Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network Quality Committee Statewide Older Youth QRIS Initiative

Principal Investigator: Ellen Gannett, M.Ed.
Research Associate: Sasha Stavsky, M.A.

In March 2012, the PSAYDN Quality Committee began to convene a broad range of stakeholders from across Pennsylvania to begin envisioning a statewide Older Youth QRIS targeting those programs not currently eligible for participation in the existing QRIS system, Keystone STARS.  With the assistance of NIOST, PSAYDN has created four sub-groups that have begun to conceptualizing the components of the proposed Older Youth QRIS model.  NIOST will coordinate logistics for the Executive Committee which is steering this effort, as well as for two of the four proposed sub-groups (Older Youth QRIS Model and Quality Standards, Outcomes and Tools.)  In addition, NIOST is providing support by researching similar initiatives in other states, creating resources and documents, providing connections to national resources, and facilitating the planning of statewide QRIS convenings.