Beginning November 1, 2023, Vermont Afterschool will offer assessor visits to licensed afterschool programs for the revised STARS model through SPARQS (System for Program Access to Resources for Quality Supports).
The goal of these visits is to support a culture of quality in licensed afterschool programs in Vermont by offering feedback to inform afterschool programs’ continuous quality improvement plans and raise the bar for quality.
SPARQS is funded by Vermont’s Child Development Division and administered by the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children. Vermont Afterschool is a sub-grantee responsible for conducting all licensed afterschool program assessments for Vermont’s revised STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS). A team of trained, certified program assessors will provide Program Quality Assessment (PQA) assessments using either the School-age PQA (K–6), Youth PQA (Grades 4–12), or Social Emotional Learning PQA (K–12).
Upon completion of the assessment, Vermont Afterschool can also provide continuous support through:
We are so excited to work in partnership with VTAEYC to provide this resource to licensed afterschool programs in Vermont to increase quality in programs throughout the state.
All registered early childhood education programs and afterschool programs can schedule STARS program assessments through the SPARQS portal. Remember, programs will remain at the same STARS level during the pilot year (through June 30, 2024). Assessments are scheduled based on a priority rubric. Programs with the closest renewal dates and the greatest need are scheduled first. This is aligned with SPARQS’s commitment to equity.
