ARCHS conducts extensive evaluation of all of its funded initiatives to document the impact on client services.
At the end of the 2021-2022 school year, ARCHS conducted surveys with its funded after school program staff, youth participants, and their parents/caretakers. The surveys represent a proactive approach to assess program quality and allow for strategic program adjustments as needed for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year.
Surveys for all after school audiences assessed the social and emotional learning goals of Conscious Discipline® training implemented in the 2021-2022 school year.
Conscious Discipline is a comprehensive classroom management program based on current brain research, child development information, and developmentally appropriate practices specifically designed to make changes in the lives of adults first. The adults, in turn, change the lives of children and adults stay in control of themselves and in charge of children.
In an end of year survey, 98% of staff indicated they are incorporating Conscious Discipline practices in their after school program. Both staff and parents/caretakers indicated they are seeing the results of this training. Nearly all staff (98%) reported “My after school program helps enhance students’ personal and social skills.”
From their perspective, 91% of parents/caretakers are seeing the benefits of Conscious Discipline training, agreeing with the statement, “The after school program is helping my child express emotions in a positive way.”
Parent/caretakers as well as youth value their after school program. The majority of parents/caretakers (97%) rated their program quality in the 2021-2022 school year as good (26%) or excellent (71%). Similarly, the majority of youth (99%) rated their program quality as medium (29%) or high (70%). As one parent stated, “I think this is the best after care program my children ever attended.”
During the FY22 school year, ARCHS issued $2.5 million to provide free after school programming for 1,900 students at 29 locations in the Jennings and Saint Louis Public School districts. ARCHS secured its FY22 funding from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Saint Louis Mental Health Board. ARCHS' funded after school partners include:
-Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis
-Gene Slay’s Girls and Boys Club
-Hopewell Center
-Northside Youth and Senior Service Center
-Provident Behavioral Health
-Stray Dog Theatre/Arts in Mind
-United 4 Children