Abstract
Recent literature on after school programs (ASPs) has begun to examine aspects of program quality and effectiveness. However, very little of this research has considered the perspective of parents. As key stakeholders in ASPs it is important to determine what parents believe about the quality and effectiveness of ASPs. The current study examined parents’ ratings of quality in ASPs and compared those with teacher and researcher ratings of program quality. Parents and program staff completed surveys regarding the quality of the ASP. In addition, an independent observer conducted observations and completed an ASP survey for each site. Results indicated significant differences in parents’ and observer’s ratings on the ASP survey. The outside observer rated quality items significantly lower than the parents did. There were significant positive associations between observer ratings and parents’ ratings. While the observer may have rated quality lower in all areas, the parents seemed to be observing similar characteristics in quality. The fact that parents and observer ratings are correlated indicates that parents may actually be relatively knowledgeable observers of ASPs. ASPs should be aware of parents’ perceptions of quality because parents are important stakeholders in ASPs and their observations of quality should be considered in program planning and implementation.