Active & Engaging Enrichment Opportunities

Table of Contents
The Framework

A high-quality program provides fun, hands-on learning activities that incorporate youth voice and choice, support academic growth, and help youth develop critical skills, such as leadership, collaboration, and teamwork.

Indicators:

  • The program asks youth what they want to learn, integrates their interests and ideas into activities, and allows youth to make meaningful decisions about what they do in the program.
  • The program offers age-appropriate activities that help youth develop social, cognitive, and emotional skills in healthy ways.
  • The program youth can lead activities, take on program jobs or responsibilities, teach others, and work together on projects that build leadership and teamwork skills.
  • The program activities are designed to accommodate different learning styles and needs, offering a variety of formats such as individual work, small group collaboration, and whole group experiences.
  • The program activities are relevant and connect to the real lives and communities of youth. The program offers experiences that reflect what their community needs.

How to start or improve:

Texas Standards of High-Quality Out of School Time Programs

Standard Category 3: Programming and Activities ensures programs offer a variety of fun, hands-on learning activities that support the cognitive, social, and physical development of all participants. Activities center youth voice and choice, promote academic growth, and help young people build essential skills such as leadership, collaboration, and teamwork.

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Texas Partnership for Out of School Time (TXPOST)
Jenny McClure, Director of Programs
jenny@txpost.org

Category 2: Teacher-Child Interactions guidelines require a consistent balance between teacher-directed and child-initiated activities, which directly incorporates youth voice and choice into the daily schedule. Furthermore, the standards for play-based interactions and instructional formats ensure that hands-on learning is designed to move beyond simple participation, intentionally building critical skills like problem-solving, collaboration, and teamwork through active engagement.

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Texas State Alliance of YMCAs
https://www.twc.texas.gov/programs/texas-rising-star

One of the 7 Characteristics of Quality Programs is Opportunities for Skill Building, which includes exposure to intentional learning experiences and opportunities to learn physical, intellectual, psychological, emotional, and social skills. Another one of the characteristics is Youth Involvement, which includes youth-based empowerment practices that support autonomy and making a real difference in the community; practices that include enabling, responsibility granting, and meaningful challenge; and practices that focus on improvement rather than on relative current performance levels.

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The BOOST Network (United Way of El Paso County)
Enrique Garcia, Healthy Kids Director
boost@unitedwayelpaso.org

The AQuA tool guides programs to deliver well-structured, engaging enrichment experiences that support the whole child. Through age-appropriate, hands-on activities, inclusive practices, and strong staff planning, AQuA ensures youth have opportunities to build critical skills, explore their interests, collaborate with peers, and actively participate in meaningful learning experiences.

Dallas Afterschool
Olga Gonzalez, Vice President of Program Services
ogonzalez@dallasafterschool.org

6DQ centers youth-driven inquiry, creative expression, relevant real‑world connections, and tasks that honor diverse learning styles. The tool provides concrete indicators for learner‑driven work, imagination and creative choices, collaboration, and mastery-building experiences—ensuring enrichment is active, hands-on, meaningful, and aligned to positive youth development.

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Big Thought
Inquiries can be made using the form on the page linked to below.
https://www.bigthoughtinstitute.org/contact-us