After School Hours Initiative
One Year Follow-up Report March 2014 An Ever Active Schools Initiative
Prepared by: Jill Osler, MSc For: Ever Active Schools
Introduction
Ever Active Schools (EAS) provides provincial leadership that promotes and supports healthy, active school communities. EAS accomplishes this mandate by providing learning opportunities, communication and knowledge exchange, developing resources and being a catalyst for collaboration and partnerships supporting the healthy school community. In alignment with the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers support of the After School Time Period and Curbing Childhood Obesity: Framework for Action to Promote Healthy Weights, Ever Active Schools spearheaded capacity building and has provided solutions that have the ability to be scaled up through local project based initiatives. The Ever Active Schools After School Hours initiative was made possible by funding provided by the Public Health Agency of Canada. The target population of this initiative was children and youth in the after school time period. Of the 5 original communities that were involved in the Initiative, 3 participated in the one-‐year follow-‐ up, Warburg, Thorsby, and New Sarepta, which are all located within Leduc County. The intention of the follow-‐up was to assess what has happened in the last year, including any facilitators or barriers to implementing programs, what programs have begun or ended, who has been involved and what the future of their after school hours programs look like. A year following the conclusion of the Initiative there are still many programs being offered in the participating communities. However, some are facing a few challenges with sustainability of the programs following the end of the Initiative. Approach to Evaluation. The After School Hours Initiative engaged an external consultant (Jill Osler) to complete an evaluation of the Initiative one-‐year on. Through this evaluation, a series of interviews were conducted to gather information on how the participating communities after school hours’ programs have changed in this last year (March 2013-‐March 2014). Items were designed to gather information on the evolution of programming, what stakeholders have been involved, key factors for success, barriers faced, and long-‐term planning. The following questions were used in the interviews:
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What has been your role in the After School Hours Initiative to date? Probe: your role or your organizations role a. Has your role changed from the first year compared to this last year? What changes have you seen, such as new programs, or what programs have continued in the last year since the After School Hours Initiative ended? a. How many programs, ongoing and new, do you offer?
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How many people attend the After School Hours programs you offer? Have these numbers changed since the initiative began? Who are some of the key individuals (stakeholders/partners, etc.) that have helped the programs move forward? a. How were they instrumental in creating change? What strategies did they use to facilitate change?
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In addition to the people that you just described, what are some key factors for success in the process of implementing After School Hours programs? What are some of the programs’ barriers/challenges to healthy living in the after school hours? (e.g. lack of human or physical resources)
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Do you think there has been a sustained change in physical activity and nutrition habits in program users as a result of the programs? Please explain.
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What steps have you taken so far, if any, to make your programs sustainable in the future? Is there anything you would like to add regarding the After School Hours Initiative?
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Selected Key Findings Theme 1: Evolution of Programs in the Last Year New and ongoing programs and attendance numbers §
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One community had an in-‐school after school hours program that ran in the spring of 2013 offering both free and structured play including teaching fundamental movements. A snack and juice was also provided. They had 30-‐36 children attend in grades 1-‐6 from 3:15-‐4:45pm. They will be offering it again in the spring of 2014 with the anticipation that the registration will be the same as last year. A second community has multiple after school hours programs every day that have been running since June 2013. These include: public shinny and skating (5-‐15 participants), an active kids club (10 participants), crafts and story time (5-‐10 participants), homework club (5-‐10 participants), drop-‐in bowling (starting spring 2014), teenage girls fitness (7 participants), cooking club (16 participants) and a healthy hearts program (20 participants).
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A third community has a few ongoing after school hours programs including a weekly cooking club that alternates weekly with an arts and crafts club (16-‐18 participants), a homework club at least once a week and a gym club once a week, including activities such as indoor soccer. Additionally, in 2013 they had weekly Zumba classes during the spring and the fall (30 participants), and will hopefully
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offer that again in the spring of 2014. They are in the process of planning for a new physical activity-‐based after school program to commence in the near future.
Programs ending/competing priorities §
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One community found that there are too many other registered programs in the winter which competes with the after school program. This led to low registration when it was promoted in the winter, and it had to be cancelled, but they will offer again in the spring when hockey is over. One cooking club program had trouble keeping the kids engaged for 8 weeks, so they have subsequently reduced the club to 6 weeks.
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A Zumba instructor would like to offer classes on a regular schedule but long-‐term planning has not occurred as of yet.
Theme 2: Key stakeholders for success in the after school hours §
Linking with community stakeholders such as Ever Active Schools, Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), and Healthy Hearts, was mentioned by all communities as being some of the key partnerships that have been made. These partners have helped through a variety of means, including assisting one community with picking up and dropping off food for their after school program. Community partners are a key to success to participants as they offer subject matter expertise and leadership, and provide human resources for training or running programs.
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The school was seen as a necessary support for a successful after-‐school program. Some communities had more support than others, and it was seen as having a strong influence on what they were able to offer, and how often. Schools were stated as being able to assist with use of space, finding volunteers and communication through the school newsletter.
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Partnerships with the local municipality/village are very helpful to participants for many reasons. They can provide funding or in-‐kind support such as assistance from staff who work in the area of community recreation and healthy information resources.
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Volunteers were perceived as key stakeholders in moving their programs forward. They have assisted in a variety of ways, including, helping to run programs, promotion of the programs, applying for grants and seeking funding, providing connections to other community members and allowing the program to expand.
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Ideally volunteers come from a variety of stakeholder groups, such as parents, teachers, students and community members. The local church can be a strong partner to have as well, since they have existing local support, programs and usable space for programs. One community partners with their church to run the cooking club there.
Theme 3: Key factors for long-term success in the after school hours §
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Leaders of the after school hours program having a passion for improving the health of children through physical activity and healthy eating was mentioned by all interviewees. It is seen as crucial to be able to relate to children that aren’t as involved in other school activities, and get them active in order to bolster confidence. Upbeat interactions with the children help to build a positive social environment and encourage them to continue participating. Running the programs at the school or within walking distance is key, so there is no need to arrange for transportation.
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Providing a healthy snack as part of the after school programs has been found to be a very popular program component. This was especially true for children from lower income families who may not have access to adequate portions of food, and less healthy foods.
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Developing age-appropriate activities so that all children stay engaged has contributed to successful programs. Many programs are offering two options, for example one for up to grade 3 and one for grades 4-‐6. This addresses the varying levels of physical literacy of these different age groups. One Zumba class dealt with some behavioural issues because all kids K-‐6 were in the same group, and it was challenging to appeal to all ages at the same time.
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Cooperation from both the local community and the school to run the after school programs was perceived as an integral component. The community and the school should not only agree to the program being offered, but should actively support it and participate where appropriate.
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Communication with the community and parents to get the word out about the programs was a key component of success. Multiple methods of communication are being used, such as school and community newsletters, emails, bulletin boards, social media and individual newsletters regarding the after school programs. It was found that the school newsletter and sending home a newsletter targeted to promoting the after school programs with each child were the most successful
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means. It has also been found that when clear and simple messaging is used in all means of communication there is a much greater response rate. Developing and implementing innovative program ideas keeps the kids and their parents excited and participating. They expose children to new activities that they are not likely to encounter at home. It is ideal to offer both active programs and programs addressing positive social environment.
Theme 4: Barriers and challenges found in the last year to programs in the after school hours §
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Transportation was found to be a consistent barrier to participation amongst the communities, as the children miss the school bus by staying at school for the after school programs and their parents have to drive later on to pick them up. However, it was mentioned that the majority of interested parents will work their schedules around this issue. The major barrier was for lower income families who may not have access to a car at the right time, or who work shift work/multiple jobs and are unable to retrieve their kids at school at that time. Communication with parents was a challenge in all communities, with it being difficult to get the word out about the programs and to get registration forms back in a timely manner. Some children end up missing out because of this barrier.
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Volunteers were seen as a crucial component, as mentioned above, however it is a challenge to both find volunteers willing to help and also to have them remain involved long term. One community tried multiple methods for volunteer recruitment including emails, social media and the school newsletter, but had zero responses. It was also a challenge to have teachers volunteer for the programs as it was felt that they already have too much on their plate.
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Lack of available space for running programs can be a barrier to success in the after school hours. One community had the challenge of having a sports-‐focused school, with those activities taking up the gym in the evenings, making it more challenging to run after school hours programs.
Theme 5: Sustainability of After School Hours Programs §
Positive physical activity habits were perceived as having been somewhat sustained. However it was noted that in one community it was hard to say the current physical activity habits of the children, because the program will only resume again in the upcoming spring. In the other two communities it was discussed that there have been long term changes to physical activity habits; as the children continue to participate in after school programs, they are exposed to more minutes of physical activity and more physical literacy information than prior to the Initiative.
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There was a perceived increase in participating kids knowledge of what is healthy food and of kids bringing healthy snacks to the program and talking about bringing the ideas of healthy foods to their home.
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Having more than one person involved in the programs is important to the participants so that they would have someone to take over the program if they were no longer around to run it.
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Longer-term funding was seen as creating a struggle for sustainability as they felt a need for some resources to purchase food, handouts, and equipment. A small pocket of money that could be used throughout the year to allow for innovation in programs was seen as ideal to ensure sustainability and stability of the programs.
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Physical resources, such as DPA bins, from Ever Active Schools were perceived as being highly beneficial to the long-‐term future of their after school programs.
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It was recognized that evaluating programs on an ongoing basis and surveying stakeholders (parents, teachers, students, community) for program input helps to ensure the longevity of programs. One community used feedback from town council, students, and teachers to determine where to focus program priorities.
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It was discussed that the communities were not thinking about sustainability when the programs began, as they were more focused on getting the program going than thinking about it’s long-‐term future.
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There was a consistent theme that all communities felt as though there was a need to use strategic planning to set long-term direction. Participants stated that progress has been made in this regard as steps are being taken to create long-‐term plans for after school hours programs. This will allow after-‐school hours programs to be an integral part of the community.
Concluding statement The three communities that participated in the one-year follow-up to the Healthy Hearts After School Hours Initiative are continuing to do strong programming work. There is a need for more long-term planning to ensure the programs are sustainable and being woven into the fabric of their communities. This Initiative continues to be a positive
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example of how After School Hours programs can influence physical activity and healthy eating habits and can promote a positive social environment with Alberta’s children.
Thorsby Case Study *Writing in pink indicates potential use for infographic Leadership §
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Thorsby created a new position and hired a Community Program & Event Coordinator in June 2013. One of their main responsibilities is to run the After School Programs. This is a great example of a community taking action toward a focus on the importance of the after school hours for children. Leaders of the after school hours programs in Thorsby have a passion for improving the health of children through physical activity and healthy eating. Upbeat interactions with the children have built a positive social environment and contribute to their continued participation.
Programs §
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Thorsby offers many well attended after school programs every day that have been running since June 2013. o These include: public shinny and skating (5-‐15 participants), an active kids club (10 participants), crafts and story time (5-‐10 participants), homework club (5-‐10 participants), drop-‐in bowling (starting spring 2014), teenage girls fitness (7 participants), cooking club (16 participants) and a healthy hearts program (20 participants). Innovative program ideas are constantly being developed, and keep the kids and their parents excited. They work to expose children to new activities that they are not likely to encounter at home. The recreation facility is seen as fantastic for a small town, with them making use of the multitude of spaces for running all types of programs. The spaces used include, a fitness centre, the library, the bowling alley, the basketball court, squash court and flex spaces.
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A healthy snack is provided at all programs to reinforce the importance of nutrition. They have found that kids participating in the after school programs have an increased knowledge of what is healthy food. Additionally, those kids are bringing healthy snacks to the program and talking about sharing the ideas of healthy foods with their families.
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Physical activity levels appear to have increased in the active kids club, as the children have felt more comfortable with the program leader over time, they have become progressively more engaged in the activities. The strength of the participants in the teenage girls fitness program improved over time, with an increasing ability to do more push-‐ups and longer planks, as well as enhanced exercise technique over the duration of the program.
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Thorsby prioritizes evaluation for setting direction for their programs. When the Coordinator began in June 2013, they approached many stakeholders, and used feedback from town council, students, and teachers to determine where to focus program priorities. Going forward, they will be conducting a needs assessment in the spring of 2014 to further assess the community’s recreation needs, including the after school programs. This assessment will be sent out to students, teachers, parents, and leaders of other recreation programs (e.g. dance class) in town.
Partners and Volunteers §
Thorsby has created strong links with community stakeholders such as Healthy Hearts and Ever Active Schools. They felt that community partners continue to be one key to their success, as they offer subject matter expertise and leadership, and provide human resources for training or running programs. Ever Active Schools sent the Thorsby Community Program & Event Coordinator to the Shaping the Future Conference, including the After School Hours pre-‐conference event, which was deemed to be highly valuable to the Coordinator.
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The Coordinator has partnered up with high school gym teacher to have them promote the after school program to their students with the goal of obtaining student volunteers. It was arranged for the students to get their gym hours credit for volunteering. They have had 3 high school volunteers so far, with 2 continuing to volunteer beyond receiving their credit.
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At the active kids program held once a week, there are a minimum of 2 parent volunteers required per session to help out.
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