Bay Area Continuous Learning Initiative Overview
PCY is committed to supporting and sustaining expanded learning systems across the Bay Area and state of California.
As an intermediary, we unite stakeholders around a shared mission to coordinate and maximize resources and drive
improvement. The Bay Area Continuous Learning (BACL) Initiative was created to support efforts to raise the
quality of expanded learning programming across districts, cities, and local nonprofits. BACL recognizes it takes time to
improve and sustain quality. This time involves a continuous cycle of learning that must be ongoing and organized. BACL
aims to link learning, leadership, and collaboration among the initiative participants with the goal of building their capacity
to independently sustain these efforts of learning and improvement over time.
There are two core features of BACL. Initiative participants must be implementing the following features within their
expanded learning programs, projects, initiatives, and/or systems in order to participate:


Technical Assistance [TA]: ongoing needs driven support services to create effective and quality expanded
learning programs (e.g. before and after school, summer, and extended day). Key strategies of TA may include
training, coaching, mentoring, consultation, and resource brokerage.
Quality Improvement: Partnership for Children and Youth defines quality improvement as a continuous cycle of
assessment, planning, and implementation that conjointly includes program infrastructure and point of service
areas of program quality. The Cycle of Quality Improvement (CQI) is designed to be a continuous, cyclical process
and consists of three key components that are sequenced over time to improve program quality. Participants
and/or TA providers of the CQI may enter the cycle in different phases depending on programmatic timelines and
capacity-building infrastructure; however, to experience the full benefit of the cycle and to improve program
quality over time, all components are to be included and continuous. The key components of the cycle include:
o Phase 1 [ASSESS]: collect data and information to assess and debrief progress towards goals using a
program quality assessment tool(s). Data and information collection is an effective way to analyze and
predict the function, purpose, impact, or effectiveness of a program, initiative, or system based on
quantitative and qualitative variables, including needs, strengths, and trends.
o Phase 2 [PLAN]: set program improvement goals and develop a comprehensive, time-limited plan for
implementation based on program quality standards.
o Phase 3 [IMPLEMENT]: implement strategies and activities toward achieving goals.
Bay Area Continuous Learning Initiative – 2014-15 Comprehensive Calendar
Event
PQA Basics
Training
September
2014
Date
9/8/14
Description
Lead
Cost
Location
Facilitator
This interactive workshop prepares participants to Weikart Center $290/participant San Leandro
lead the program self-assessment process, and
for Youth
Marina
familiarizes participants with the Youth or School- Program
Community
Age Program Quality Assessment instrument.
Quality
Center
Introduction to 9/8/14
the Active
Participatory
Approach
Included with PQA San Leandro
Basics
Marina
Community
Center
PQA Plus
Training
$875/participant San Leandro
Marina
Community
Center
YPQA External
Assessor
Training
Youth programs can be optimized for youth
Weikart Center
needs, motivation, and engagement. The Active- for Youth
Participatory Approach to youth work was
Program
designed to address these goals. This youthQuality
centered approach is the foundation for the Youth
Work Methods Series.
9/9/14
This training has been crafted for organizations
Weikart Center
that are in their second or third year of the Youth for Youth
Program Quality Intervention. Participants will
Program
share ideas about using the Youth or School-Age Quality
PQA to extend staff members’ learning beyond
program self assessment.
9/10/14- This challenging workshop gives participants
Weikart Center
9/12/14 practice using the Youth or School-Age PQA and for Youth
increases their accuracy in observing and scoring. Program
Participants who reach 80% reliability are able to Quality
collect research quality data and conduct external
assessments. Please note that this training
includes webinars and assignments before the live
training.
$1,195/participant San Leandro
Marina
Community
Center
Ongoing External Assessments and Coaching
Youth Work
Methods TOT
Public Profit & Varies
PCY
Varies
10/27/14- Our most intensive training prepares participants Weikart Center $2,195/participant San Leandro
10/29/14 to lead the 10 item-aligned Youth Work Methods for Youth
Marina
workshops. The Methods TOT consists of four
Program
Community
weeks of distance learning and three days of live Quality
Center
training. Graduates of the Methods TOT can
become key network and organization supports
during the improvement phase of the quality
intervention process. As groups complete the
Planning with Data Training and create
improvement plans, they can request Methods
workshops for targeted professional
October 2014
development. Please note that this training
includes webinars and assignments before the live
training.
Coaching for
10/30/14- System leaders and coaches are invited to attend Weikart Center $1,684/participant San Leandro
Continuous
10/31/14 a two-day live training to examine the structure for Youth
Marina
Improvement
and philosophy of Coaching for Continuous
Program
Community
Improvement, build skills for coaching including Quality
Center
the Weikart Center’s observation and reflection
technique for providing feedback, and learn how
to maximize data sources to support the
Continuous Improvement Process within their
organization. Please note that this training
includes webinars and assignments before the live
training.
BACL Convening 10/31/14 This convening will bring together participants in PCY and
FREE
San Leandro
the BACL to debrief on their experience with the Weikart
Marina
YPQI process so far and plan for the rest of the
Community
year.
Center
November
2014
Ongoing External Assessments and Coaching
Public Profit & Varies
PCY
December
2014
Planning with
Data
January 2015
Summer Matters 1/16/15
Leadership
Conference
This conference is designed for program
Presenters from FREE
managers, program directors, site coordinators, throughout the
and district administrators, with the purpose of Bay Area
helping participants create high-quality summer
learning programs.
Youth Work
Methods
Conference
The workshops in the Youth Work Methods series PCY, Public
are aligned with the items of the Youth PQA
Profit, and
found in the pyramid. After gathering data from a YWM trainers
Youth Program Quality Assessment and creating a (TBD)
plan for improvement through participation in a
Planning with Data training, program managers
can choose to offer trainings to program staff
that are aligned to the Improvement Plan. These
interactive and hands-on courses provide
participants with practical skills that are geared to
improve the quality of interactions with youth.
February 2015
Varies
12/5/14
This hands-on workshop is for program managers PCY and Public $290/participant TBD
and their teams who have self and/or external
Profit
assessment Youth or School-Age PQA data
available for their program. Participants consider
the realities of change initiatives, learn how to
read and interpret their data, and make
improvement plans based on their program
quality data.
Ongoing Planning Follow-up and Coaching;
PCY
Varies
Varies
2/5/15
Unitarian
Universalist
Church of Oakland
$166/participant TBD
Expanded
Learning in
February 2015
Housing
Conference
2/6/15
This conference is designed for Service
Coordinators and Youth Workers serving youth
within a housing community.
Presenters
FREE
from
throughout the
Bay Area
TBD
Ongoing
Coaching and Implementation
PCY
Varies
Varies
Ongoing
YPQI Convening 5/29/15
Coaching and Implementation
PCY
This convening will bring together participants to PCY
reflect on and celebrate their participation in the
BACL. Participants will also have the opportunity
to plan for next year.
Varies
FREE
Varies
TBD
Summer
Matters
Program Staff
Conference
This conference is designed for site coordinators,
teachers, and front-line staff working in summer
programs. Workshops include hands-on STEM
activities, incentives and motivation, and creating
summer culture.
Debrief Follow-up and Next Year Planning
March 2015
April 2015
May 2015
June 2015
5/15/15
Presenters
FREE
from
throughout the
Bay Area
TBD