Youth and Program Strengths Survey
The Youth and Program Strengths Survey (YAPS) will help you evaluate your program’s quality and integrate youth perspectives into your work.
This survey measures how young people in school- or community-based out-of-school time programs (OST) experience the program. This survey measures the program features and opportunities that define a high-quality program, which can protect young people from risk while promoting resilience and thriving. The YAPS survey uses the Developmental Assets Profile (DAP) as the base survey and adds a thorough set of questions on your program’s implementation quality.
Rather than relying on only staff-written surveys or observations, this reliable and valid instrument can help organizations “make the case” with funders. In addition, each program will receive a thorough report that offers unique and complementary information on its youth, emphasizing the strengths and supports they have in their everyday lives.
The YAPS survey is suitable for youth in grades 6 through 12, and can be used for pre- and post-survey evaluation.
By using this survey, you will:
- Discover the strengths and supports that young people have.
- Listen to the perspectives of young people themselves.
- See your work in the context of young people’s own strengths as well as the supports they have (or don’t have) in their programs, families, schools, organizations, and community.
- Gain a roadmap to guide you in proactive and focused planning to increase positive outcomes.
The YAPS measures the following program quality factors:
Physical and psychological safety
Appropriate structure
Developmental relationships
Opportunities to belong
Positive social norms
Support of efficacy and mattering
Opportunities for skill building
Integration of family, school, and community efforts
Program dosage and tenure (how often youth are attending your programs, including their longevity)
The Youth and Program Strengths (YAPS) survey also includes the full Developmental Assets Profile (DAP), so it gathers reliable data on:
- Youth viewpoints on the asset-rich nature of their school, program, peers, communities, families, and themselves
- Internal Developmental Asset categories
- External Developmental Asset categories
The YAPS Survey
The YAPS Survey focuses on:
Measures key features of high-quality youth programs
Measures social-emotional skills and noncognitive factors
Usable as a pre- and post-assessment to measure change over time and program impact
Provides an aggregated report and breakdowns by gender, grade, race/ethnicity, and program dosage
Survey Details
Recommended Users: Youth Programs, Schools, Communities, Youth Serving Organizations
Grades: 6-12
Minimum youth needed for report: 30
Number of items on survey: 98 Likert scale questions
Administered: Online (Paper option available)
Time to Complete: 15 minutes
Always included:
- Access to the online survey
- Thorough user guide for planning your survey administration
- In-depth site reports to guide your data utilization
- Survey administration support
Optionally included:
- Sub-reports based on a specific cohort of youth, determined by you
- Raw data at the individualized level
- Technical assistance, consulting, workshops, or keynotes
Cost:
Site report $300 (each site report includes up to 100 surveys)
Each additional survey (beyond the included 100) $2.50
For more information on the Youth and Program Strengths survey, please click on one of the links below:
Have Questions?
For questions about the Youth and Program Strengths Survey, fill out the Survey Assistance Form and we will get back to you within 3-4 business days. For more immediate assistance, email us at surveys@search-institute.org.