A Community Based Participatory Research Approach to Examining Worker Satisfaction at a Local Community Afterschool Program

Indianapolis, IN

This study represents a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach to examining staffing practices and outcomes in one local after school program. The community organization selected for this project was an afterschool program in a small, mid-western town. During an initial meeting, the executive director of the club suggested that the club is thriving in many areas, but it is also facing some challenges. One major struggle for the club is staffing and retention. Due to limited funding, the majority of the staff is only part-time and, for all staff, the monetary benefits of working at the club are low. Because funding poses an issue for the club, one of our main focuses for improvement was non-monetary benefits. We defined non-monetary benefits as any added reward or bonus that increases the appeal to employment without compensation; for example, career advancement opportunities, educational opportunities, and influence over program direction. The overall goal of this project was to better staffing and retention at the club. An in-person interview was conducted with the outgoing and incoming executive directors. Both the former and current employees of this afterschool program participated in a survey to assess their overall satisfaction, possible non-monetary benefits, and retention rates. Psychology