The purpose of the Quality Standards is to describe high levels of “Quality” of a program at the programmatic, staff, and participant levels. The quality standards are not intended to serve as a compliance tool, but as the following:

• A framework of clear expectations for all stakeholders.
• A guide to inform the After School Division’s decision-making, e.g., technical assistance decisions, language in requests for application, and policy development.
• A guide for program providers to assess their own programs in order to help determine what they are doing well and what needs improvement.
• A guide for parents and youth to identify quality programming.
• A guide for school principals and district superintendents to reinforce and advance key priorities.
• A complement to other standards in the State of California focused on quality improvement, e.g., Learning in After School and Summer, Quality Self-Assessment Tool, Quality Self-Assessment Rubric, Center for Youth Program Quality, etc. 

How Standards Were Developed    
The Quality Standards were developed in two distinct phases (Phase I and Phase II) through a partnership between the After School Division and the California AfterSchool Network Quality Committee.  The Work Groups on Quality Standards (Phase I and II) created a set of 12 Quality Standards and descriptions of what each Standard should look like in action (Standards in Action). Standards in Action are described at the programmatic, staff, and participant levels. 

Complementary Resources      
A Crosswalk Between the Quality Standards for Expanded Learning and Program Quality Assessment Tools, also know as Crosswalk. The Crosswalk outlines a number of available tools that can be used for quality assessment and improvement.

Work Group Recommendations to the CDE After School Division     
As recommended by the Work Group on Quality Standards (Phase I), the Quality Standards Work Group (Phase II) created Standards in Action and A Crosswalk Between Quality Standards for Expanded Learning and Program Quality Assessment Tools. With the submission of these resources, the Work Group (Phase II) also submitted recommendations to the CDE After School Division.  The submitted recommendations are attached.