Nurturing a culture of improvement: an exploratory follow-up of the 2005 American Camp Association Program Improvement Project

Continuous program improvement is an administrative practice that promises a variety of benefits for camps. A youth program that engages in program improvement benefits youth by fostering developmental outcomes such as competence, confidence, character and caring. With this in mind, the American Camp Association sought to better understand how some camps promote developmental outcomes more effectively than others. This project, entitled the Program Improvement Project (PIP) was initiated in 2005 in conjunction with Youth Development Strategies, Inc. (YDSI). PIP was developed using a Community Action Framework for Youth Development. This current study sought to examine the longitudinal impact of the 2005 PIP among the 23 participating camps. A mixed method approach was used beginning with an online survey to explore the extent to which the camps engaged in program improvement today and the specific affordances and barriers associated with their current implementation. Fourteen camps responded with four chosen and classified as high, moderate and minimal PIP implementation. To identify broad themes, interview data were independently coded and collaboratively discussed by the research team. Artifacts from the 2005 PIP (PIP implementation plan, camp demographics) and current artifacts were analyzed. Five themes emerged from the interview data. Findings suggested that affordances to continuous program improvement included a focus on developmental outcomes, stakeholder buy-in, collecting and using data. Barriers included limited resources and administrative turnover. Administrative turnover negatively impacted camps ability to maintain a culture of continuous program improvement. Camps should consider ways to reduce the effects of administrator turnover through succession planning and support of administrators well being.