BCRPA Report: Addressing the after-school hours - Middle ...

30 | www.bcrpa.bc.ca
BC RECREATION AND PARKS ASSOCIATION
BCRPA Report |
• Any future work in this area should add value to work
already in progress by community partners at local, regional
and provincial levels. Administrative bureaucracy for community
organizations and front-line workers should be kept to a
minimum, to continue to support the efficacy and efficiency of
service providers.
• Users and target audiences impacted by the implementation
of an after-school strategy should be consulted and engaged
during its creation, implementation and evaluation. Families,
children and front-line staff within community service
organizations need to have direct input into an after-school
strategy.
• Quality assurance mechanisms need to be implemented for
after-school programs supported an after-school strategy. HIGH
FIVE® can be considered as a model for Quality Assurance delivery
for children aged 6 to 12. Staff training in quality assurance
mechanisms and components of healthy child development
should be promoted in order to ensure staff retention,
consistency and quality supervision for children in after-school
programming.
• Further academic research is needed to adequately
understand the range of vulnerabilties for children aged 6 to 12
across the province. Application of research tools like the Middle
Years Development Index could be applied across the province
to assess where more programs could and should be offered in
order to reach those neighbourhoods and communities where
children and families are most in need in BC.
• Enhance physical activity through after-school programming.
After-school programs have the potential to increase daily
physical activity levels for children aged 6 to 12. A conscientious
after-school strategy should mandate specific percentages of
physical activity for programming (i.e., Ontario’s After-School
Strategy, where supported programs must incorporate 30%
physical activity programming over the course of a month).
• Dosage of after-school programs needs to be addressed.
BCRPA did not ask online survey respondents or interviewees
about the frequency of programs. Research has proven that
participants are more likely to reap the benefits of after-school
programs when they attend them more frequently (Raley,
Grossman & Walker, 2006; Durlak & Weissberg, 2007) . An afterschool
strategy should support after-school programs that are
offered 3 to 5 times a week to increase the positive outcomes for
participants.
Through the use of these recommendations, the strengths of
quality after-school programming in BC can be enhanced and
the gaps in supporting children in the after-school hours can be
addressed. Through a collaborative, dynamic and comprehensive
approach, we can enhance the lives of children aged 6 to 12 and
their families and improve their quality of life.