, meals and snacks, free
time or free play, and transitions between programs take up a good chunk of
time. You can use Community Builder activities during these less-structured
times of day. When you and your teammates build the overall schedule, make
sure you take into account and plan for all Club or Youth Center time.

If your Club has a varied drop-off schedule, due to transportation or school

dismissal times, the start of your day may consist of a less-structured
session. Have a clear plan with meaningful choices for members during these
times. Youth and teens are coming out of the highly structured school day and
entering a new environment. This transition is an important time to let youth
engage in choice-based activities. Review the sample week in the gamesroom
during a less-structured rolling arrival time below.
SECTION Gamesroom
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Magic the Expression
Billiards, Family Feud
Gathering, Wall, People Free Choice
Principles of Program Checkers and
Four Square
and Cup
Stacking
Puzzles and Tracing and Gamesroom
Planning and Delivery Foosball Four Square

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In this sample, each day includes multiple choices within the space, but only
Friday is a free choice day. Free choice intentionally built into the schedule is a fun NOTES:
way for youth to be creative, try new things, and practice the skills they have been
working on developing. It’s important to put boundaries around free choice time
so it doesn’t become the only activity offered in any area. Here are some tips.
• Contain free choice time to a scheduled session.
• Limit free choice time in the week.
• Don’t offer free choice time in all areas of the Club at the same time,
so youth who prefer more structure have a safe place to engage.

Below you can see a more highly structured version of the gamesroom during
a later programming time, once all members have arrived at the Club. You will
notice there may be only one option during this session. There are activities
that overlap in the less-structured and more highly structured times, such as
Cup Stacking and Four Square. During the structured times, those activities are
formatted in a tournament style, group challenge, or with a specific skill being
demonstrated and taught. In contrast, during the less-structured times, youth
can practice and choose to move on to something else when they are done.

Gamesroom
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
State
Fabulous Gamesroom
Four Square
Cup Stacking Flags: Tournament
Spider Web Tourney/Magic
Tournament Character Practice
the Gathering
Version

SECTION 4
Ages 6 to 10

Core Program Areas

Youth have a wide variety of interests and needs. You’ll attract and retain more
kids and teens if you offer a mix of programs that tap into what they want and
need. The updated five Core Program Areas categorize different programs into
disciplines by the specific outcomes they’re designed to help youth achieve.
The Core Program Areas fit into and align with the priority outcome areas of
the Formula for Impact. They were defined based on a careful review of the
relevant, current professional literature on what youth need to be successful in
the 21st century.

The updated Core Program Areas are:

• Leadership and Service • Health and Wellness
• Education • Sports and Recreation
• The Arts

Note that Youth Centers should consult the leadership of their particular service to
confirm which of the Core Program Areas are mandatory for them to implement. SECTION
As you learned in The Foundation of Boys & Girls Clubs section of this
BLUEprint, Clubs and Youth Centers provide youth with role models and
experiences that help them develop into persons who demonstrate six essential
character traits: caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility and Principles of Program
trustworthiness. You also learned that character development doesn’t just Planning and Delivery
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happen by happy accident, or through a single program, small-group leadership

NOTES: clubs or a Core Program Area. Rather, the overall Club or Youth Center program
presents many daily opportunities for staff and volunteers to model good
character for youth, and for young people to practice good character. Lastly, you
learned that to be intentional about developing good character in young people,
all of your programs and activities should offer youth lots of chances to practice
social-emotional skills. These are skills related to:
• How youth feel about themselves
• Their relationships with others
• Their ability to regulate emotions
• Their ability to solve problems

As we discussed, character development programming is a part of every Core

Program Area. To make sure youth have ample time to practices these skills,
build character development opportunities into every area of the schedule
each week. Review the Reference Handout: Integrating Character Development
Throughout the Club Day at the end of this section to see how you might put
this into practice in your Club or Youth Center.

Integrating Workforce Readiness Across the Core

Program Areas
Previously, BGCA’s work-ready programs targeted Club teens only, starting at
ages where youth are preparing for first jobs and postsecondary pathways.
BGCA’s updated approach focuses on youth as young as age 6. This is an
effort to develop the social-emotional skills or "soft skills" youth and teens
SECTION 4

need to succeed in school and the workplace during a critical time in their
cognitive development. Clubs and Youth Centers should implement programs
and activities that build young people’s social-emotional skills and allow them
to explore careers across all Core Program Areas and all age groups.

The ability to work in teams, solve problems and communicate effectively

are just a few of the social-emotional skills essential for success in the
workplace. According to a 2017 survey by the National Association of
Colleges and Employers, more than 80 percent of employers stated they
look for employees who demonstrate strong teamwork, problem-solving
and communication skills.15 These foundational skills are not only in high
demand with employers, but they’re also transferable across occupations
and industries. Building social-emotional skills through informal and formal
learning experiences helps maximize the time youth spend on more technical
skill development and practice.

Career exploration refers to activities that motivate and inspire youth to think
about the connection between their postsecondary plans and careers.16 Clubs
and Youth Centers should offer two levels of career exploration.

SECTION 1. For youth ages 6 to 18, offer opportunities to explore careers throughout
all Core Program Areas. This early access to careers exposes youth to
the breadth of opportunity and helps them define their own work and
education aspirations.

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2. For teens, offer opportunities for career mentoring and coaching, job
shadowing, resume building, job interviewing, etc. These support discovery NOTES:
of and exposure to careers and learning about the pathways to attain
various positions. Such activities help youth understand the expectations
of and skills required for specific occupations, so they can plan for their
continuing education or training.

The following passage describes each Core Program Area, aligns it to one of
the priority outcome areas, and lists skills it helps develop to support young
people's readiness in school, life and the workforce.

Leadership and Service

Leadership and Service programs build leadership with self, leadership with
others, and leadership within the community. They give youth the confidence
and abilities to create meaningful change in their world. Targeted Programs
and High-Yield Activities in the Leadership and Service Core Program Area are
linked to the Good Character and Citizenship priority outcome area.

The Leadership and Service Core Program Area develops the following key skills:
• Self-awareness and advocacy • Goal-setting
• Collaboration with peers and • Identifying and solving problems
adults • Social and civic responsibility

Education

SECTION 4
Education programs complement and reinforce what youth learn during the
school day, while creating experiences that invite them to fall in love with
learning. Rooted in social-emotional development practices, programs in this
area enable all youth to be effective, engaged learners who are on track to
graduate with a plan for the future. As an informal learning space, Clubs have
an opportunity to offer both remediation and enrichment, all while inviting
youth to discover and pursue their passions through experiential learning.
Targeted Programs and High-Yield Activities in this area are linked to the
Academic Success priority outcome area.

At all developmental stages, education programs prompt youth to plan

and prepare for the future. This includes observing and practicing the
social-emotional “soft skills” that ladder up to employability, exploring
career options, and engaging in programmatic experiences that prepare
youth to learn and work beyond high school. Programs and experiences
supporting employability encourage youth to explore career options and the
postsecondary pathways to their chosen career, develop skills necessary for
success in postsecondary education and the workforce, and apply their skills
through real-world experiences.

Youth development practices that support teaching and learning are core
SECTION
to the quality of education programs. Effective education programs, when
facilitated with high-quality youth development practices, help youth develop
the attitudes, behaviors and skills needed to become effective, engaged
learners who are on track to graduate with a plan for the future. Principles of Program
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The Education Core Program Area develops the following key skills for
NOTES: Academic Success:
• Identify and solve problems • Communicate
• Plan and carry out investigations • Collaborate
• Analyze and interpret information • Persevere as a learner

The Education Core Program Area also develops the following key skills for
post-secondary readiness:
• Goal-setting • Self-efficacy
• Career awareness • Perseverance
• Post-secondary awareness

The Arts
The Arts (digital, fine, applied and performing arts) programs encourage
imagination and self-expression. They also help youth develop knowledge and
understanding of specific art forms. Art programs build social-emotional and
21st century skills, such as communication, critical thinking and creativity.
Targeted Programs and High-Yield Activities in the Arts Core Program Area are
linked to the Academic Success priority outcome area.

The Arts Core Program Area develops the following key skills:
• Technical art knowledge • Cultural awareness
• Communicating • Critique and feedback
• Art awareness
SECTION 4

Health and Wellness

Health and Wellness programs focus on building the physical, social and
emotional wellness of youth. These programs provide opportunities to build
the foundational skills of developing relationships, regulating emotions and
solving problems. These programs also focus on building health promotion
skills, such as communication and decision making, through exploring a range
of health topics and behaviors, including substance use, sexual behavior
and violence. Targeted Programs and High-Yield Activities in the Health and
Wellness Core Program Area are linked to the Healthy Lifestyles priority
outcome area.

The Health and Wellness Core Program Area develops the following key skills:
• Self-efficacy • Resistance skills
• Identifying emotions • Health communication
• Identifying and solving problems

SECTION Sports and Recreation

Sports and Recreation programs promote physical health by providing low-
risk settings for members to explore moving their bodies and eating healthy
foods. These playful experiences build movement skills, such as running
and throwing, and nutrition skills, such as choosing healthy foods. Members
Principles of Program develop positive attitudes toward physical activity and healthy eating to
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Activities in the Sports and Recreation Core Program Area are linked to the
Healthy Lifestyles priority outcome area. NOTES:

The Sports and Recreation Core Program Area develops the following key skills:
Physical Activity Nutrition
• Perseverance • Impulse control
• Confidence • Stress management
• Physical fitness • Identifying emotions
• Locomotor • Identifying and solving problems
• Acrobatic • Choosing healthy foods

Targeted Programs
Now that we’ve seen how the five Core Program Areas fit into our Formula
for Impact, and how Clubs and Youth Centers can use them to organize their
programming, let’s learn more about individual programs.

The Formula for Impact defines a particular type of program as a crucial

component of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience. Targeted Programs
are intentionally designed and chosen to help Club youth achieve positive
outcomes in one of our three priority outcome areas: Academic Success, Good
Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles.

In order to be effective, Targeted Programs:

• Are planned

SECTION 4
• Are designed to achieve stated goals and objectives in a Core Program Area
• Are designed to build upon existing knowledge and skills
• Are conducted for a specific audience
• Are sequenced, meaning they are conducted over a specific period of time
using multiple lessons in a certain order
• Use specific delivery methods
• Measure and evaluate the extent participants achieve goals and objectives

Targeted Programs reinforce and celebrate continual learning while setting our
youth up for success.

Most of BGCA’s national programs are Targeted Programs, because they’re

designed to help youth achieve positive outcomes in our priority outcome areas,
and they meet the above criteria. For example, the SMART Girls program is a
sequential series of lessons designed to build self-esteem and life skills in girls.
The program contains three sets of 10 sessions for girls ages 8 to 10, 11 to 13,
and 14 to 18. It uses different types of small-group and large-group activities.
Activities emphasize discussion and reflection, which allow staff to determine
whether girls are gaining knowledge and building skills. SECTION
To better meet the particular needs and interests of the young people they
serve, Clubs should develop and implement their own Targeted Programs,
supplementing those with programs from BGCA or other sources. Many of your
Club’s programs probably already fit the model, or could do so if you modify
them to meet the criteria. Principles of Program
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NOTES: High-Yield Activities

Think of activities as the smallest building blocks of Club programming.
Activities are a single event of limited duration. All activities have some
kind of objective, even if it’s simply about engaging youth in play or keeping
them safely occupied during a lull in the programming. Examples of simple
activities include watching a movie, playing a game like Simon Says, or
painting a picture.

In our Formula for Impact, an additional type of activity serves as another

crucial component of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience: High-Yield Activities.
These provide youth with enjoyable experiences that are hands-on, interactive,
intentionally develop critical thinking or other skills, and help them achieve
positive outcomes in our three priority outcome areas.

High-Yield Activities appeal to young people’s interests and their desire to

play, and can even include some friendly competition. They can be done with
individuals, small groups and large groups. When done well, they remove the
division between learning and playing. Most importantly, they should be fun.
They should motivate youth to explore, develop, create and learn. High-Yield
Activities are most fun when they are varied and have an element of surprise.

High-Yield Activities help inject spontaneity and excitement into the day-to-day
routine. You can increase existing programs’ appeal by using related High-Yield
Activities as extensions or enhancements. You can even create High-Yield
Activities that support more than one of the priority outcome areas at the
same time.
SECTION 4

Here’s an example. Club staff know that teens like playing soccer video
games. To make that activity a High-Yield Activity, they turned it into a World
Cup-style tournament, with individual teens representing different countries
across the world. After every game, staff helped teens compile and analyze
their performance statistics based on what happened in the game, and they
determined their current standing in the tournament rankings. Staff tapped
into an activity teens already enjoyed and found a creative way to incorporate
some math (sports statistics) and social studies (picking different countries
and players).

Keep a balance of high- and low-energy options. A low-energy option is

painting a picture about how Club members are feeling. This combines arts
and social-emotional skills. Another example is building a bridge that can
support a certain amount of weight. This combines STEM (science, technology,
engineering and math) with fine motor skill development.

SECTION

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Elements of a High-Quality Session NOTES:

Typically, a Club or Youth Center program schedule is made up of standard
blocks of time in particular spaces. All the activities that occur in a space
during one of those blocks of time is a session (often called a lesson).

A session may be dedicated to a High-Yield Activity or a Targeted Program.

For example, a session of the Money Matters financial literacy program might
include an icebreaker, an activity about budgeting, a high-yield online game
where teens test their ability to stay within a certain budget, and a group
discussion to help teens reflect on what they learned.

Planning time is essential to successfully facilitate Targeted Program sessions

and High-Yield Activities. Planning includes scheduling a time and place,
securing and setting up the needed materials or equipment, promoting
the session, becoming familiar with the content and facilitation steps, and
identifying strategies for keeping youth engaged.

Remember to infuse the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth Development
into every Targeted Program session or High-Yield Activity. Youth thrive when
we implement high-quality youth development practices consistently.17 When
you incorporate these practices during programming, you enhance program
quality and help youth achieve the program’s desired outcomes.18

Use the following Elements of a High-Quality Session to structure your

Targeted Program sessions or High-Yield Activities. These elements align with
the David P. Weikart Center’s Youth Program Quality Assessment.

SECTION 4
• Warm Welcome • Main Activity • Closing and
• Community Builder • Reflection Transition
• Group Agreements • Recognition

The content below describes each of the Elements of a High-Quality Session

and offers practical tips for adapting them to be more developmentally RESOURCE
appropriate for different age groups.
Looking for High-Yield Activity ideas?
Warm Welcome: A welcoming environment is associated with positive Log onto BGCA.net and do a search for:
behaviors, social and emotional development, and academic outcomes.19 • High-Yield Activities Kits
(more than 20 available)
It’s important to greet youth by name and thank them for coming as they • Back Pocket Program Hints
enter the session. This helps build a safe, positive environment; a sense of • Back Pocket Program Hints, Too
belonging; and supportive relationships with peers and adults. • Back Pocket Program Hints for
the Learning Center
• Middle/Late Childhood (ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12): This is a good
opportunity to check in and see how youth are feeling. Use this to gauge
their moods and whether they might need some extra support in regulating
their emotions.
• Early Adolescence/”Tweens” (ages 10 to 12 and 13 to 15): Youth at these SECTION
ages might seem moody or unavailable. They are going through a lot of
changes and transitions in their lives. The Warm Welcome communicates
support and caring, and when done daily, provides structure.
• Adolescence/Teens (ages 13 to 15 and 16 to 18): Talk with teens about
what’s going on in their lives. Ask them about their day or their hobbies. Principles of Program
These conversations, though brief, help in identity development. Planning and Delivery
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Community Builder: These activities build trust and supportive relationships

NOTES: among youth and staff through play, fun and active engagement. They’re about
creating a climate in which participants feel they are part of the group. Some
program materials already include Community Builder activities, while at other
times you’ll need to find or create your own. You can make these activities
even more meaningful by looking for ways to tie them to the main content of
your session.
• Middle/Late Childhood (ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12): Community Builders
should involve physical activity. This helps youth self-regulate and focus.
• Early Adolescence/”Tweens” (ages 10 to 12 and 13 to 15): Youth at these
ages are closely connected to their friend groups. Use multiple grouping
strategies (often called “groupers”) to make sure they can connect with
other peers.
• Adolescence/Teens (ages 13 to 15 and 16 to 18): Implement a variety
of Community Builders that use large and small groups. This helps teens
build relationships with others while also reinforcing their need for close,
intimate friendships.

Group Agreements: This practice creates physical and emotional safety and
provides developmentally appropriate structure with clear limits for behavior.
During your first session or meeting, collaborate with youth to set and post
group rules and expectations. In each subsequent session or meeting with
your group, review the Agreements to reinforce positive values and youth
commitments to one another. To develop Group Agreements with youth, we
recommend you ask three basic questions:
SECTION 4

1. How do you want to feel?

2. What will you do to feel this way?
3. When there is conflict, what will we do?

Depending on the ages and developmental characteristics of your group,

however, you should adapt the questions or how you help youth respond to them.
• Middle/Late Childhood (ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12): Compare Group
Agreements to Club rules. Explain they are like promises you make to each
other to ensure everyone feels safe and comfortable in a program. Youth
in these age groups will likely need help thinking of feeling words and
specific behaviors. If needed, use these as your guiding questions:
RESOURCE {{ How do we want to feel during our time together?

Find Community Builder and grouper {{ What can we do to have these feelings every day?

ideas on the YDToolbox mobile app. {{ What can we do if someone’s feelings are hurt?

• Early Adolescence/”Tweens” (ages 10 to 12 and 13 to 15): Ask youth to

reflect individually on how they want to feel while at the Club. Then have
them work together to discuss what emotional safety means. Guide them
SECTION if needed. They may also need your help coming up with specific behaviors
for the second and third questions.
• Adolescence/Teens (ages 13 to 15 and 16 to 18): Have an authentic
conversation about how teens are currently feeling, how they want to feel,
and how they can work together to improve the way they all feel while at
Principles of Program the Club. Ensure all teens participate and are heard.
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Main Activity: These are hands-on, interactive activities in which youth work
together with materials to explore new concepts or practice a new skill. Of NOTES:
course the topic, theme or goal of Main Activities will differ based on the
program. Review the content and facilitation instructions ahead of time, and
think about how to tailor the Main Activity for your group. Support knowledge and
skill building by telling youth what the activity will entail and how it will help them
grow. Provide assistance when needed, and encourage them to keep trying. Try
to include real choices for youth that influence the outcome of the activity.
• Middle/Late Childhood (ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12): For young kids, activities
need to be structured with simple directions. Children struggle to sit for long
periods of time, so break up these periods with movement. This can be as
simple as giving 15 seconds to get all the wiggles and jiggles out.
• Early Adolescence/”Tweens” (ages 10 to 12 and 13 to 15): Activities
should be group- and peer-focused and can be more challenging. Provide
opportunities for youth to make decisions and exert their independence.
Provide structure, without taking control of their program and activity.
• Adolescence/Teens (ages 13 to 15 and 16 to 18): Activities should
connect directly to teens’ passions and future goals. Give teens a lot more
independence and freedom. Your role is more of a partner and mentor
than a teacher.

Reflection: Reflection helps youth connect what they’ve learned, and identify
how they can apply it in other areas of their lives. Pose reflection questions
and give youth time to write, draw, act out or discuss what they learned during
the Main Activity. Ask them to share reflections with their peers within a small
or large group.20

SECTION 4
• Middle/Late Childhood (ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12): At these ages, youth
might struggle with understanding abstractions. Give concrete examples
when possible. Let’s say you are discussing teamwork after a sports game.
You need to give specific examples of what good teamwork is – like when a
player passes the ball to a teammate who has a better chance of making
a shot. Let’s say you are discussing the importance of optimism, a pretty
abstract concept. Break it down by giving examples of what optimism looks
or sounds like. You might use a phrase like, “I can do this!”
• Adolescence/Teens (ages 13 to 15 and 16 to 18): Give teens
opportunities to showcase their learning and present to their peers. RESOURCE
To learn more about building Group
Recognition: Provide opportunities to recognize, acknowledge and encourage Agreements with youth, search for the
youth. Highlighting specific positive behaviors encourages youth to continue Youth Positive Club Climate Toolkit on
behaving in ways that support their growth and development. It also gives BGCA.net.
them feedback on how they are progressing in certain skills. Your goal is to
help young people develop healthy behaviors, attain a balanced sense of self
and others, and feel successful.21 Plan formal and informal ways to recognize,
acknowledge and encourage youth, and provide opportunities for them to
recognize one another. SECTION
• Middle/Late Childhood (ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12) and Early Adolescence/
”Tweens” (ages 10 to 12 and 13 to 15): Use Recognition to build youths’
self-esteem. Give positive, sincere praise that is specific. For example, do
not just say, “Good job.” Instead say, “Good job for all the effort you put
into learning how to do a handstand.” Principles of Program
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Closing and Transition: Ending a Targeted Program session or High-Yield

NOTES: Activity with warmth and clarity is as important as the Warm Welcome at the
beginning. Engage the group in working together to put materials away and tidy
up the space. Make clear what they can expect as they move on to the next
program offering.

Special Events
Special events are also important building blocks of a good overall Club or
Youth Center program. Special events boost fun, excitement and interest – not
just for youth, but also for staff, volunteers, families and community partners.
You can use special events to:
• Reward frequent attenders or long-term members
• Motivate youth to attend more often
• Attract and recruit new youth
• Strengthen bonds with and support families
• Build awareness of your Club or Youth Center in your community

Special events can be major Club-wide events or smaller events that take
place in one Core Program Area. Examples include celebrations, recognition
events, events that culminate theme- or project-driven programming, youth
performances, holiday dinners, cultural festivals, family nights, field days, teen
lock-ins and field trips. To spice up your programming, be sure to sprinkle in
a variety of special events in your Club or Youth Center annual calendar. Work
with your teammates and community partners to provide fun, memorable
experiences for youth and their families.
SECTION 4

Key Factors for Enhancing

Program Quality
Now that you have a solid understanding of the basic building blocks of Club
and Youth Center programming, let’s look at some key factors for ensuring the
quality of your programming.

Interest-Based and Needs-Based

Programming
To enhance the quality of your programming, offer a balanced mix of interest-
based and needs-based programs and activities for your youth. When you
plan the schedule for your assigned program area or age group, keep this in
mind when choosing the Targeted Programs and High-Yield Activities you will
implement. The same applies when you and your teammates get together with
SECTION your site director to plan your site's overall program schedule.

Needs-based programs address the needs of the youth you serve in the
context of their community. For example, if you find youth in your community
are struggling with issues around growing up, consider implementing programs
Principles of Program like SMART Girls or Passport to Manhood. These programs teach girls and boys
skills for navigating the rocky transition from adolescence into young adulthood.
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Team up with your Club or Youth Center colleagues to research and identify the
needs of youth in your community. Here are a few strategies you can try. NOTES:
• Talk with youth, both those who are already involved in your Club or Youth
Center and those who aren’t.
• Collect input from parents and caregivers through a survey or at a family
night event.
• Gather feedback from school or other community partners.
• Obtain data on local youth trends or factors in your community affecting
young people’s well-being. Examples to look for include local high school
graduation rates; teen employment rates; juvenile arrest, delinquency or
gang involvement statistics; and health-risk behavior rates.

Interest-based programs tap into young people’s interests, passions and

enthusiasm. If you find youth are passionate about basketball, consider
starting a basketball league. If they want to learn how to cipher, implement
BGCA’s Lyricism 101 program.

To identify young people’s interests, you and your teammates should go

straight to the source!
• Ask the youth you’re serving about their interests and what they’d like to
do at the Club or Youth Center. Use surveys, quick polls, and your daily
conversations with them to get a good read on their wants and interests.
• Also reach out to youth in the community who don’t currently come to the
Club or Youth Center. This is an important strategy for recruiting new youth
into your programming.

SECTION 4
To offer exciting, relevant programs that will engage youth, find the best mix of
interest-based and needs-based Targeted Programs and High-Yield Activities
for the youth you serve. Often programs can meet the needs and interests of
youth at the same time. You can also add High-Yield Activities to needs-based
programs to hook youth via their interests and passions to reinforce learning.
A common example of this is sports programs. Youth may be interested in
sports, but of course they also need to exercise regularly and be physically fit.
To be most effective, you’d want to offer programs featuring young people’s
favorite sports.

In the sample Teen Center schedule below, you can see a good balance
between interest-based and needs-based programming. Each session offers
at least two activities. But how were they selected?

Imagine that during the planning process for the seasonal program schedule,
teens expressed an interest in spoken word poetry, social media, crafts, social
games and building experiences to put on a resume. This led to implementing
Pinterest activities, Lyricism 101, card games and service projects. And from
the results of a parent survey, staff learned that teens are experiencing higher
levels of stress about money, and they are starting to apply for their first
SECTION
jobs. Further, several alumni have visited and expressed they are struggling
with cooking for themselves and maintaining their cars. This led teen staff to
schedule Career Launch, Yoga/Mindfulness, Money Matters and Life Skills
(i.e., cooking, changing a tire). Staff also take time to work with each teen to
create a seasonal program schedule engagement plan, so they can practice
Principles of Program
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Teen Center
NOTES:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Career Launch Lyricism 101
Money Tutoring/Video Life Skills
Program/ Program/Yoga-
Matters/Card Games/ Activity/Service
Pinterest Mindfulness
Games Hang Out Project
Activity Activity

Free Choice (Voluntary) Versus

Fixed (Mandatory) Program Schedules
Another key factor for enhancing the quality of your programming involves how
your Club or Youth Center structures its program schedule, and to what degree
youth are able to make choices about what they participate in and when.

Clubs and Youth Centers vary widely on how much choice youth have when
selecting programs and activities. Some Clubs allow members to freely
select the programs and activities they will participate in. We refer to this as
a free choice or voluntary program schedule. A free choice program schedule
empowers youth to exercise autonomy and independence, something we
value highly from a youth development point of view. Too much freedom,
however, can limit skill development, as some youth might avoid trying new
experiences or participating in programs they need, such as Power Hour
homework help. Younger members may also feel overwhelmed or confused
by the variety of choices.
SECTION 4

In other Clubs or Youth Centers, young people’s choice of programming is

limited based on their age, programmatic philosophy or other constraints.
For example, all members between ages 6 and 9 need to complete their
homework before engaging in other activities, dinner is always served at a
particular time, or participating in a certain program is required to meet grant
funding requirements. We call these fixed or mandatory program schedules.
These force youth to participate in new experiences or programs they need.
They can also save staff time and effort on program promotion. Staff may
find it easier to implement these programs because they can be tailored for
different age groups. Too much forced participation, however, can undermine
young people’s enjoyment and motivation to participate, and it doesn’t
encourage their autonomy and independence.

Some Clubs offer a mixture of these two program schedule types, having
free choice for some programs or during a certain block of time, while making
other programs mandatory. For example, for the first hour after snack, all
youth participate in Power Hour in their age groups throughout the Club. Then
afterwards, youth can choose from among all the programs and activities
SECTION offered that day.

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There is no one right way to structure the program schedule at your Club or
Youth Center. A good program schedule meets the needs and interests of NOTES:
both youth and staff. Regularly ask Club members for input when building
or changing your program schedule. Share kids’ feedback and your own
suggestions about program schedules with your teammates and supervisor.

Let’s look at the sample program schedule below. During the time youth are
arriving at the Club, the Learning Alcove hosts a free choice/voluntary session.
Note: It’s closed on Friday so the computer lab can be open for younger kids.

Learning Alcove
2:30–3:45 p.m.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Quiet Reading/ Quiet Reading/ Quiet Reading/ Quiet Reading/
Closed
Tutoring Tutoring Tutoring Tutoring

Starting at 3:45 p.m., once the majority of youth have arrived at the Club, the
Learning Alcove moves to a fixed/mandatory schedule. At that time, all youth
are in homeroom, doing homework and building community. This is followed by
the Club meeting, which is also a fixed/mandatory session with
a high level of structure.

Learning Alcove
3:45–4:45 p.m.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

SECTION 4
Homeroom Homeroom Homeroom Homeroom Homeroom

At 5 p.m., the Learning Alcove switches back to free choice programming, but
with a high level of structure. Some of the choices during this session are
offered in advance, and others are made that day in the Club meeting. Since
Ultimate Journey and Sparks Leadership are Targeted Programs that follow a
sequence, members sign up for those in advance and complete the full 10-
week program. Trivia and Ready Set Action are free choice sessions that youth
can chose to join at the Club meeting. All of these are considered free choice
options, as youth choose whether to attend, but the choices are selected at
different times.

Learning Alcove
5–6 p.m.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Ultimate Ultimate
Sparks
Trivia Activity
Journey
Program
Ready Set
Action Program
Journey
Program Leadership
Program
SECTION
Ages 10+ Ages 6 to 9

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NOTES: Recommended Staff-to-Youth Ratios

Another critical consideration for enhancing the quality of your Outcome-Driven
Club Experience has to do with how your Club or Youth Center allocates and
deploys staff in relation to the number of youth being served.

Research shows that having an adequate number of staff is a mark of high

program quality, for a number of sound reasons. Chief among these is
to ensure young people are properly supervised, kept safe, and have the
opportunity to form healthy relationships with staff and other youth.22 Youth
need to feel both physically and emotionally safe during Club and Youth
Center programming. They need to be able to find an adult to help them when
needed. They need to regularly receive individual attention from staff and have
positive interactions with them.23 Therefore, good staff-to-youth ratios matter
greatly for high-quality youth development. They also matter for the morale and
job satisfaction of staff.24

A staff-to-youth ratio refers to the number of youth in a program compared to

the number of adult supervising staff members.25 For example, 1:10 means
that for every 10 youth, there is one staff member. In their standards for
quality out-of-school-time programs, both the National Afterschool Association
and the Council on Accreditation have set the same standards for staff-to-
youth ratios. They offer guidelines for two groups of youth: those including
children younger than age 6 and those with youth older than age 6.26

Based on research and these standards, BGCA makes the following

recommendation for a general staff-to-youth ratio.
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• Staff-to-youth ratios should not exceed 1:25 for any type of activity.
Use such ratios only for large-group games or less-structured time,
such as when Club members are engaged in free play in the gym or
on the playground.

Below are additional considerations for staff-to-youth ratios based on the

type of activity or the type of group you are working with.
• For groups of youth age 6 and older, consider a staff-to-youth ratio
between 1:10 and 1:15.
• For youth groups that include children younger than age 6, consider a
staff-to-youth ratio between 1:8 and 1:12.
• For small-group clubs, such as Keystone Club or Torch Club, consider a
staff-to-youth ratio between 1:8 and 1:12.
• For field trips, the staff-to-youth ratio should be 1:8, with at least two
adults per group; one of whom is a staff member.
• For swimming in a pool, use a staff-to-youth ratio of no more than 1:15.
A certified lifeguard should be on-site in addition to the supervising staff.
SECTION With a certified lifeguard and more than one supervising staff member,
there may be up to 25 youth in the pool.27 If swimming in a natural body
of water, the number of supervising staff should be increased, and youth
should only swim in designated areas.

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Staff-to-youth ratios may need to be adjusted depending on the type of activity

and the age or abilities of Club members in the program, such as: NOTES:
• Use a smaller staff-to-youth ratio when youth are working with potentially
dangerous equipment, such as equipment used for welding or masonry,
during field trips, or for swimming activities in which participants have little
or no swimming proficiency. This allows you to better maintain supervision.
• Consider using smaller staff-to-youth ratios when working with youth with
special needs. This allows more personal attention. Consult your Club’s
policy on working with children with special needs to ensure reasonable
accommodations are made.

We recommend small group sizes to ensure staff members can support a

physically and emotionally safe program space for all youth. A small-group
environment helps ensure youth adhere to behavioral expectations and Group
Agreements. It allows you to develop supportive relationships with individual
youth and dedicate more attention to each one.

It’s critical to maintain the proper ratio at all times with adult supervising staff.
If a staff member temporarily leaves the room, make sure someone covers
their spot until they return. For extra support and assistance during your
programming, you can use adult or teen volunteers or Junior Staff, but they
cannot be counted in your staff-to-youth ratio as supervising staff, nor should
they be left alone to supervise.

Here are some tips for maintaining accountability for youth at all times.28
• Always know how many youth are in your group. You should be able to

SECTION 4
state how many young people are in your care at all times.
• Know the individual youth in your group by face and name, and regularly
do head counts. Count them at various times during your session, at every
transition, whenever leaving one area and going to another, and at regular
times throughout the day.
• Use a roster to record when children arrive and depart from your program
or space. Record the total attendance for each block of time in the
program schedule.
• Inform your supervisor immediately if you go over the ratio. Also inform
your supervisor if you have more adults than are necessary. Those adults
may be needed elsewhere, or your supervisor may need to reconsider
staffing schedules for maximum efficiency.
• Understand and use your site’s system for knowing where youth are at all
times. For example, some Clubs or Youth Centers use walkie-talkies to
notify other supervising staff when youth are moving between rooms or
programs. Others station supervising staff in places where they can observe
all entrances, exits, hallways and monitor young people’s bathroom use.

Remember that these are guidelines. Your Club or organization may already SECTION
have specific regulations in place. If you work in a BGCA-affiliated Youth
Center on a U.S. military installation, you must adhere to the ratio standards
established by the Department of Defense. If you work in a licensed
childcare facility, you will need to follow your state’s regulations. In all cases,
check with your supervisor to make sure you’re following your organization’s Principles of Program
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NOTES: Types of Interactions With Youth

Just getting youth to attend a program is not enough. To ensure youth
participate fully in the program and achieve its expected outcomes, you
need to be able to facilitate it effectively.29 As you’ve learned, this includes
implementing high-quality youth development practices.

You can also use different types of interactions to engage youth more deeply
and help them build knowledge and skills.30 A day at a Club or Youth Center for
any young person should involve opportunities to interact with staff, volunteers
and other youth:
• Individually
• In a small group
• In a large group

Individual or One-on-One Mentoring31

This approach creates a sense of safety and ownership over the subject
matter. For example, if a youth struggles with reading, this stays between the
youth and adult. To build your connection, think about and use conversation
starters. Support the young person in learning and practicing new skills, and
help regularly measure their progress. This approach allows the young person
to reflect deeply on lessons learned.

To preserve everyone’s safety, staff, volunteers and other adults should never
be alone when working one-on-one with a child. The pair should meet in a spot
in the Club or Youth Center where it’s somewhat quiet, but also visible to other
SECTION 4

staff and youth, being situated among them.

Examples of individual interactions:

• Situational or planned guidance sessions addressing personal problems,
such as relationships with others, self-concept, school or family.
• Lessons or skill instruction conducted individually. Some members may
need additional help before they can compete effectively in larger groups.
• Teachable moments, when a young person spontaneously expresses a
particular interest, observation or concern to a staff member that leads to
further exploration of and guidance on that subject.

Small Groups32
When facilitated by a skilled, caring adult, small-group activities offer youth
rich opportunities to establish connections with peers, gain social-emotional
and coping skills, and engage with difficult topics through honest, safe
discussions. Ensure small-group meetings are more than just a collection of
activities. Pay attention to the sequencing of activities. Allow the group to get
SECTION to know each other, give and receive support, and save time for conversation
and reflection when addressing sensitive topics.

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In Clubs and Youth Centers, small groups are typically made up of eight to
12 youth who meet regularly with an adult leader for a specific program. This NOTES:
is the delivery method for Targeted Programs and some High-Yield Activities.
Examples include:
• Sessions in which a group leader follows a curriculum or provides skill
instruction – like first aid, guitar class, SMART Moves or Money Matters.
• Teams in which members learn and practice a skill or sport and participate
in competitive events, such as baseball, basketball, billiards, soccer, table
tennis and volleyball.
• Group clubs in which members meet to pursue a common interest.
Through a democratic process, they select, plan and implement their own
activities with the guidance of an adult advisor. Example of this could
include Keystone Club, Torch Club, a photography club or arts club.
• Cooperative learning projects in which a small group of three to eight
members work together to achieve a goal or complete a project. Such projects
might include a Club or Youth Center garden or community service projects.

Large Groups
Large-group activities (also known as drop-in) informally engage youth and provide
them with opportunities for maximum freedom and mobility. This delivery method
is often used for High-Yield Activities. Examples of large-group activities are:
• Free play activities in the gym or gamesroom
• Dances and special events
• Movies and presentations

SECTION 4
• On-the-spot fun, games, contests or stunts

When working with large groups, try using grouper techniques to help form
teams and split into smaller groups.

Practicing Personal CQI

In The Foundation of Boys & Girls Clubs section of this BLUEprint, you read
about continuous quality improvement (CQI). You discovered how important it
is for enhancing program quality and boosting our positive impact on young
people. You learned that CQI is a way of thinking and learning. It’s a cyclical,
ongoing process with three phases: assess, plan and improve.
RESOURCE
Each day, take small steps to practice personal CQI.
Refer to the YDToolbox mobile app for
• Assess: Think about the effectiveness of your sessions with youth. Did helpful grouper ideas.
you use good youth development practices today? Did the kids have fun
and learn what they were supposed to?
• Plan: Make sure you’re prepared for your sessions. Make adjustments
based on what you learned today. What will you try or do differently?
• Improve: Implement your plan and improvement strategies. SECTION
Start over each day, reflecting on what is and isn’t working in your
programming. Talk regularly with youth, your teammates and your supervisor.
Gather input on what is going well and what could be done better and how.
Remember: Keep your steps small and do-able. Look for and learn from your Principles of Program
quick wins – and use them to stay motivated!
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Here are some additional tips for everyday personal CQI in collaboration with
NOTES: the youth you serve, your teammates and your supervisor.
• Ask more experienced peers or your supervisor to observe when you’re
facilitating programming with youth. Ask them to give you feedback.
• Ask more seasoned peers to allow you to observe their youth program
facilitation, or to share their best tips related to aspects of the work you
find challenging.
• When you have one-on-one meetings with your supervisor, discuss what
you think is going well and where you’re having challenges. Ask for support
or coaching on improvements you’d like to make.
• When you’re doing reflections with youth in your sessions, ask them for
feedback on how the session went and how you could make it better.

Regularly “take the pulse” of young people and get input from them. There
are many ways to do this, such as using the tip above, or working with your
teammates to conduct listening sessions, or running quick, fun polls with youth.

Planning Your Own

Programs and Activities
You’ve learned about the basic building blocks of Club and Youth Center
programs and explored some key factors that greatly influence program
quality. Now it’s time to consider how to put all of those together in your own
program and activity planning.
SECTION 4

Planning is an important feature in implementing effective, engaging Targeted

Programs and High-Yield Activities. Your careful planning helps to provide
structure and context for young people’s learning experiences. It keeps you
organized, well-versed in the content, and helps you with time management.
It helps you be consistent about incorporating the Elements of a High-Quality
Session. When you start with a good plan, after facilitating the program or
activity, you can more objectively reflect on what went well, what challenges
you had, and how well youth achieved the expected outcomes.
RESOURCE
The BGCA Pulse Check Guide, available Whether you are planning a session or activity for the day or a Targeted
at BGCA.net/ProgramQuality, is an Program, ask yourself these questions33:
excellent resource for getting just-in-time • How can I make the experience fun for youth by incorporating their
feedback from kids on how they feel interests and passions?
about their Club Experience.
• With whom am I working? (Include the number of youth; youth with specific
abilities, developmental characteristics or learning styles; and the ages
and gender of youth.)
• How well am I integrating the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth
SECTION Development?
• How well have I built in social-emotional development opportunities for
youth? (This could include your use of Community Builders and emotional
check-ins, for instance.)
• Is the program or activity helping youth achieve positive outcomes in one
Principles of Program or more of the three priority outcome areas?
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• At the end of the program or activity, what do I want youth to think

(knowledge), feel (attitudes), and do (skills)? NOTES:
• How will I engage youth in knowledge and skill building? (This could include
one-on-one, small- or a large-group opportunities.)
• What resources do I need to implement the activity or program?
• How will I know if youth have achieved the expected outcomes?

To help you better plan and implement your daily sessions, use the Session
Planning Template and the Reference Handout: Elements of a High-Quality
Session, located at the end of this section. They are meant to be used together.

Use the first page of the Session Planning Template when planning your
session. After you facilitate the session, use the second page to reflect on
how it went, how well it achieved its intended objective(s), and what you could
do differently next time. Ask your supervisor for guidance on how to use the
template. In your one-on-one meetings with your supervisor, be sure to discuss
your post-session reflections.

If you need a tool to help you plan and implement Targeted Programs more
effectively, take a look at the Targeted Program Plan Template and the Sample
Targeted Program Plan for an instructional chess program, located at the end
of the Site-Level Program Planning and Assessment section of this BLUEprint.
This tool will help you plan your program over its intended time frame. It will
help you identify the resources you’ll need to successfully implement the
program. It will also help you see from the beginning how your program will
contribute to desired youth outcomes in one or more of the three priority

SECTION 4
outcome areas of the Formula for Impact. Ask your supervisor for guidance on
how to use this template, too.

Although you may not be responsible for planning the overall program schedule
for your Club or Youth Center, your own program and activity planning and
that of your teammates certainly factor into it. It’s important to understand
that building an overall program schedule also takes into account all of the
above questions. In addition, it considers available space; the skills, abilities,
knowledge, experience levels and interests of staff and volunteers; and
the other key factors for enhancing program quality that you just explored.
Remember, these include balancing youth interests and needs, free choice
versus fixed schedules, staff-to-youth ratios, types of interactions with youth,
and practicing continuous quality improvement as individuals and as a team.

SECTION

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Next Steps for Learning:

YDP PD SD
Principles of Program
Planning and Delivery
Take your learning to the next level using these reflection questions and resources.

Reflection Questions
After you think about and answer these questions, share your responses with your supervisor in your next
one-on-one meeting. Ask for help as needed.

1. To what degree are you and your teammates using the building blocks of programming described in
this section – Targeted Programs, High-Yield Activities, Elements of a High-Quality Session and special
events? What are the strengths of your team, and in what areas can it improve? In your own programs
and activities, what are your strengths, and in what areas can you improve? What do you need to
make those improvements?

2. This section described techniques for improving program quality – balancing youth interests and
needs, offering youth choices in programming, varying types of interactions with youth, and practicing
continuous quality improvement (CQI). At your site, how much can you influence these factors? Where
SECTION 4

you can influence them, how often do you evaluate how they are working? How often do you offer
feedback to your team and supervisor? In your work, what do you do to practice personal CQI on an
ongoing basis?

3. How much time do you have to plan the programs and activities you offer youth? What can you do to
become more effective at planning your programs and activities? What supports, training or coaching
do you need to build your planning skills?

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4. How much involvement do you have in planning the overall program for your Club or Youth Center?
How much or how often does your supervisor engage you and your teammates in site-level program
planning or assessment processes? What would you like to do to help with site-level program planning
and assessment? What supports, training or coaching do you need to do that well?

Suggested Action Steps and Resources

To build your program planning and delivery To learn how to use your site’s data to get
skills, visit the BGCA.net Training page to access a sense of what’s going well and where
Spillett Leadership University. Log in and use the improvements are needed, ask your supervisor
search function to find a full range of learning to show you how to access and interpret available
opportunities for Club and Youth Center staff in member survey data from the National Youth
the School of Youth Development. These include Outcomes Initiative (NYOI). Or ask how to use
in-service learning modules facilitated by certified other data your Club or Youth Center collects, such
learning coaches, online courses, and instructor- as membership and attendance data. Register on
led sessions and workshops. Ask your supervisor BGCA.net/MyData, to access your site’s NYOI
what training or coaching they or your organization data. This portal has tutorials and many helpful
can provide. features and report options to help you understand
and use your site’s data. The My Data Road Map,

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available on BGCA.net/ProgramQuality, guides
you in using your data in the Assess phase of your
CQI process.

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Reference Handout:
YDP PD SD
Integrating Character
Development Throughout
the Club Day
This sample weekly program schedule shows an hour each day in the Club or Youth
Center. Each of the shaded rectangles depicts a session with explicit or taught
character development elements.

5–6 p.m. Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Tracing Value Word Tracing Value Word

Art and on Printing Foam Self-Portrait With on Printing Foam Leadership Skits Visual Arts
Design Nexus Natural Materials Ages 8 to 12 Project Time
Ages 6 to 9 Ages 10 to 12

African-American
Leaders Parks in My Parks in My
Learning Drawing Emotions Program Showcase
Community Community
Alcove 20 Questions Ages 6 to 9 Planning
Ages 10+ Ages 6 to 9
Ages 9 to 12

Step Choreography All Stars Soccer Outside: Cheese All Stars Soccer Hula Ball With Big
Gym
Phase 2 Teams A,C,E,F Rolling Teams A,C,E,F and Little Partners
SECTION 4

My.Future
Education Games Education Games Friends: Two Truths
Computer Lab Leadership Unit Story Boarding
Activity Activity and a Lie
Level 1

State Gamesroom
Four Square Tournament Practice
Cup Stacking Fabulous Flags:
Gamesroom Spider Web Tourney/Magic the Program
Tournament Character Version
Gathering
Ages 6 to 10

Exploration Club Entryway Your Friends, the Values in Personal

Lemon Batteries Oobleck & Speakers
Center Beautification Media and You Decision Making

Board Games Club Pride Team Energy Ball Pass,

DIY STEM: Make
Eating Area Activity/Chess Club Fruit Smoothies Meeting and Fruit Famous Duos,
Your Soda Pop
Program Smoothies Charades

Outside: Tire
I Am I Be/ The Power of Changing
Mayor Guest Tutoring/Video
Teen Center yogawith Budgeting/Magic
Speaking Games/Hang Out Service Scheduling
adriene.com the Gathering
Calls

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Session Planning Template

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Pre-Session Planning
Complete this before facilitating your session, and submit it to your supervisor.

Name:

Session Title: Date and Time of Session:

Age Group: Group Size: Location of Session:

Session Objective(s) or Purpose(s): Priority Outcome: (Check One or More)

…… Academic Success
…… Good Character and Citizenship
…… Healthy Lifestyles

Brief Description: Core Program Area (Check One)

…… Leadership and Service …… Health and Wellness
…… Education …… Sports and Recreation
…… The Arts

Session Preparation and Setup: Supplies Needed:

Additional Staff Needed: Petty Cash Needed:

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Vehicle Needed: Projected Budget/Cost:

Additional Resources Needed/Coordinated: On-the-Spot Fun Ideas:

Adaptations or Variations:
Consider learning styles, ability, skill level, age and developmental stages of youth in your group.

Date Submitted: Date Approved:

Submitted By: Approved By:

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Session Planning Template

YDP PD SD
Post-Session Self-Reflection
Complete after conducting the activities in your session.

Name:

Session Title: Date and Time of Session:

Lessons Learned: What happened? What worked? What didn’t work?

Successes/Strengths: Challenges:

Check One: No. of youth who participated: Achieved Desired Objective(s)?

…… Repeat …… Yes …… No
…… Don’t Repeat
If yes, how?

Suggested Changes: What’s Next?

SECTION 4

Date Submitted: Submitted By:

Instructions for Using This Template

What is the Session Planning Template? This form How do I use it? Before the session, fill out the first
helps to track the needs, planning and approval of page of this form and discuss it with your supervisor
a program session. or other staff involved. Then document the request
and any approvals at the bottom. This form should
Why is this tool important? Sessions with activities be used with the Reference Handout: Elements of a
that may require more staff, extra materials, a High-Quality Session.
vehicle, guest speaker or additional budget often
need more planning consideration. This form After the session, spend some time reflecting on
allows staff to communicate those needs and how well it achieved its intended objective(s), and
receive approval for sessions or activities that need fill out the second page of the form. Share and
additional planning or resources. discuss your insights with your supervisor at your
next one-on-one meeting.

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Reference Handout:
Elements of a SD PD YDP

High-Quality Session
Planning Main Activity: Working
(30-60 min., prior to session start) With Materials and Ideas
(25+ min.)
…… All aspects and components of Targeted …… For at least half of the session or activity
Program sessions and High-Yield Activities time, engage members in working hands-on
must be planned. with their materials. They could also talk and
…… Throughout the session or activity time, include engage with their peers around specific ideas,
two group sizes in each activity (i.e., the whole critical thinking or new perspectives.
group, smaller groups, pairs or individual work). …… Try to include real choices for youth that
…… Make sure the space, equipment and materials influence the outcome of the activity.
are set up before youth arrive.
Reflection
Warm Welcome (5-10 min.)
(1-3 min.)
…… Give youth an opportunity to review what they
…… Welcome each person in the group, and thank have done, what they learned, and how it may
them for being present. If necessary, you can apply to or influence their lives.
also take attendance during this time. …… Ask reflection questions and give youth time to
…… Engage youth in meaningful conversations. write, draw, act out or discuss their reflections.

SECTION 4
Community Builder Recognition
(3-10 min.) (3-5 min.)

…… Include various types of activities to enhance …… Plan formal and informal ways to recognize and
social relations and define roles within groups. encourage youth.
These often involve collaborative tasks. …… Make space for youth to provide positive
…… Use these to build supportive relationships, recognition to each other.
familiarity, and trust among youth and staff. …… Encourage youth throughout the session.
…… Facilitate these throughout a session.
…… Work with your group to pick an attention Closing and Transition
getter of the day. This is a gesture, signal or (3-5 min.)
phrase to quickly capture everyone’s attention
when needed.
…… Engage youth in putting away the materials
and creating a nice space for the next activity.
Group Agreements This can include pre-assigned jobs or working
(45-50 min. to create initially; together as a group.
1-3 min. to review whenever …… Provide structure for youth by clearly explaining
the group comes together) what they can expect to experience in their
…… Create during the beginning of the first session, next program session or activity.
and revisit during each subsequent session.
…… Provide a sense of structure and standards of
behavior among participating members of the
group. This helps to create emotional safety.

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 Site-Level Program
Planning and
Assessment
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Section Summary:
Site-Level Program SD PD

Planning and Assessment PURPOSE/AUDIENCE

Primarily for site directors and site-

Continuous Quality Improvement

level program directors, this section
introduces the basic phases of a
continuous quality improvement
Seeking to improve quality is part of striving to create the best-possible process. It outlines tasks for annual
Outcome-Driven Club Experience, as called for in our Formula for Impact theory program planning and assessment. This
of change. Every Club or Youth Center, no matter its size or resources, can includes establishing Club-wide goals
and should make continuous quality improvement (CQI) activities a part of its and strategies, and building those into
practice. CQI is a cyclical, ongoing process with three phases: seasonal and weekly program schedules.
• Assess: Review available data and stakeholder It also provides tips and resources for
evaluating overall program effectiveness.
feedback to understand how your Club is
ve A
performing. Understanding where you are now

Impro

ss
helps you know where you need to go.

ess
• Plan: Collaborate with your staff to develop an
action plan to build on strengths and address
growth areas. Pla n
• Improve: Implement the action plan with your staff,
monitor your progress, and celebrate your successes
in improving program quality.

Overall Program Planning

and Assessment
Special Note: Be sure to use the Planner component of the Program Basics
Suite in conjunction with the guidelines offered in this section. The Planner
is an online collection of tools to make it easier and quicker to construct
effective Club program plans and schedules. Learn more about the Planner on
BGCA.net/ProgramBasics.

With the Formula for Impact as your framework, use the steps outlined below.
These align with the Assess and Plan phases of a typical CQI process. Use

SECTION 5
the steps to help you plan a balanced annual overall program that meets the
unique needs of your youth, staff, community, site and organization.
• Gather Information (Assess)
Tap as many sources as you can. Consider all the suggestions you
could reasonably incorporate into your Club or Youth Center’s program
schedule. Consider national youth trends, issues and needs. Think
about the strengths, needs, resources and opportunities in your
community, your organization and your site. Review attendance, program
participation and youth outcome measurement data related to the
previous year’s overall program plan.
SECTION
• Establish Club-Wide Goals (Plan)
With your staff team, identify two or three Club- or Youth Center-wide goals
to address during the year. Develop those goals based on your analysis of
pertinent organizational, site and community data, and input from staff and
youth. If there are organizational goals, your site’s goals should help meet Site-Level Program Planning
them. The strategies you choose should be written in the SMART (Specific, and Assessment
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Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-Bound) manner. Make sure all staff

NOTES: members and volunteers are clear on their roles in achieving the goals.

• Determine Available Resources (Plan)

Think about how to best tap your staff and volunteers’ knowledge,
talents, skills, relationships and resources. Consider the families of the
youth you serve, and any existing and potential partner organizations in
the community.

• Create Your Site’s Overall Program (Plan)

Create a master schedule and a balanced program plan that reflects your
Club or Youth Center’s needs, available resources and goals. Make sure
it includes all programs, activities and special events that will be offered.
You need to balance many factors to build an overall program that is
developmentally and culturally appropriate, fun, engaging and relevant, and
helps youth learn and grow. Out of this master plan, work with your staff to
create an annual calendar, seasonal schedules and weekly schedules.

• Develop Targeted Program Plans (Plan)

As you teach your staff how to plan and implement their programs, guide
them in developing Targeted Program plans. Ask staff to submit plans
to you ahead of time so you can review and discuss them together. This
shows what resources will be required to successfully implement an
individual Targeted Program. It also helps staff see how each program
helps youth achieve positive Academic Success, Good Character and
Citizenship, or Healthy Lifestyles outcomes.

• Promote Club Programming (Plan)

To have a positive impact on the most kids possible in your community,
put energy and creativity into your outreach and promotion efforts to
youth, their families and other community members. You and your team
can promote programs and events in many ways. Use flyers; posters;
bulletin boards; newsletters; websites; social media; and kid, family and
staff word of mouth. Use all available communications options.
SECTION 5

• Evaluate the Overall Program (Assess)

Regularly evaluating your Club or Youth Center’s overall program is key
to increasing its quality. It also helps inform your planning for the next
program cycle. Assess how well you and your staff have implemented a
balanced mix of activities and practices that facilitate a developmentally
rich environment for the young people in your care. Observe staff while
they work with youth, and provide feedback and coaching. Collect input
from youth, families and staff using varied methods. ■

SECTION

Site-Level Program Planning

and Assessment
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Site-Level Program
SD PD
Planning and Assessment
As the director or program director of your Club or Youth Center, NOTES:
planning and implementing the programming at your site is one
of your greatest responsibilities. You get to shape your site’s
annual overall program. You do this for and with young people,
staff members and families in your community. What results from
your effective planning? Young people will achieve positive youth
outcomes, and your organization will be on its way to achieving
annual and even longer-range strategic goals.

Our Formula for Impact theory of change articulates how Clubs and Youth
Centers like yours can help youth achieve positive Academic Success, Good
Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles through an Outcome-Driven
Club Experience. The Formula for Impact provides a clear framework for
planning and implementing your overall program.

Continuous Quality
Improvement
Seeking to improve quality is part of striving to create the best-possible
Outcome-Driven Club Experience. This was explained in the first section of this
BLUEprint, The Foundation of Boys & Girls Clubs. You learned how Clubs and
Youth Centers need to take part in continuous quality improvement (CQI). But
what does this involve? A robust CQI process seeks to:
• Define how success looks
• Explain and create meaningful solutions to better serve youth
• Ensure consistent high-quality youth development practice, program
planning and delivery
• Achieve youth outcomes RESOURCE
Every Club or Youth Center, no matter its size or resources, can and should To learn more about leading a continuous

SECTION 5
quality improvement process in your
make CQI activities a part of its practice. CQI is a cyclical, ongoing process
Club or Youth Center, access the Club
with three phases: Experience brochure from BGCA.net/
• Assess: Review available data and ProgramQuality. This offers four strategies
stakeholder feedback to understand for leading a CQI process and breaks down
how your Club is performing.
ve A the Assess, Plan and Improve phases into
concrete action steps.
Understanding where you are helps
Impro

ss

you know where you need to go.

ess

• Plan: Collaborate with your

staff to develop an action
plan to build on strengths
and address growth areas.
SECTION
• Improve: Implement the action
plan with your staff, monitor Pla n
your progress and celebrate your
successes in improving program quality. Site-Level Program Planning
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NOTES: Overall Program Planning

and Assessment
Special Note: Be sure to use the Planner component of the Program Basics
Suite in conjunction with the guidelines offered in this section. The Planner is
an online collection of tools to make it easier and quicker to construct effective
Club program plans and schedules. Learn more about the Planner on BGCA.
net/ProgramBasics.

With the Formula for Impact as your framework, use the steps outlined below.
You’ll notice they loosely align with the Assess and Plan phases of a typical CQI
process. These steps will help you plan a balanced annual overall program to
meet the unique needs of your youth, staff, community, site and organization.

Start the process several months in advance. Collaborate with your staff and
the youth and families you serve throughout the process.

Gather Information (Assess)

Tap as many sources as you can. Consider all the suggestions you could
reasonably incorporate into your Club or Youth Center’s program schedule. Start
big by considering national youth trends, issues and needs. And consult reliable
sources of national data to learn what youth need. Good sources include:
• KIDS COUNT National Data • Census American FactFinder
Center • Office of Juvenile Justice and
• childstats.gov Delinquency Prevention’s
• ED Data Express Statistical Briefing Book
• Child Trends Databank • Centers for Disease Control and
RESOURCE Prevention
The NYOI Member Survey measures
youth and teen outcomes in the Some of these national sources also provide state or local data. This
priority outcome areas. The survey would help as you next think about your local community. What makes your
also captures members’ perceptions community unique? What are its strengths and challenges?
SECTION 5

of the Club Experience. Participating

Clubs can survey youth and staff each Think about your organization and site. What goals and priorities are already
spring. Access your Club’s NYOI survey established? What grants, programs and scheduling or staffing structures are
data on BGCA.net/MyData. The My mandatory across all sites? Ask your supervisor about the non-negotiables.
Data Road Map, available on BGCA.
net/ProgramQuality, guides you in the Use National Youth Outcomes Initiative (NYOI) data to learn about your
Assess phase of your CQI process. organization and Club site’s strengths and opportunities for improvement. If
you work in a Youth Center, use data from inspection reports and program
quality assessments. Review your data to assess your last program plan,
determine your successes and ponder opportunities for improvement.
SECTION Next, think about the youth in your site. Consider each age group. Use the
information you gathered so far to draft questions to ask them in a future
listening session. This is an essential part of the process! Engaging youth
in the early planning helps to bring the Five Key Elements for Positive Youth
Development to life – in the way youth want to experience them. For example:
Site-Level Program Planning • What do they love to do?
and Assessment • What is fun to them?

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• What do they hope to do at the Club or Youth Center each day?

• What would their parents or caregivers like them to learn? NOTES:

Think about your staff. What are their strengths and passions? What unique
skills can each bring to your overall program?

Finally, think about your facility, equipment, supplies and budget. What are
the opportunities and constraints?

You and your staff have an ongoing task… to plan effective eight- to 12-week
seasonal or quarterly sessions throughout the year. Make sure you allow plenty
of time to gather feedback from Club youth on what programs and activities they
enjoyed, their ideas for improvement, and new topics they would like to learn.
Their feedback will go a long way to improving your program planning.

Write down all the information you gathered. Most likely, you won’t be able to
incorporate all of the ideas into your current program schedule. But they will
create a wonderful database as you plan future sessions.

Establish Club-Wide Goals (Plan)

Together with your staff team, identify two or three Club- or Youth Center-wide
goals as the most important priorities to address during the year. Review and
analyze pertinent organizational, site and community data. Develop your goals
based on the findings. And don’t forget to consider input from your staff and
youth. If there are organizational goals – such as increasing average daily
attendance, bolstering teen membership or offering workforce readiness
programs – be sure to incorporate them at your site.

Your goals also may focus on operating in a way to enhance program quality.
Such goals could include:
• Strengthening staff’s youth development practices
• Improving teamwork and communication
• Making your climate more positive and supportive of youth and staff RESOURCE
Listening sessions and surveys are

SECTION 5
To achieve your Club-wide goals, adhere to timelines and write strategies in great ways to learn what youth and
the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-Bound) manner. their parents or caregivers expect from
Make sure all staff members and volunteers understand their roles in your Club or Youth Center. BGCA’s
contributing to Club-wide goals. Pulse Checks Guide, BGCA.net/
ProgramQuality, provides guidelines and
This might seem complicated. So let’s consider a real-world example to visualize question banks for parent surveys and
how it all works. The Menu of Goals and Sample Strategies that follows lists youth listening sessions.
goals, along with potential strategies for achieving them. It’s adapted from
one Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta created for its sites. To develop their
Club-wide goals and strategies, site directors worked with their site teams –
comprised of full- and part-time staff and youth – and followed a few basic steps:
• Select one staff-focused goal and one youth-focused goal from the menu.
SECTION
• Develop strategies on how to achieve the selected goals.
• Record decisions on a Club-Wide Goals and Strategies Plan.
• Work together to implement the plan.34
Site-Level Program Planning
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Menu of Goals and Sample Strategies

NOTES:
Staff-Focused Goals Sample Strategies
1. Achieve • Ensure all staff take on meaningful
effective staff responsibilities in the quality improvement
communication process.
practices. • Create staff meeting rituals.
2. Maintain high • Establish roles outside programming (peer
levels of staff trainings, ongoing observations, topical
morale and committees).
buy-in. • Start a staff reward and recognition system.
• Implement a series of team-building activities.
3. Implement • Facilitate in-house positive discipline trainings.
consistent • Utilize positive time-outs.
positive discipline • Implement a Club-wide protocol for handling
practices across behavioral issues.
all staff and
spaces.
4. Promote positive • Institute a formal system that allows youth to
adult-youth shadow staff.
relationships. • Train staff on healthy boundaries.
• Establish a formal group mentoring program
with staff and volunteers.

Youth-Focused Goals Sample Strategies

1. Promote a sense • Establish a house system by forming small
of belonging at communities, homerooms or family groups for
the Club. youth, organized by age group.
• Provide youth weekly team-building exercises.
• Engage in a Club-wide branding campaign.
SECTION 5

2. Promote a • Assign Club-wide conflict resolution rituals.

positive social • Launch a Club-wide anti-bullying campaign.
environment. • Create peer affinity groups that are based on
shared interests.
• Establish a Teen Ambassador program.
3. Establish positive • Create formal, meaningful roles for youth
norms for behavior (e.g., job program).
throughout the • Implement a Club-wide reflection protocol for all
Club.
SECTION 4. Create positive
program spaces and blocks.
• Establish “interior design” committees.
physical spaces. • Redesign program spaces to allow for multiple
functions and activities (e.g., homework +
solitary reading + group work).
Site-Level Program Planning • Turn the Club into a rotating art gallery.
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Ready to create your own Goals and Strategies Plan? The Club-Wide Goals
and Strategies Plan Template has space for recording your organization’s NOTES:
goals, strategies, outputs, staff roles, resources needed and the timeline for
completing each strategy. It also has a section for monitoring progress as you
implement the strategies. Find the template at the end of this section, along
with a completed sample to give you a good sense of how it may be filled out.
You can also find it online in the Planner: BGCA.net/ProgramBasics.

Determine Available Resources (Plan)

Your site team is your most valuable resource. Each staff member and volunteer
brings unique knowledge, skill sets and relationships to your overall program.
Leverage them. Let them contribute their talents, passions and interests.

The parents, caregivers and family members of the youth you serve are also
important resources. You might have an interpreter, sign language instructor,
swim coach, or high school counselor among them. Here are some strategies for
engaging parents or caregivers more deeply in your Club or Youth Center life.
• Hang butcher paper at the front desk for parents to write down their
hobbies or favorite activities. Ask about their interests, and identify
activities or resources that may appeal to them.
• Have a focus group at a family engagement night where you share the
upcoming semester schedule. See if any parents would like to be involved
with a specific program or session.
• Keep a list at the front desk where parents can share what they do for
work. Schedule them to share their career experiences with youth in
relevant Targeted Programs.
• Offer opportunities for youth-parent engagement within the Club. Include
fun activities, like family cooking nights. Share the calendar of events with
all Club or Youth Center youth.
• Connect youth and families with resources in the community, such as food
pantries, academic support and counseling.

Potential community partners might be able to provide your Club or Youth

SECTION 5
Center with resources. Perhaps they could contribute snacks or meals,
equipment or program supplies, volunteers for special events or programming,
transportation, youth referrals, or tickets to sporting or cultural events. Others
might be able to provide services to the families of the youth you serve.

Brainstorm all potential community resources and partnerships to enhance

your Club or Youth Center’s services and meet program goals. Make a list of
all nonprofit, community-based, youth-serving and recreational organizations in
your area. These could include:
• Counseling services • Indian Health • Schools
• Employers/ Services • Sports and SECTION
businesses • Kiwanis and recreation centers
• Fire stations Rotary Clubs • Tribal councils
• Food banks • Nursing homes • Tribal elders
• Foundations • Police stations • Workforce boards
• Postsecondary
Site-Level Program Planning
• Grief organizations
• Hospitals institutions and Assessment
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All partnerships should be mutually beneficial. Before you approach a

NOTES: potential community partner, think how the partner could add value to your
programming. Determine which of your site’s goals a potential partnership
could support, but consider setting limits to prevent additional requirements
for your site team. And last but certainly not least: Determine what your Club
or Youth Center could offer the partner in return.

Here are some suggestions for initiating partnership conversations.

• Attend community meetings and events. Build relationships with local
residents and government, business and nonprofit representatives.
• Ask an existing community partner to introduce you to a potential new partner.
• Email or call a person from the community outreach department of a local
agency you would like to learn more about.

Work Readiness Partnerships

Develop partnerships with local businesses to expose young people to
a variety of occupations. Through work readiness activities, youth can
discover job opportunities that interest them. As a result, they'll be
motivated to develop important new skills.

Use partnerships to help youth get work-ready. Consider a few examples.

• Schedule quarterly occupation-themed visits, job-shadowing,
internships and pre-apprenticeships.
• Collaborate with community or technical colleges for dual enrollment
and certification opportunities.
• Provide youth out-of-Club work experiences.

Partnering With Schools

Whether you work in a traditional, school-based or other type of site,
SECTION 5

it’s important to collaborate with your local schools. This is not just to
help youth achieve Academic Success, but also because schools are an
integral part of young people’s ecosystem, along with their families, out-of-
school-time providers and other community assets. Below are some tips
for developing strong partnerships with schools.
• Feature your site’s programs and services to highlight a shared
agenda of promoting youth development (i.e., academic enrichment,
homework help, arts, sports leagues).35
• Develop trusting relationships with the principals, teachers, custodial
staff, cafeteria staff and others from young people's schools.
SECTION • Invite school staff to your site for open house events to see your
programming in action.
• Work with school staff to identify students who may need additional
academic assistance, and provide them with regular progress updates.

Site-Level Program Planning

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Create Your Site’s Overall Program (Plan) NOTES:

As you begin to create your Club or Youth Center’s program schedule, keep
your annual goals and strategies top of mind. Fill the schedule with programs,
activities, and special events that best fit your site’s needs and available
resources. Create a master schedule and a balanced program plan that reflects
Club- or Youth Center-wide goals. Include all programs, activities and special
events offered. Build it by filling in mandated programs as needed, then have
staff fill in remaining slots with other interest- and needs-based programs.

As shown in other sections of this Program Basics BLUEprint, you need to

balance many factors to build an overall program that is developmentally
appropriate, engaging, relevant, and helps youth learn and grow. One of the
most critical factors is fun. It’s so important that it’s one of our Five Key
Elements for Positive Youth Development. From young people’s perspective,
fun is the most important part of your program schedule. To them, it should
be evident in every slot of the schedule – in every program area, at all times of
the day. Fun is the reason youth are attracted to your Club or Youth Center, so
it’s your job to make sure youth find fun there.

Your overall program should:

• Be developmentally appropriate for different age groups.
• Utilize all available staff and program areas based on your staffing pattern.
• Provide a balanced mix of interest- and needs-based Targeted Programs
and High-Yield Activities to help youth achieve Academic Success, Good
Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles outcomes.
• Provide opportunities for structured and less-structured time.
• Reflect and celebrate your community’s cultures, traditions and customs.

Annual Calendar
Create an annual calendar for your site to ensure a well-balanced schedule
during the entire school year. When you have varied program and activity themes
at all times, every young person has something to look forward to. The annual RESOURCE
calendar should note days when there is special scheduling so Club families and

SECTION 5
For a program calendar example that
staff can plan. This might include schools’ early release days, days the Club is
spreads a variety of Healthy Lifestyles
closed for staff training or holidays, and special events like family nights. The programs across the school year to
annual calendar should be easily accessible for families and staff. provide a balance of social-emotional
development and physical activity,
The purpose of an annual calendar is to capture Club goals and constraints. You search for the Annual Health and
might have a seasonal focus – such as Academic Success during the summer Wellness Calendar on BGCA.net.
to combat summer learning loss, or Good Character and Citizenship during the
back-to-school season to support youth in returning to school with a focus on
values. Also document when you will conduct staff training. This will help you
plan for the wide variety of learning your staff and young people need. This may
include emergency safety training with youth and staff during the first month of SECTION
the school year, or how to administer the NYOI survey to youth in February.

During annual calendar planning, take into account significant events in young
people’s schedules, such as a school winter break. Such a landmark is a
natural place to end a session or semester. Site-Level Program Planning
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Seasonal Schedule
NOTES:
Lay out your detailed annual plan into a seasonal schedule. Work with your staff
to incorporate your chosen goals and annual calendar events and constraints,
and define how that schedule will be structured. The seasonal schedule will
include your specific Targeted Programs and activities, designate age-group
break-outs, and show the opportunities from each Core Program Area.

Use your seasonal schedule to incorporate special recurring features – such

as snack or meal time, youth meeting time, or a rolling arrival time block. A
rolling arrival features activities youth can easily join at any time, because not
all youth arrive at the same time.

This type of schedule will also help you determine staff-to-youth ratios as you
put large-group and small-group offerings into the mix.

Each seasonal schedule should last eight to 12 weeks. Close out your
seasonal schedule’s Targeted Programs by celebrating the goals and targets
your staff met. Collect and review input from youth and staff to guide your plan
for improvements to the next seasonal schedule.

Site Weekly Schedule

Make the seasonal schedule the basis for your site weekly schedules. The site
weekly schedule helps guide staff in planning their daily sessions and activities.
It shows which rooms are being used for each type of programming during
each time slot. The difference between a seasonal schedule and a site weekly
schedule is the level of detail: A seasonal schedule will name each Targeted
Program offered, including time, location and age group. A site weekly schedule
indicates which lessons from that Targeted Program to facilitate during that week.

Work with your staff to create a site weekly schedule for your entire site.
This will keep you and your staff organized, and it helps youth and their
families know what to expect. Just like the seasonal schedule, the site weekly
schedule is based on time of day and location.

When creating your site’s weekly schedule with your team, keep these
SECTION 5

important considerations in mind.

• Provide your staff daily planning time before or after programming.
• Ensure youth have the opportunity to choose programs or activities at
least once per day.
• Schedule your most impactful programs at the time of day when the most
youth are present in the Club.
• Schedule half of your staff to be “openers,” and the other half to be “closers.”
That way they will all be on the clock when the most youth are present. It also
prevents overstaffing when fewer members are in the building.
SECTION • Give teens their own space, programs and activities.

Develop Targeted Program Plans (Plan)

When teaching your staff how to plan and implement their programs, guide
Site-Level Program Planning them to develop Targeted Program Plans. Ask them to submit their plans to
you ahead of time. That will give you time to review and discuss the plans
and Assessment together. You’ll each clearly see what resources are required for each Targeted

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Program. Finally, Targeted Program Plans help staff understand how each
program contributes to desired youth outcomes in the three priority outcome NOTES:
areas of the Formula for Impact.

A good Targeted Program Plan presents the:

• Name of the program
• Core Program Area it fits into
• Priority outcome area it supports
• Program description
• Target audience – Who will be served by this program? What age group? Is
it designated for boys or girls only?
• Amount of time required – For example, a group club may have weekly
meetings for an hour; a Power Hour homework help program may last two
hours daily, five days a week.
• Required resources – How many staff and/or volunteers will be needed?
What equipment or materials are required? How much will the program cost?
• Expected outcomes – What knowledge, attitudes or skills will members
gain by the conclusion of the program?
• Success measures – Clear objectives and outcomes are stated.

Let’s take a moment to discuss the importance of success measures. When

measuring the final outcomes against the program objectives, stakeholders will
learn whether the program is having the intended impact. Just what should you
track to ensure the program is working? Generally, quantifiable measures. These
might include the number or percentage of youth who complete the program, post-
test improvement results of knowledge or attitudes, skills mastered, or a report
of changed behavior. Don’t fall into the trap of trying to report on everything. Just
identify the most critical outcome measures you expect to achieve.

Find the Targeted Program Plan Template and Sample Targeted Program Plan
for an instructional chess program at the end of this section, and share them
with your staff.

SECTION 5
Once you approve staff members’ Targeted Program Plans, continue to reinforce
good daily planning habits by providing staff with ample planning time each day,
especially when first implementing a new program plan and structure. Have staff
complete and submit the Session Planning Template provided in the Principles
of Program Planning and Delivery section of this BLUEprint.

To continue reinforcing good youth development practices, remind staff to

incorporate the Elements of a High-Quality Session in their session plans. See
the reference handout in the Principles of Program Planning and Delivery section.

Promote Club Programming (Plan) SECTION

Ever hear the quote, “Build it and they will come”? It’s a nice sentiment, but not
necessarily the best advice when it comes to promoting the programs, services,
and special events you and your team work so hard to plan and implement. To
positively impact the most kids in your community, you need to put energy
and creativity into your outreach and promotion efforts. Make sure youth, their Site-Level Program Planning
families and other community members know what you have to offer.
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Everyone in the Club or Youth Center should share in this ongoing responsibility.
NOTES: Consider delegating specific assignments to your staff members – especially to
those who are artistic, good communicators or tech savvy. There are so many
ways to promote programs and events. Use flyers; posters; bulletin boards;
newsletters; websites; social media; and kid, family and staff word of mouth.
Tap into all of your available communications options. No matter what means
you choose, make sure you and your team properly follow your organization’s
policies and procedures about how communications are developed, reviewed
and approved.

Here are some ideas for promoting your programs and events.
• When developing a message, especially for social media, concisely
present the who, what, when and where of the event. Ask staff members
or even teens, who are “digital natives,” for help in creating these.
• Send program schedules and special event flyers home with kids, or send
them via snail mail or email.
• Provide copies of program schedules and special event fliers at the front
desk for visitors to take.
• Designate a bulletin board in a public area of your Club or Youth Center
for community or family announcements. Make sure to post current
information on programming and special events.
• Take advantage of e-communications options. Does your Club or Youth
Center have a text message system or an e-newsletter for communicating
to parents? Can you send emails or post announcements on the Club or
RESOURCES Youth Center Facebook page?
BGCA has developed a staff • Ask members to invite their friends to programs and special events.
management bulletin for Club and • Use special events to recruit new youth to the Club or Youth Center. Offer
Youth Center directors on promising free or discounted memberships for kids who sign up during special events.
practices for supervision, coaching and
professional development. This bulletin
• Ask your community partners, especially school personnel, to help spread
contains a tool called Considerations for the word.
Effective Staff Observations. BGCA.net/
ProgramQuality Tap into your community resources for promotion. Can you attend PTA meetings
at your feeder schools, to tell parents and teachers about your Club or Youth
SECTION 5

The David P. Weikart Center’s Youth Center? Will the local library allow you to post fliers about your programs and
Program Quality Assessment (YPQA) is events? Better yet – host a field trip there, run a library card sign-up event for
a tested, research-based observational your members, make your Club or Youth Center a regular Book Mobile stop, or
assessment tool that Clubs and Youth invite a library staff member to your site to facilitate a book club!
Centers can use to strengthen staff’s
youth development practice and improve
program quality. Evaluate the Overall Program (Assess)
Regularly evaluating your Club or Youth Center’s overall program is key to
increasing its quality. It also helps inform your planning process for the next
program cycle.
SECTION During this time, assess how well you and your staff implemented the activities
and practices. Was it a developmentally rich environment for the young people
in your care? Measure your success at implementing the components of an
effective, well-balanced overall program to meet the needs and interests of
the youth you serve. During your assessment, gather input from staff and
Site-Level Program Planning youth. Also review available and pertinent data – such as Club or Youth Center
and Assessment attendance, individual program participation and youth outcome measurements.

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SD PD

There are several ways to evaluate Club or Youth Center programming.

Each of the following methods can be applied to any overall program. NOTES:
As explained earlier, these methods are examples of continuous quality
improvement activities.

Observe your staff as they facilitate programming with youth. Observing staff
interactions with youth, and providing feedback based on your observation,
helps your employees grow. It’s a positive opportunity to share control, focus
on strengths and problem solve.36 Effective managers use observation to
ensure positive staff-youth interactions and program quality.

While you observe a staff member facilitating a session or activity, note

whether the youth are having fun. Are the participants highly engaged in
the session or activity, or do they seem bored or apathetic? Make sure to
meet with staff members to share your feedback. Follow up with training and
coaching to build specific skills.

Monitor youth participation. Are youth vying to get into certain programs, or
asking you to bring one back? Do youth return to programs, or do they lose
interest after their initial involvement? Look at your program participation data
to identify patterns – such as youth selecting certain programs over others,
attending some programs much more frequently or regularly than others, or
coming later or only on certain days to avoid specific programs.

Use just-in-time techniques to collect feedback. Conduct Pulse Checks to

see how youth are feeling at the Club. They are a fun way to gain insights by
quickly, easily and inexpensively collecting data at any point in your program
cycle. A Pulse Check can take the form of a quick poll or survey, or you can
conduct a focus group with a small group of youth. Ask questions such as: RESOURCES
• Do you enjoy the program offerings? The Pulse Checks Guidebook shows
you how to conduct quick, easy and
• What do you get out of them? inexpensive polls, listening sessions and
• If it were offered again, would you participate? parent surveys. Access it on BGCA.net/
• Would you invite a friend to participate? ProgramQuality.
• How can the program be improved? Another way to get staff feedback is

SECTION 5
through the annual NYOI Staff Survey.
Asking for their impressions of staff members is also important. This data provides insight on their youth
development practices. It also addresses
Determine whether the stated outputs were achieved. You developed your how staff feel about the supervision,
Club-wide goals and strategies and wrote them up in the SMART format training and professional development
(Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-Bound). Were some of your they receive, along with other aspects of
strategies associated with outputs? Outputs are quantifiable and generally their job satisfaction.
can be easily tracked and documented. For example, your Club may be
implementing strategies to increase average daily attendance or the number of
youth or teen members. Or you may be making a special push to engage more
youth in a particular program or Core Program Area. Analyze your member
management, attendance or other data to see whether you have met your SECTION
target outputs.

Site-Level Program Planning

and Assessment
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Ask your staff for feedback. During your regular staff meetings, discuss how
NOTES: they feel their own programs, and the overall program, are going. Have end-
of-program-cycle debriefing sessions with your team. Use simple, open-ended
questions, such as:
• What worked?
• What didn’t work?
• Would you repeat this? If so, what would you do differently?

Involve your staff in collecting and analyzing data to identify strengths and
areas for improvement. Then engage them in developing and executing on
action plans for addressing the areas for improvement.

Evaluate programs from a cost-effectiveness standpoint. This type of

assessment helps determine how much programs cost, and whether Club
or Youth Center resources are being used effectively. You’ll appreciate
this information when it’s time to develop and manage your site’s current
budget, with projected estimates for future budgets. By calculating the cost
of materials, equipment and staff time, you’ll determine the cost per youth
participant. For example, imagine homework help and tutoring costs $5,000
a year with 50 regular participants. Then the cost per participant is $100
($5,000 divided by 50 participants).
SECTION 5

SECTION

Site-Level Program Planning

and Assessment
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 BLUEprint

Next Steps for Learning:

SD PD
Site-Level Program Planning
and Assessment
Take your learning to the next level using these reflection questions and resources.

Reflection Questions
After you think about and answer these questions, share your responses with your supervisor in your next
one-on-one meeting. Ask for help as needed.

1. What’s the connection between your existing site-level program planning and CQI processes? How does
one process inform or intersect with the other?

2. What can you do to create a more robust continuous quality improvement mindset and process in
your Club or Youth Center? What support and resources do you and your staff need in order to make
that happen?

3. To what degree do you implement the overall program planning steps outlined in this chapter? What
are your strengths and areas to improve?

SECTION 5

4. What are you doing to enable both your full- and part-time staff to thoughtfully and carefully plan
their programs and activities? What additional strategies could you implement to build their program
planning skills (e.g., allotting them more planning time, providing more training and coaching, adopting
some of the planning tools and templates provided in this BLUEprint)?

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5. To what degree do you currently engage all of your staff in your site-level program planning processes?
What else could you do to involve them in a more holistic, site-level way, rather than just having them
focus on the programs and activities they facilitate?

6. Which of the program evaluation methods described in this section are you currently using well? Which
methods would you like to start using? What do you and your staff need in order to more effectively
evaluate program implementation at your site on an ongoing basis?

Suggested Action Steps and Resources

To learn more about leading a continuous quality To increase your ability to interpret and use the
improvement (CQI) process in your Club or Youth data your organization or site collects, become
Center, access the Club Experience brochure familiar with the data available on BGCA.net/
from BGCA.net/ProgramQuality. This brochure MyData. Practice using the site’s features to filter
offers four strategies for leading a CQI process. It your site’s data and generate different kinds of
also breaks down the Assess, Plan and Improve reports. Use the My Data Road Map, accessible
phases of CQI into more concrete action steps. from BGCA.net/ProgramQuality, to guide your
data mining efforts. Check out other helpful data
To strengthen your program planning, management use resources on the Effective Data Use webpage.
and staff management skills, visit the BGCA.net
Training page to access Spillett Leadership To become more effective at conducting staff
SECTION 5

University. Log in and use the search function observations and providing concrete feedback and
to find a full range of learning opportunities for coaching support, BGCA recommends utilizing the
Club and Youth Center managers in the School of David P. Weikart Center’s Youth Program Quality
Management. These include online courses and Assessment (YPQA). This is a tested, research-
instructor-led sessions and workshops. Talk with based observational assessment tool Clubs and
your supervisor to see what training or coaching Youth Centers can use to strengthen staff’s youth
they can provide. Also check out BGCA’s series development practice and improve program quality.
of staff management bulletins for Club and Youth BGCA’s staff management bulletin on promising
Center managers on promising practices for hiring practices for supervision, coaching and professional
and onboarding; facilitating teamwork and staff development also provides a helpful tool called
communication; and supervision, coaching and Considerations for Effective Staff Observations.
professional development. Access the bulletins Access the bulletin from BGCA.net/ProgramQuality.
from BGCA.net/ProgramQuality.

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 Club-Wide Goals and Strategies SD PD

Plan Template
Club-Wide Goal: Write your goal here:
…… Staff-Focused
…… Youth-Focused

Strategies Outputs Key Players Roles Resources Timeline Progress

What two or three What does Who is What role does What resources On what dates was the What is the status?
strategies will success look like? responsible for each person play? are needed strategy designed and
your Club adopt to designing and (e.g., trainings, executed? (M = met, NM = not met,
achieve this goal? implementing? materials)? IP = in progress)

By By By
Designed Executed
[Month] [Month] [Month]

1. [Date] [Date]

M M M

NM NM NM

IP IP IP

2. [Date] [Date]

M M M

NM NM NM

IP IP IP

3. [Date] [Date]

M M M

NM NM NM

IP IP IP

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BLUEprint
107
Sample Club-Wide Goals and PD SD

Strategies Plan
Club-Wide Goal: Write your goal here:
� Staff-Focused Promote a sense of belonging at the Club
 Youth-Focused
BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

Strategies Outputs Key Players Roles Resources Timeline Progress

What two or three What does Who is What role does What resources On what dates was the What is the status?
strategies will success look like? responsible for each person play? are needed strategy designed and
your Club adopt to designing and (e.g., trainings, executed? (M = met, NM = not met,
achieve this goal? implementing? materials)? IP = in progress)

Designed Executed By Nov. By Feb. By May

1. By Sept. 1, • Four houses • Cymone • Lead • Banners June 1 Sept. 1 M M M

establish a house (program • Posters
system, with director) NM NM NM
• T-shirts
four houses, to • Matt • Support
provide all youth • Patches IP IP IP
• Will • Support
with a small
community within • Kate • Support
the Club. • Kristen • Support

2. Every staff • # of team- • Cymone • Lead • Training for June 1 Aug. 1-May M M M
member will building (program staff on team- 25
facilitate at least activities director) or community- NM NM NM
two team-building completed • Matt • Support building
activities with activities IP IP IP
• # of youth • Will • Support
youth per week participants in • YDToolbox
in their program • Kate • Support
team-building mobile app
area. activities • Kristen • Support
 BLUEprint

Targeted Program Plan

SD PD YDP
Template
Program Name:

Staff Member Name:

Core Program Area: …… Leadership and Service …… Health and Wellness

…… Education …… Sports and Recreation
…… The Arts

Priority Outcome Area: …… Academic Success

…… Good Character and Citizenship
…… Healthy Lifestyles

Description:
What is the purpose of the program?
What will members experience?

Target Audience:
What is the age group and
optimal group size?

Time Needed:
What is the duration of the entire
program? How many sessions?
How long is each session?

Required Resources:
What space, staffing, materials,
equipment, etc., are needed?

Expected Outcomes:
How will participants benefit or what
knowledge, attitudes or skills will they build
as a result of participating in the program?

Success Measures:
What will you collect data on or track to
ensure the program worked? What will
you use to gather the data?

Staff Signature:
Date:

Supervisor Signature:
Date:

Comments:

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Sample Targeted
YDP PD SD
Program Plan
Program Name: Instructional Chess Program

Staff Member Name: Brian Smith

Core Program Area: � Leadership and Service � Health and Wellness

� Education  Sports and Recreation
� The Arts

Priority Outcome Area: � Academic Success

� Good Character and Citizenship
 Healthy Lifestyles

Description: The instructional chess program is designed to introduce new players to chess.
What is the purpose of the program? Players will learn the names and movement of all pieces, the rules of the game, and
What will members experience? how to record their moves using chess notation. They will be introduced to the Swiss
matching system of tournament play. The program will conclude with an in-house
tournament, and all participants will be invited to join the Club’s chess team.

Target Audience: 15 Club members ages 8 to 12

What is the age group and
optimal group size?

Time Needed: Program runs for 12 weeks. Weekly instructional meetings for one hour, followed by
What is the duration of the entire individual practice games.
program? How many sessions?
How long is each session?

Required Resources: Meeting space; one staff member to lead the program; chess boards and playing
What space, staffing, materials, pieces, chess clocks, chess notation forms, class syllabus; and members up to 12
equipment, etc., are needed? years old.

Expected Outcomes: 1. Participants acquire a basic understanding of a game that may become a lifelong
How will participants benefit or what interest or pastime. (Skills to include post-test-rules, playing etiquette, tournament
knowledge, attitudes or skills will they build behavior and procedures, notation, use of clock, etc.).
as a result of participating in the program? 2. Participants improve their ability to concentrate and think analytically.
(Participants will record their moves so their strategy can be observed).

Success Measures: 1. Number of participants who complete the 12-week instructional program
What will you collect data on or track to (tracked via program sign-in sheets).
ensure the program worked? What will 2. Number of participants who win or draw three games or more
you use to gather the data? (tracked via chess program bulletin board).

Brian Smith
Staff Signature:
Date: 3/30/18

Jane Black
Supervisor Signature:
Date: 4/13/18

Comments: Brian, thanks for submitting such a detailed and well-thought-out plan! The outcomes
and success measures are logical and achievable. Approved. Let’s talk about when
you want to run it, ordering the supplies, and how you are going to promote it and
recruit participants.

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Glossary of Terms

Academic Success One of three priority outcome areas of the Formula for Impact theory of change: Graduate on
time, motivated to learn, with a plan to succeed in today’s modern workforce

activity The smallest building block of Club programming; a single event of limited duration; has
some kind of objective

annual calendar Notes days when there is special scheduling at the Club or Youth Center so families and
staff can plan in advance (e.g., school early release days and breaks; days the site is closed
for staff training, holidays or facility maintenance; and special events). From a planning
perspective, it should reflect Club or Youth Center goals and help identify constraints. See
also seasonal schedule.

annual visits The number of visits per registered member on an annual basis

attention getter A phrase, chant or gesture that can be used throughout a session to get the group’s
attention in a respectful and engaging way

average daily The average number of registered members per day participating in on-site or off-site Club
attendance (ADA) programs and activities

BLUEprint A component of the Program Basics Suite, this definitive guide for high-quality Club or Youth
Center programming reviews key aspects of Boys & Girls Club history and culture, and offers
tips for putting sound youth development and program planning, delivery and assessment
principles into practice

career exploration Activities that motivate and inspire youth to think about the connection between their post-
secondary plans and careers

character The way one behaves when no one is looking. In Clubs and Youth Centers, six essential
traits or pillars define character:
• Caring • Respect
• Citizenship • Responsibility
• Fairness • Trustworthiness
The pillars of character were defined by CHARACTER COUNTS!

character development Opportunities across the Club day to practice skills that build good character during
structured and less-structured times

Closing and Transition The seventh and final of the Elements of a High-Quality Session; staff engage youth in
putting away materials, creating a tidy space, and clearly explaining what youth can expect
as they move on to the next program offering

cognitive Relating to conscious intellectual activity, such as thinking, reasoning or remembering

communication Exchanging thoughts, both verbally and non-verbally, and listening well to others

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Community Builder The second of the Elements of a High-Quality Session; an activity, such as an ice breaker or
team-building exercise, that builds trust and supportive relationships among youth and staff
through play, fun and active engagement

conflict management Developing solutions to overcome conflict

conflict resolution Responding to conflict

continuous quality A way of thinking and learning, and a cyclical, ongoing process with three phases – assess,
improvement (CQI) plan and improve – that helps enhance program quality and boost positive outcomes for youth

Core Beliefs Statements reflecting the values and essential features of all Boys & Girls Clubs

Core Program Area A grouping or category of programs designed to achieve specific outcomes related to a
common discipline. These categories, which fit into and align with the three priority outcome
areas of the Formula for Impact, are:
• Leadership and Service • Health and Wellness
• Education • Sports and Recreation
• The Arts

developmentally Describes programs and activities whose content and delivery methods are suitable for or
appropriate match with the physical, emotional, social, and cognitive characteristics of the age group
participating in the program or activity

Elements of a Used to structure Targeted Program sessions and High-Yield Activities to ensure the
High-Quality Session consistent implementation of high-quality youth development practices. They are:
• Warm Welcome • Reflection
• Community Builder • Recognition
• Group Agreements • Closing and Transition
• Main Activity
These elements align with the David P. Weikart Center’s Youth Program Quality Intervention.

emotional safety When youth experience an inclusive place that is free of judgment or bullying, they feel free
to express their emotions, feel secure and confident to take risks, and feel challenged and
excited to try something new

empathy Ability to understand and share in others’ feelings

ethical responsibility Constructive decisions made based on ethics

evaluating Process used to make informed decisions and identify appropriate options

encouragement When recognizing a young person, specific, nonjudgmental observations of their effort are
provided (e.g., “John, I noticed that when you were frustrated during the activity, you took the
breaks you needed to complete the task. This really made a difference in your group finishing
the activity.”) Use encouragement rather than praise, which is making general, nonspecific
statements based on your judgment of their actions. (e.g., “John, you did great in the activity.”)

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Five Key Elements These are a critical component of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience, lay the foundation
for Positive Youth for implementing effective Targeted Programs and High-Yield Activities, and are how Club and
Development Youth Center staff accomplish their core youth development work. They are:
1. Safe, positive environment
2. Fun and sense of belonging
3. Supportive relationships with peers and adults
4. Opportunities and expectations
5. Recognition

fixed (mandatory) A type of program schedule in which program offerings are limited by members’ ages, the
programmatic philosophy of the Club or Youth Center, or other constraints, forcing youth to
participate in new experiences or programs they need

Formula for Impact A theory of change defines all the building blocks required to bring about a long-term goal
theory of change or goals; creates a commonly understood vision, how the goals will be achieved, and how to
measure progress.

The Boys & Girls Club Movement’s theory of change, called the Formula for Impact, states:
“If we take the Young People Who Need Us Most and provide them with the best possible
Outcome-Driven Club Experience, they will achieve positive outcomes that will enable them
to be Academically Successful, demonstrate Good Character and Citizenship, and live
Healthy Lifestyles.”

free choice (voluntary) A type of program schedule that allows members to freely select the programs and activities
they will participate in, so they can exercise autonomy and independence

goal-setting Setting and working toward personal goals

Good Character and One of three priority outcome areas of the Formula for Impact theory of change: Develop
Citizenship strong character and take actions that make a difference in the community

Group Agreement The third of the Elements of a High-Quality Session; a process of working with a group of
youth to establish the agreed-upon behaviors that will promote physical and emotional
safety for everyone in the group

grouper A quick activity to divide a large group of participants into multiple small groups

Healthy Lifestyles One of three priority outcome areas of the Formula for Impact theory of change: Make
healthy lifestyle decisions resulting in social, emotional and physical well-being

High-Yield Activity A component of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience, High-Yield Activities provide youth with
enjoyable experiences that are hands-on, interactive, intentionally develop and reinforce
the core skills explicitly taught through Targeted Programs, and help them achieve positive
outcomes in the three priority outcome areas of the Formula for Impact

homegrown programs Programs that are developed by local Clubs or Youth Centers

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homeroom Designated times of the Club or Youth Center day where youth of the same age group or
interest come together to build community and regroup

identify and solve Decision-making process

problems

identifying emotions Expressing feelings

impulse control Controlling one’s desire to react immediately

inclusive Safe, positive and inclusive environments for youth of every race, gender, gender expression,
sexual orientation, ability, socioeconomic status, religion and cultural belief

inclusion standards Standards BGCA has developed to make sure all youth:
• Feel represented
• Have a sense of belonging
• Can meaningfully participate in programming

individual or one-on- A type of interaction or program delivery method used by staff with youth; consists of pairing
one mentoring activity each young person with a caring adult for learning experiences; see also small-group activity
and large-group activity

intentional To do something on purpose or to be deliberate to create meaningful experiences for youth

interest-based Programs that tap into youth interests, passions and enthusiasm
programs

large-group activity A type of interaction or program delivery method used by staff with youth; such activities
informally engage youth and provide them with opportunities for maximum freedom and
mobility; sometimes also referred to as drop-in activities; see also small-group activity and
individual or one-on-one mentoring activity

less-structured time Time during the program day when there are no formal instructional programs or activities
(e.g., snack time, transitions, and when using the gamesroom for arrival and pick-up). See
also structured time.

limits The guidelines set up in a particular program space that define the parameters for specific
activities (e.g., the time young people have at different activity stations, or the types of
materials that can be used at different activity stations)

Main Activity The fourth of the Elements of a High-Quality Session; the core content of a session, designed to
help participants achieve the objective of the session through hands-on, interactive activities in
which youth work together with materials to explore new concepts or learn or practice a new skill

Movement/Boys & Refers to all local Boys & Girls Club organizations that are members of our federation,
Girls Club Movement including their sites; plus BGCA, the national organization

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National Youth A common system for Clubs to measure the Formula for Impact’s desired outcomes for
Outcomes Initiative young people and their perception of the Club Experience. NYOI’s primary data collection
(NYOI) tool is a survey of youth ages 9 and older. The system also collects membership,
attendance and staff survey data.

needs-based programs Programs that address the needs of youth in the context of their community

open-ended question A type of question that does not have a single right answer, giving young people
opportunities to provide a variety of possible answers. This type of question encourages
self-reflection and self-directed learning. See also Reflection.

Outcome-Driven Club A Club Experience that provides enriching programs; fun, new experiences; and supportive
Experience relationships with caring adults and peers to help youth achieve positive outcomes in Academic
Success, Good Character and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles. It connects children and teens
to their Club or Youth Center, and assures they will participate often and stay engaged through
high school. Four components are needed to create an Outcome-Driven Club Experience:
• Five Key Elements for Positive • Targeted Programs
Youth Development • Regular Attendance
• High-Yield Activities

output Results of work activities that are quantifiable and can be easily tracked and documented
(e.g., the number or percentage of youth who complete a particular program, the average
daily attendance or the number of teen members at a site)

overall program Encompasses the entire range of activities, programs and services, including transition
times, available during a Club day; sometimes also referred to as programming

perseverance Strength to keep going, even when something’s difficult

perspective-taking Considering another’s point of view

physical safety Youth are protected from physical harm when the Club or Youth Center controls recognized
hazards and proactively addresses internal and external threats

positive youth An intentional, prosocial approach that engages youth within their communities, schools,
development organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive;
recognizes, utilizes and enhances young people’s strengths; and promotes positive
outcomes for young people by providing opportunities, fostering positive relationships, and
furnishing the support needed to build on their leadership strengths.

Definition developed by the federal Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs.

priority outcome areas The Formula for Impact theory of change guides Clubs and Youth Centers in how to help
youth achieve positive outcomes in three priority areas: Academic Success, Good Character
and Citizenship, and Healthy Lifestyles

program The main method to help youth build and reinforce knowledge and skills; it has goals and
objectives, follows a sequence of sessions or lessons, and is conducted over a specific
period of time. Sometimes also referred to as a curriculum. See also Targeted Programs.

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progressive Programs and activities that evolve along with young people as they get older to keep them
programming engaged and challenged and continue building on their existing knowledge or skills

prosocial Behavior that is positive, helpful, and intended to promote social interactions and build good
character to support the development of positive relationships

Pulse Check A way of collecting just-in-time data (via survey, poll or focus group) to gain insight into young
people’s Club Experience

Recognition The sixth of the Elements of a High-Quality Session; staff acknowledge young people’s
innate strengths and talents. Through authentic gestures and encouragement, staff
positively reinforce members’ efforts and persistence, and celebrate their progress and
successes. Staff also create opportunities for youth to recognize each other. Can be
informal (in-the-moment, verbal acknowledgment of effort and contribution) and formal
(certificates or title designations like Youth of the Week/Month/Year).

recognizing strengths Identifying what one can do well and building on those skills

Reflection The fifth of the Elements of a High-Quality Session; a method that helps youth make
meaning out of and express what they have learned, and identify how they can apply it in
other areas of their lives. See also open-ended question.

Regular Attendance A component of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience; the frequency with which youth attend
their Club or Youth Center. Research shows youth are more likely to achieve positive outcomes
when they attend more frequently. Regular Attendance is commonly measured by the number of
annual visits, average daily attendance and member retention/renewal.

retention/renewal The number of current registered members in a given year who renew their membership
within a 12-month period after the expiration of their previous membership

rolling arrival A block of time at the beginning of the Club daily schedule allowing for simple activities
youth can easily join, even if they arrive at different times

safe, positive A Club or Youth Center with a climate in which young people feel physically and emotionally
environment safe, are able to form healthy relationships with staff and peers, and are able to engage
fully in programs and activities

seasonal schedule An eight- to 12-week Club or Youth Center program schedule that incorporates annual
calendar events and constraints. It shows how the overall program is structured, including
the Targeted Programs offered in each of the five Core Program Areas for designated age
groups, and recurring features such as snack or meal times and youth meeting times. See
also annual calendar and site weekly schedule.

self-awareness Recognizing one’s feelings, needs, thoughts and influence on behavior

self-efficacy Perceived capability to do a specific task

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sense of belonging Youth experience a family-like environment, a home away from home, a community that is
grounded in a shared identity, and the common goals of succeeding and giving feedback.
They know they are welcome and feel they fit in and are accepted.

sequential A series of sessions or lessons facilitated in a certain order to build participants’ knowledge
or skills

session All the activities that occur during a standard block of time in the Club program schedule
and in a particular space; one full meeting in a sequence of meetings that makes up a
Targeted Program; sometimes also referred to as lessons

site weekly schedule Derived from the seasonal schedule, this schedule shows which Club or Youth Center
rooms are being used for each program session/lesson or activity during each time slot.
It is limited to one five- to seven-day period and provides specific details about each of the
program sessions/lessons or activities offered. See also seasonal schedule.

small-group activity A type of interaction or program delivery method used by staff with youth; typically made up
of eight to 12 youth who meet regularly with an adult leader for a specific program; see also
large-group activity and individual or one-on-one mentoring activity

SMART A format for writing goals, objectives or action steps so that they are:
• Specific
• Measurable
• Attainable
• Realistic
• Time-Bound

social awareness Ability to understand social and ethical norms of behavior

social-emotional skills Skills related to:

• How youth feel about themselves
• Their relationships with others
• Their ability to regulate emotions
• Their ability to solve problems

Examples are teamwork, conflict management and ethical responsibility.

special event Another building block of the overall program; they boost fun, excitement and interest for
staff, volunteers, youth, families and partners through celebrations, recognition events,
youth performances, family nights or dinners, field trips and other special activities

staff-to-youth ratio The number of supervising adult staff members compared with the number of youth in a
program; for example, 1:10 means that for every 10 youth, there is one supervising adult
staff member

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strength-based A perspective that emphasizes the strengths of young people rather than deficits; its goal
approach is to build young people’s resiliency and their belief that they can be successful. Staff focus
on building up the positive, rather than preventing the negative, by identifying what youth do
well, finding ways for youth to do more of it, and building upon those skills.

stress management Responding to stress

structured time Time in the Club or Youth Center in which more formal, instructional program sessions or
activities are facilitated to build and reinforce young people’s knowledge and skills; see also
less-structured time

supportive Staff members proactively cultivate and maintain personal relationships to ensure every
relationships young person feels connected to one or more adult staff and forges friendships with peers.
This includes staff-to-staff, staff-to-youth and youth-to-youth interactions.

Targeted Programs A component of the Outcome-Driven Club Experience, Targeted Programs are sequenced
learning experiences with specific objectives for building skills and knowledge through five
Core Program Areas. They are chosen to help Club youth achieve positive outcomes in one
or more of our three priority outcome areas. They:
• Are planned
• Are designed to achieve stated goals and objectives in a Core Program Area
• Are designed to build upon existing knowledge and skills
• Are conducted for a specific audience
• Are sequenced, conducted over a specific period of time, using multiple lessons in a
certain order
• Use specific delivery methods
• Measure and evaluate the extent to which participants achieve goals and objectives

teachable moment When a young person spontaneously expresses a particular question, interest, observation,
or concern to a staff member or volunteer that leads to further exploration of and guidance
on that subject

teamwork Working well with others

transition Less-structured time spent moving from program to program, loading the bus, to snack or
meal times, etc.

Warm Welcome The first of the Elements of a High-Quality Session; staff greet each young person by name,
thank them for being present, and engage them in meaningful conversations

youth-centered An approach to building positive, meaningful relationships with young people by working in
approach active partnership with them to shape the direction of and deliver program offerings. The
goal is to instill in youth a sense of influence and autonomy.

youth development Staff working directly with youth and responsible for overseeing the planning, development,
professional implementation and evaluation of a broad range of programs within a designated Club.

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Youth Program Quality A tested, research-based observational assessment tool used to strengthen youth
Assessment (YPQA) development practices and improve program quality for out-of-school-time providers.

The tool was developed by the David P. Weikart Center.

youth voice The ideas, opinions and actions of young people. Youth voice may be thought of as a ladder
with four rungs: no voice, input, choice and shared leadership. The ladder illustrates a range
of enabling youth voice, from not enabling it at all to full partnership with shared leadership.

Youth Work Methods Skills used to improve the quality of staff interactions with youth and promote physical and
emotional safety of youth in out-of-school-time environments, including:
• Active-participatory approach
• Structure and clear limits
• Building community
• Ask-listen-encourage
• Reframing conflict

The methods were developed by the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality.

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Endnotes

1 The Six Pillars of Character are from CHARACTER COUNTS! 10 The wording of the practice descriptions is based on
These were identified by a nonpartisan, nonsectarian standards and indicators from the David P. Weikart Center’s
(secular) group of youth development experts in 1992 Youth Program Quality Assessment, Form A-Program
as “core ethical values that transcend cultural, religious Offerings, Youth-Grades 4-12, and Form B-Organization
and socioeconomic differences.” charactercounts.org/ Items, cypq.org/assessment, and the National AfterSchool
program-overview/six-pillars. Association’s Standards for Quality School-Age Care,
naaweb.org/images/NAAStandards.pdf.
2 Mannes, M.; Lewis, S. and Streit, K. (April 2005).
Deepening Impact Through Quality Youth Development 11 David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality (2013).
Strategies and Practices, report prepared for Boys & Girls “Ask-Listen-Encourage Youth Work Method,” cypq.org/
Clubs of America (Minneapolis, Minn.: Search Institute), products_and_services/training/YWM.
bgca.net/Operations/DCM/RAE/Pages/ResEval.aspx.
12 David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality (2013).
3 Campbell, Alexander (1966). “The A.C. Campbell Paper,” a “Reframing Conflict Youth Work Method,” cypq.org/
seminal historical document written in 1965 and published products_and_services/training/YWM.
in PROfiles, the journal of the Boys’ Clubs Professional
Association. 13 David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, (2013).
“Ask-Listen-Encourage Youth Work Method,” cypq.org/
4 Wisniewski, Dennis (May 2018). “Nature of Guidance products_and_services/training/YWM.
and Its Need/Emphasis in the Practice of Boys & Girls
Club Work,” chapter 15 of Reflections on Moments Past, 14 Boys & Girls Clubs of America gratefully acknowledges
Challenges for Still Greater Possibilities: A Legacy Log Brittany Hite, M.A., a doctoral student in Positive
for Consideration by Boys & Girls Club Professionals, Developmental Psychology at Claremont Graduate
dwforyouth.wixsite.com/dwforyouth/chapter-15. University and a project manager at Claremont Evaluation
Center, linkedin.com/in/brittany-hite-99212584. Brittany
5 Wisniewksi, Dennis (May 2018). “Nature and Practice of collaborated with us to update and revise the content
Boys & Girls Club Work in a Great Club,” chapter 14 of on the developmental milestones of children and teens.
Reflections on Moments Past, Challenges for Still Greater We greatly appreciate her contribution. Key sources
Possibilities: A Legacy Log for Consideration by Boys consulted in our literature review included: Santrock, J.
& Girls Club Professionals, dwforyouth.wixsite.com/ (2016), Essentials of Life-Span Development, Fourth Edition
dwforyouth/chapter-14. (Columbus, Ohio: McGraw-Hill Education); Nakkula, M.
and Toshalis, E. (2008), Understanding Youth: Adolescent
6 Mannes, M.; Lewis, S. and Streit, K. (April 2005). Development for Educators (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard
Deepening Impact Through Quality Youth Development Education Publishing Group); and Way, N. (2013), Deep
Strategies and Practices. Secrets: Boys’ Friendships and the Crisis of Connection
(Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press).
7 Arbreton, A.; Bradshaw, M.; Sheldon, J. and Pepper, S.
(2009). Making Every Day Count: Boys & Girls Clubs’ Role 15 National Association of Colleges and Employers (2017).
in Promoting Positive Outcomes for Teens (Philadelphia, “The Key Attributes Employers Seek on Students’
Pa.: Public/Private Ventures), bgca.net/Operations/DCM/ Resumes,” naceweb.org/about-us/press/2017/the-key-
RAE/Pages/ResEval.aspx. attributes-employers-seek-on-students-resumes.
8 Huang, D.; Gribbons, B. and Kim, K. S. et al. (2000). A 16 Gatsby Charitable Foundation (2014). Good Career
Decade of Results: The Impact of the LA’s BEST After Guidance, gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/reports/pdf/
School Enrichment Program on Subsequent Student gatsby-sir-john-holman-good-career-guidance-2014.pdf.
Achievement and Performance (Los Angeles: University of
California-Los Angeles, Center for the Study of Evaluation), 17 Hamilton, S. F.; Hamilton, M. A. and Pittman, K.
rhyclearinghouse.acf.hhs.gov/library/2000/decade- (2004). “Principles for Youth Development,” The Youth
results-impact-las-best-after-school-enrichment-program- Development Handbook: Coming of Age in American
subsequent-student. Communities, pp. 3-22 (Thousand Oaks: Sage
Publications, Inc.), ecommons.cornell.edu/bitstream/
9 Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (no date). handle/1813/21945/PrinciplesYD.pdf?sequence%3D2.
“Positive Youth Development,” youth.gov/youth-topics/
positive-youth-development.

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18 Smith, C.; Akiva, T.; Sugar, S. et al. (2012). Continuous 27 BGCA reviewed guidelines from various organizations
Quality Improvement in Afterschool Settings: Impact and governmental agencies to establish this ratio
Findings from the Youth Program Quality Intervention Study recommendation, including the YMCA, American Red Cross,
(Washington, D.C.: Forum for Youth Investment), cypq.org/ American Camp Association, Childcare Aware of America,
sites/cypq.org/files/YPQITech%20_2-29_12.pdf. National Swimming Pool Foundation, and the Amateur
Swimming Association, the national governing body for
19 Wetzel, K. (1997). “Student Motivation in Middle School: swimming in England.
The Role of Perceived Pedagogical Caring,” Journal of
Educational Psychology, Vol. 89, Issue 3, pp. 411-419. 28 Ohio State University (no date). “Maintaining Safe Staff-to-
Child Ratios.”
20 David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality (2017).
Youth Program Quality Assessment: Form A-Program 29 Pettigrew, J.; Graham, J.; Miller-Day, M. et al. (2015).
Offerings, Youth- Grades 4-12, cypq.org/downloadpqa. “Adherence and Delivery: Implementation Quality and
Program Outcomes for the 7th grade keepin’ it REAL
21 Cheng, H.; Siu, A. and Leung, M. (2006). “Recognition Program,” Prevention Science, Vol. 16, Issue 1, pp.
for Positive Behaviors as a Positive Youth Development 90-99. Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
Construct: Conceptual Bases and Implications for Curriculum PMC4104152.
Development,” International Journal of Adolescent Medicine
and Health, Vol. 18, Issue 3, pp. 467-573, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ 30 Camino, L. (2005). “Pitfalls and Promising Practices of
pubmed/17068929. Youth-Adult Partnerships: An Evaluator’s Reflections,” Journal
of Community Psychology, Vol. 33, Issue 1, pp. 75-85.
22 American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health
Association, National Resource Center for Health and 31 National Health Service (2012). “Group Dynamics – How
Safety in Child Care and Early Education (2011). Caring Group Size Affects Function,” Small Group Teaching Module,
for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance faculty.londondeanery.ac.uk/e-learning/small-group-
Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education teaching/group-dynamics-how-group-size-affects-function.
Programs, Third Edition (Elk Grove Village, Ill.: American
Academy of Pediatrics; Washington, D.C.: American Public 32 University of Waterloo, Center for Teaching Excellence
Health Association), nrckids.org. (2018). “Group Work in the Classroom: Small-Group Tasks,”
uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-
23 Rhodes, Jean E. (2004). “The Critical Ingredient: Caring resources/teaching-tips/developing-assignments/group-
Youth-Staff Relationships in After-school Settings,” work/group-work-classroom-small-group-tasks.
New Directions for Youth Development, Vol. 101, pp.
145-161, Wiley Periodicals, Inc., youthtoday.org/wp- 33 National Health Service (2012). “Planning and Preparation,”
content/uploads/sites/13/2016/04/04_HLTH_SRHHR_ Small Group Teaching Module, faculty.londondeanery.
articlesResearch_The-Critical-Ingrediant-Caring-Youth- ac.uk/e-learning/small-group-teaching/planning-and-
Staff-Relationships-in-Afterschool.pdf. preparation.

24 Ohio State University (no date). “Maintaining Safe Staff- 34 The Menu of Goals and Sample Strategies and Club-Wide
to-Child Ratios,” Virtual Lab School, Safe Environments, Goals and Strategies Plan Template are adapted and
Lesson 3, virtuallabschool.org/school-age/safe- included in the Program Basics BLUEprint with permission
environments/lesson-3. from Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta, bgcma.org. BGCA
gratefully acknowledges this contribution.
25 Ohio State University (no date). “Maintaining Safe Staff-to-
Child Ratios.” 35 Afterschool Alliance (2012). “Afterschool: A Key to
Successful Parent Engagement,” Issue Brief No. 57,
26 National AfterSchool Association (no date). Standards afterschoolalliance.org/issue_briefs/issue_parents_57.pdf.
for Quality School-Age Care, naaweb.org/images/
NAAStandards.pdf. Council on Accreditation (no date). 36 Akiva, T. (2007). Quality Coaching (Ypsilanti, Mich.: High/
Out-of-School Time (CYD-OST), CYD-OST 13: Supervision, Scope Educational Research Foundation). The David
coanet.org/standard/cyd-ost/13. P. Weikart Center offers quality coaching training and
materials, such as this publication, for managers of youth
programs as part of its Youth Program Quality Intervention
model. For more information, visit cypq.org/products_and_
services/training/QC.

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