Below you will find the general calendar for the Richmond YPQI process. This is subject to change annually, and the schedule below represents the 2014-2015 process cycle.
August
September
September
October
October
November
November
YPQI Kickoff Event
The Kickoff event is an opportunity for supervisors and site leads to learn about
YPQI, the assessment process, and what to expect, as well as an opportunity to ask questions and meet the other cohort members. It is important that all site leads, that is, the person at each site who will be responsible for attending all of the YPQI trainings, leading the assessment process, and creating the Improvement Plan, attend the Kickoff event.
Basics Training
The Youth PQA is a research-validated and field-tested tool designed to evaluate the quality of youth programs and identify staff training needs. This engaging workshop prepares participants to conduct program self-assessment. Since the Youth PQA is an evidence-based assessment tool, it relies on observation and interview. At the training, videos provide a look into after-school programming, and participants get a hands-on experience of the process. Notes and observations are used as evidence to score items. Participants also complete an Implementation plan that describes how they will conduct their own program self-assessment.
External Assessor Training
This workshop gives participants practice using the Youth PQA and increases their accuracy in observing and scoring. The bulk of the workshop consists of practice video scoring. Participants who successfully achieve acceptable levels of reliability
(80% at the item level) through a video reliability check become “Endorsed
Assessors” and are able to collect “research quality data.”
**Note- participants who previously completed the External Assessor workshop and received a letter of endorsement only need to attend the second day of the training.
Intro to the Active-Participatory Approach
Youth programs can be optimized for youth needs, motivation, and engagement. The
Active-Participatory Approach to youth work was designed to address these goals.
This youth-centered approach is the foundation for the Youth Work Methods Series.
Self and External Assessments
Participating sites have a trained external assessor complete the Youth or School Age
PQA, and they also build a team of internal assessors to complete observations and fill in the tool. These external and self-assessment scores are the foundation for improvement plans.
Scores Reporter Webinar
During this webinar, participants review the step-by-step process of program selfassessment and share successes and challenges that they have faced. This interactive webinar provides a safe place to get questions answered and to share ideas. The webinar also demonstrates the major features of the Online Scores Reporter and the participants learn how to enter the scores from their self-assessment into the Online
Scores Reporter.
Scores entered into Online Scores Reporter

December
January
Planning with Data Training
Assessment and evaluation can supply a wealth of valuable data about the quality of a youth program. But assessment just provides the data – a list of numbers and words. To learn from the data and really use it effectively is a must for an efficient quality improvement system. That’s what Planning With Data is all about. This training prepares participants to develop effective program improvement plans and to take this planning process back to their program settings.
Improvement Planning Webinar
This interactive webinar provides a foundation for leading a team of staff through the creation of a program improvement plan. During this webinar, participants learn how to use the online Scores Reporter to review their program self and/or external assessment data, and step through a goal-setting process.
Late January/
Early February
Improvement Plans entered into Online Scores Reporter
February – April Methods Trainings
These 2- to 3-hour workshops are aligned with the items of the Youth PQA found in the pyramid. They are all delivered in the participatory learning method that is central to our philosophy, and give point-of-service staff practical skills that they can
May implement immediately.
Closing Meeting
The closing meeting is an opportunity for all participating sites to reconvene and debrief the YPQI process. There is a survey administered to collect information on how to strengthen the process in the future, and there are also intentional reflection activities to recognize progress made over the quality improvement cycle.