Planning and policy-making are closely linked to the development of quality school-age care programs. When school-age staff are skilled as planners and policy-makers, they can use these skills to design and implement high quality programs that benefit children, youth, and families. It is essential for school-age care professionals to recognize that it is important for policies to grow out of a vision of quality and a mission that supports that vision. Therefore, creating a vision for quality, developing a program philosophy, and writing a clear mission statement are the first steps in program planning. It is also important for school-age care professionals to use a systematic process to develop goals and objectives, set priorities for accomplishing goals and objectives, and develop goal-based action plans that will help the school-age program achieve its mission. High quality school-age programs are led by professionals who understand how to use effective strategies for creating a continuous cycle of planning and evaluation that supports ongoing program improvement.
