Symposia
Dissemination & Implementation Science
Rachel R. Ouellette, Ph.D.
Psychology Fellow
Yale University School of Medicine
New Haven, Connecticut
Melanie Tran, PhD
Doctoral Student
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Enid A. Moreira, PhD
Project Coordinator
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
Stacy L. Frazier, Ph.D.
Professor
Florida International University
Miami, Florida
Organized after-school programs offer social safety net supports for youth in systemically marginalized communities, for instance by providing extra meals, homework support, and safe spaces during otherwise unsupervised time. Benefits to youth also come from high quality developmental experiences, including positive and consistent adult-youth relationships. Effective staff-youth relationships also increase positive outcomes for staff, such as increased job satisfaction, highlighting effective staff-youth relationships as a critical pathway for promoting both youth and staff well-being. The current study utilized qualitative interviews with staff (n = 11) in a large multi-site county-wide after-school program to identify and explore: 1) contributors of work stress and work well-being among staff before and after the COVID-19 pandemic began; 2) staff-identified opportunities and barriers for after-school programs to support youth during the pandemic; and 3) how the pandemic influenced staff-youth and staff-staff relationships. Qualitative analyses applying Watkins’ (2017) rigorous and accelerated data reduction (RADaR) technique revealed 14 staff-reported stressors and 10 barriers to effectively supporting youth during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. When organized thematically, staff-reported stressors and barriers to effectiveness were both driven by a lack of physical proximity, making it difficult to: 1. Provide social safety net supports to youth, increasing staff concerns about youth safety and wellness; 2. Build positive relationships with youth, resulting in decreased youth engagement in programming; and 3. Communicate and problem solve with colleagues, resulting in fewer collective opportunities to address sources of stress and barriers to staff effectiveness. Based on these results, we highlight areas of opportunity and resources necessary for after-school programs to support youth and staff in times of crisis, with a focus on ensuring youth access to necessary resources and safety net supports while maximizing staff-youth and staff-staff connectedness during periods of isolation.