Prime Time Palm Beach County

Prime Time Palm Beach County is an intermediary agency that helps provide technical assistance and resources to afterschool programs in order to improve the quality and consistency of service provided to their communities. Prime Time engineered and developed the Quality Improvement System (QIS), a continual and systematic method of evaluation that seeks to improve five afterschool quality standards identified by Prime Time: (1) a solid organizational framework for the afterschool program, (2) compassionate relationships between the youth and staff, (3) a supportive environment for the youth, (4) learning experiences that are challenging and productive, and (5) inclusion and involvement of families.

The QIS is comprised of three core components. First, a Prime Time employee conducts a quality assessment of the afterschool program in question. Second, a quality advisor is assigned by Prime Time to work with the local program leader to develop a plan based on the results of the external assessment. Third, regular self-assessments and annual external assessments monitor the progress of the plan towards achieving the five afterschool quality standards. The QIS provides an initial incentive of between $1,500 and $3,500 for afterschool programs to enroll. However, following enrollment, program leaders are expected to improve the five quality standards in their program out of a sense of ownership and responsibility. Since 2001, Prime Time Palm Beach County has helped hundreds of afterschool programs improve their services through QIS.

The goal of Prime Time Palm Beach County is to improve the quality of school-age afterschool programs through assessment, guidance, and support.

Based on the 2009 study findings, Prime Time's Quality Improvement System resulted in improvements made to afterschool programs which enhanced quality programming and important developmental learning experiences for youth.

In a study conducted by the David P. Weikart Center for Youth Program Quality, Palm Beach County afterschool programs (n=270) implementing QIS were compared to reference afterschool programs (n=167) in other states. The Palm Beach County afterschool programs scored significantly higher (p<.05) than the reference sample in all four domains of the HighScope Youth Program Quality Assessment derived observational tool (Safe Environment, Supportive Environment, Interaction, and Engagement. In addition, within the Palm Beach County afterschool programs, scores in safe environment, supportive environment, interaction, and engagement significantly improved over the course of two to three years (p<.05) from their baseline means. While scores did not significantly increase from their baseline means during the initial one to two years following implementation of QIS, the significant increase over two to three years suggests that once QIS becomes integrated into an afterschool program, gains occur gradually but significantly.