Journal Entry # 1

LIAS Tool
We have focused a good bit of our attention in class on the LIAS Tool. I found this tool to be very
useful when observing at my field work site. I especially like this tool because of its simplicity but
efficiency when evaluating a program. This tool covers 5 different categories; active, meaningful,
collaborative, expand horizons, and builds mastery. Within each category you rate the program either;
early, developing, or mature. I found at my site KidWorks, they did a decent job with each of these
categories. There day would consist of snack, homework time, a class lesson, and then an activity. There
are a couple of things in particular that I noticed while observing there that could be improved. First,
they did not do an activity every day in class. They would only do an activity maybe twice during the
week. The subject and content of the activities would vary. The children seemed to really enjoy this time
but I feel like it could have been done more than twice throughout the week. Because the children really
seemed to enjoy these activities they were really engaged with their classmates and teachers. According
to Huang and Dietel, keeping children engaged is an important element for staff to apply to their day.
Another improvement for the site would be to have more physical activity in the day. On the days that I
went on (Tuesdays and Thursdays), there was no physical activity. This falls under the Active category of
the LIAS Tool. I would rate them as developing in this category. They would do some good hands-on
activities but nothing that challenged them physically. The activities would not cover all 5 senses. They
were never doing anything physically active out of their seats. My program did an excellent job with
other aspects of the LIAS tool. With the activities that they did do, it allows required the students to
collaborate with one another. It was either a group activity or they talked amongst their table groups in
individual activities. While observing these activities the students seemed to really interact with one
another and built ideas off one another. Another feature of the program that really stood out to me
was how they incorporated meaning into their day. KidWorks is located in the heart of Santa Ana which
is a very low income and tends to be a dangerous place. Each day there would be a lesson and often
times the lesson content was about their community. One day I observed in the second and fifth grade
classes they had a lesson on what to do if they ever came across a gangster or someone suspicious.
There would use terms like gangster, cholla, chollo, etc. because this is the language used I their
community. The teacher went around to each student and let them share ways they thought they could
keep safe if they ever came across someone suspicious. The students said things like; call the police; tell
a parent; or go inside the house. They also have a program within their program called University Starts
Now (USN), where they teach the students about college. I gave the program on mature under the
meaningful category. Overall my site did a decent job with the content of the LIAS tool. However, as we
know from this course, there is always something that can be improved.

"Welcome to the Learning In Afterschool Project." <i>Welcome to the Learning In Afterschool

Project</i>. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. &lt;http://www.learninginafterschool.org/index.htm&gt;.
Huang, D. & Dietel, R. (2011). Making afterschool programs better. National Center for Research on
Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing (CRESST), UCLA

Journal Entry #2
Importance of a Unique Culture
One very unique aspect of the site I observed at was their incorporation of culture. This program
had a Hispanic culture only. Every student there was Hispanic and the majority of the staff with the
exception of two or three people was Hispanic. Based off of observing it was evident that the students
felt like they belonged at the site because of the known common culture among everyone. The students
seemed to feel very comfortable with the staff and their classmates. I actually had a conversation with
the teacher in one of the classes I would observe in about the culture of the program. Her name was
Miss Breezy. She talked with me about how since all of the children and their families are Hispanic and
have grown up in such a rough area, it makes their time together in the ASP feel more united. Everyone
has a mutual understanding of where they all come from. As I observed in the classroom they always
started out their day with one student coming to the front of the class and praying for their day. The
majority of the students there are all Christian/Catholics. I was able to have some good conversations
with the children about their beliefs and how they really enjoyed the fact that the staff lets them pray
for the day. The staff really likes to incorporate their religious beliefs into the day which I found to be
rather refreshing being a Christian myself. Also, the staff would speak to the children in both Spanish
and English. In the classroom they would be more focused on working on English with the kids, knowing
that it is important to be fluent in English for future schooling and/or career opportunities. The majority
of the staff all know how to speak Spanish. The staff is aware that most of the students families do not
speak English so being fluent in Spanish helps them successfully communicate to them. It is important
that the staff made the families feel included in what they do at the program. While I was there they
had a couple of potlucks and a thanksgiving celebration. It seemed as though almost half of the parents
of the students came to help out at these special events. They would bring food that all of the kids loved
such as; tamales, enchiladas, etc. They were always very involved in what was going on at the program. I
discussed with the director of KidWorks, Melissa Laxamana, about some of the staffs past experience.
She explained how typically they hire people who already have prior experience in afterschool programs
or they sometimes will hire someone who has been volunteering with them for a long while. Miss
Breezy conversed with me her past experiences in afterschool. She mentioned that she used to
volunteer at KidWorks for about 3 years. This reminded me of the section in the Huang and Dietel article
that discussed the qualification high quality Afterschool programs had when employing. One of the key
findings in this section of the article was that staff should have at least 3 years of experience in
afterschool before being hired. I liked that KidWorks hired people who have volunteered at their site for
years because it gives those people a chance to become more of an expert in the field of afterschool.

Huang, D. & Dietel, R. (2011). Making afterschool programs better. National Center for Research on
Evaluation, Standards and Student Testing (CRESST), UCLA

Journal Entry #3
What I have learned about ASP

Before taking this course I honestly did not know much about ASP. I did not know what to
expect from this course. Throughout this quarter we have learned quite a bit of information and I
developed a passion for it that I never expected to have. I think what really surprised me was how much
has to go into an afterschool program in order for it to be successful and how hard it is to possess all
those things. The LIAS tool struck me as being a very efficient way to evaluate and observe an after
school program. I honestly believe that each category within the LIAS tool covers aspects that could truly
make for an exceptional afterschool program. Also, each category is defined with a clear and simple
description making it easy to evaluate. I took this tool with me throughout my fieldwork experience.
While I was volunteering at my site it was easy to depict the strengths and weaknesses of the program
according to the LIAS tool. KidWorks did a great job with incorporating meaning, collaboration, and
expanding horizons. While I was at the site they would have a short lesson each day. I noticed that each
lesson consisted of something very beneficial to the kids. They had a lesson on safety in the community.
KidWorks is located in the heart of Santa Ana which can often be a dangerous place full of crime. Safety
is emphasized throughout many lessons taught in the program. Also, they did an activity where they had
to write a letter to the Santa Ana council about ways to improve the community. The teacher first gave a
PowerPoint presentation on who the members of the Santa Ana council were what they do for the
community. Before letting the kids begin their letters she asked the class for a few examples. She did a
really good job at engaging the kids. The children sat at their table groups and discussed with one
another each of their ideas. This activity incorporated both meaning and collaboration. As I observed I
noticed the children would expand their ideas based off of their classmates ideas. One of my favorite
aspects of this afterschool program is their University Starts Now (USN) program. This program really
expands the childrens horizons on things outside of their community. USN was all about teaching
children about college and all the aspects within it. They wanted to engrain the importance of college
into the students mind. They discussed what a college degree can do for their future. Students would
have conversations with their teacher and classmates on what they want to do for their career ad what
they might want to study. This got them thinking about all the possibilities for their future if they
continue to work toward them. It was awesome to be there because the kids were very interested in my
experience being in college. They seemed to be very inspired by all the volunteers at the site. This really
showed me that students can be really inspired and motivated when they feel like they are cared about.
According to Hansen and Larsen, students need to have motivation. It is an important factors of success.
There is external motivation, which the program did a good job with, and internal motivation which I
witnessed in the kids through all of their questions and goals toward college. A good example of
KidWorks providing good opportunities for external motivations was the KidWorks dollars that
students earned with good behavior. The teachers would hold a treasure chest every 2 weeks where the
kids could spend their earned KidWorks Dollars on different toys or school materials. KidWorks did a
really good job at making sure the students know that they were cared for and that people believe in
their success.

"Welcome to the Learning In Afterschool Project." <i>Welcome to the Learning In Afterschool

Project</i>. Web. 17 Dec. 2014. &lt;http://www.learninginafterschool.org/index.htm&gt;.
Hansen, D., & Larson, R. (2007). Amplifiers of developmental and negative experiences in organized
activities: Dosage, motivation, lead roles, and adult-youth ratios. Journal of Applied Developmental
Psychology, 28, 360-374.