Beacons and Out-of-School Time: Resources
Papers: General Overview of Youth Development
Papers on Best Practice
Practices Specific to Beacon Centers
Program Development Tools
Papers on Middle School and Older Adolescents:
Recruitment, Participation, Engagement, and Retention
Adolescent Development
Older Adolescents
Papers on Family Invovlement
Papers on Youth Participation
Papers on Professional Development
Program Evaluation
Program Quality Assessment
Assessment Tools
Intermediary Organizations
Community Schools
Leading Resources for Information About Afterschool Programs
PAPERS: GENERAL OVERVIEW OF YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Afterschool Innovations in Brief
Afterschool Alliance (2008). Available online here.
Current-Generation Youth Programs: What Works, What Doesn’t, and at What Cost?
RAND Corporation (2008). Available online here.
Getting It Right: Strategies for After-School Success
Public/Private Ventures (2005). Available online here.
This report synthesizes the last ten years of findings from P/PV’s and other researchers’ work to address one of the most demanding challenges facing today’s after-school programs—how to create and manage programs that stand the best chance of producing specific, policy-relevant outcomes. It examines recruitment strategies that attract young people to activities, the qualities that make activities engaging and motivate participants to attend regularly, and the infrastructure—staffing, management, and monitoring—needed to support such activities. The report’s final chapter explores the fiscal realities of after-school programming, considering how administrators might stretch existing dollars to enhance services.
Improving After-School Quality
William T. Grant Foundation (2007). Available online here.
The paper argues that the primary issue facing the after-school field is learning how to intervene effectively to improve programs and provides new information on the features of effective programs. It also includes discussion on the implications of this new information for program accountability and the selection of student outcomes to guide programming.
Leisure Activities and Adolescent Antisocial Behavior: The Role of Structure and Social Context
J.L. Mahoney and H. Stattin (2000). Available online here.
Preparing Adolescents for a New Century
Carnegie Council on Adolescent Development(1995). Available online here.
Reframing Education: The Partnership Strategy and Public Schools
Youth Development Institute (2005). Available online here.
A study of the development of partnerships between schools and non-school organizations (e.g., museums, libraries, community-based organizations) and how they are implemented on the ground. Looks at the theory and gives descriptions of specific partnerships.
Social Support, Academic Press, and Student Achievement: A View from the Middle Grades in Chicago
Chicago Annenberg Research Project (1999). Available online here.
Youth Today: Some Things Do Make a Difference
Forum for Youth Investment (2003). Available online here.
Supporting Success: Why and How to Improve Quality in After-School Programs
Public/Private Ventures (2008). Available online here.
The Impact of After-School Programs that Promote Personal and Social Skills
CASEL (2007). Executive Summary available online here.
The first of several reports to come from CASEL's major meta-analysis project. Conducted in collaboration with Joseph Durlak of Loyola University and funded by the W.T. Grant Foundation, this first report describes the strong positive effects after-school programs can have, and the conditions needed to realize these benefits.
The Policy Climate for Early Adolescent Initiatives
Public/Private Ventures (2001). Available online here.
Youth Development and Community Development: Promises and Challenges of Convergence
Youth Development Institute (1997). Available online here.
This booklet describes early work on building the New York City Beacons, and provides the theoretical and practical overview of how the Beacons combine both community and youth development in a single, powerful approach.
papers on best practice
Beacon Community Schools: Igniting Engagement of Youth and Communities in Our Nation’s Cities
With support from The Wallace Foundation, The Youth Development Institute compiled independent evaluation data from across Beacon Community Schools. In addition, promising practices from five cities illustrate how strategies aligned with the core characteristics of Beacons are actualized from the site to the initiative level. Practices include a leadership program model for young people, summer learning opportunities, school-CBO partnerships, rigorous evaluation of BCS initiatives involving young people as co-researchers and systems-level integration to ensure maximum city-wide impact. This paper outlines clear steps for policy makers, funders, municipalities, schools and communities interested in maintaining or augmenting the impact of Beacon Community School initiatives across the country. Available online here.
AfterZones: Creating a Citywide System to Support and Sustain High-Quality After-School Programs
Imagine a system of quality afterschool programs that consistently engages and retains middle grades youth. An innovative model in Providence, Rhode Island is doing just that. The AfterZones are an approach to after-school program delivery that serves middle-school youth through neighborhood hubs. This model has succeeded in enrolling over 40 percent of the student population in the seven participating middle schools. That is a key finding of a new evaluation, “AfterZones: Creating a Citywide System to Support and Sustain High-Quality After-School Programs,” undertaken by Public/Private Ventures and commissioned by The Wallace Foundation. The new report is the first in a series of two evaluations of the AfterZone model, which is operated by the Providence Afterschool Alliance (PASA). The report is available without charge at www.wallacefoundation.org or www.ppv.org
Engaging Older Youth: Program and City-level Strategies to Support Sustained Participation in Out-of-School Time
This report, commissioned by The Wallace Foundation, is one of the most comprehensive studies to date looking at an area that is little explored but of critical importance to those concerned about the wellbeing of middle- and high-school students, especially those from low-income communities. Researchers believe that high-quality programming could help put these students on a path to success in school and life, but many out-of-school-time providers have found it difficult to attract and enroll teenagers and then get them to participate in activities regularly. The study included information from close to 200 out-of-school-time programs in six cities, in part to find out what programs that successfully recruited and retained teenagers had in common. Using statistical techniques, the researchers compared higher-retention programs with lower-retention programs and isolated five factors that distinguished the higher-retention group: · A larger number of leadership opportunities offered to participants, · A larger number of ways in which program staffers kept informed about the teens’ lives, · An annual enrollment of 100 or more, · Location in a setting other than a school, and · The practice of holding regular staff meetings to discuss program issues. The report is available free of charge at: www.wallacefoundation.org, www.hfrp.org, or www.ppv.org
A Guided Tour of Youth Development
Youth Development Institute (1998). Available online here.
Afterschool Innovations in Brief
Afterschool Alliance (2008). Available online here.
Capturing Promising Practices
National Collaboration for Youth (2006). Available online here.
Current-Generation Youth Programs: What Works, What Doesn’t, and at What Cost?
RAND Corporation (2008). Available online here.
Demystifying Outcomes
Youth Development Institute (2006). Available online here.
Provides guidelines on how to plan programs to be aligned with research on youth development. The guide helps program leaders and staff plan their work so staff time and other resources are directed toward the intended outcomes of the program.
Enhancing Cultural Competence in Out-of-School Time Programs: What Is It, and Why Is It Important?
Child Trends (2006). Available online here.
Helping Youth Succeed Through Out-of-School Time Programs
American Youth Policy Forum (2006). Available online here.
Increasing School Completion: Learning from Research-Based Practices that Work
National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (2004). Available online here.
Launching Literacy in Afterschool Programs: Early Lessons from the Coral Initiative
Public/Private Ventures (2005). Available online here.
Primary Person System: Symposium Report
Youth Development Institute (2000). Available online here.
Primary Person is a youth development strategy designed to assure that each young person has a caring adult who is a constant support during their participation in youth programs. This publication contains the ideas of practitioners about this important strategy.
Quality Time After School: What Instructors Can Do to Enhance Learning
Public/Private Ventures (2007). Available online here.
Focuses on importance of two features of high-quality activities: good group management and positive adult support of learning. Drawing from surveys and interviews with more than 400 participants and instructors from five Philadelphia-based Beacon Centers, this study helps program managers identify key features of high-quality after-school programs.
The Assets/Strength-Based Approach to Programming: Promoting Positive Youth Development
Michigan State University (1999). Available online here.
practices specific to beacon centers
Beacon Profiles
Youth Development Institute (2002). Available online here.
Describes the theoretical background for the development of the Beacons and the youth development strategies on which they are grounded. Examples from actual operating programs are described in the text.
Evaluation of the New York City Beacons: Summary of Phase 1 Findings
Youth Development Institute (1999). Available online here.
A Place to Grow: Evaluation of the New York City Beacons
Youth Development Institute (2002). Available online here.
An Oasis in This Desert: Parents Talk about the New York City Beacons
Youth Development Institute (2000). Available online here.
Ten Programs for Teens
Youth Development Institute (2002). Available online here.
Describes ten programs in New York City based on youth development practice.
program development tools
The Afterschool Training Toolkit
Available online here.
This online resource was designed to give afterschool program directors and instructors the resources they need to build fun, innovative, and academically enriching activities that not only engage students but also extend their knowledge in new ways and increase academic achievement. The toolkit focuses on six content areas: arts, literacy, math, science, technology, and homework help.
Afterschool Lesson Plan Development
Available online here.
After-School Toolkit: Tips, Techniques and Templates for Improving Program Quality
Public/Private Ventures (2008). Available online here.
This toolkit offers program managers a practical, hands-on guide for implementing quality programming in the after-school hours. The kit includes the tools and techniques that increased the quality of literacy programming and helped improve student reading gains in the Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) initiative of The James Irvine Foundation. CORAL is an eight-year, $58 million after-school initiative aimed at improving education achievement in low-performing schools in five California cities.
papers on middle school and older adolescents:
RECRUITMENT, PARTICIPATION, ENGAGEMENT, AND RETENTION
A Guide to Issues and Strategies for Monitoring Attendance in Afterschool and Other Youth Programs
The After School Project of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2004). Available online here.
Best Practices for Outreach and Retention of Middle School Youth in Afterschool Programs
University of California Cooperative Extension (2002). Available online here.
Improving Attendance and Retention in Out-of-School Programs
Child Trends (2007). Available online here.
More Time for Teens: Understanding Teen Participation—Frequency, Intensity and Duration
Public/Private Ventures (2008). Available online here.
Moving Beyond the Barriers: Attracting and Sustaining Youth Participation in Out-of-School Time Programs
Harvard Family Research Project (2004). Available online here.
The report begins with an examination of the typical levels of participation in many programs and the reasons youth give for staying or leaving these programs. Also describes common incentives and barriers to participation and proposes a set of promising strategies for attracting and sustaining participation in OST programs.
Understanding and Measuring Attendance in Out-of-School Time Programs
Harvard Family Research Project (2004). Available online here.
Examines three research-based indicators of participation—intensity of attendance, duration of attendance, and breadth of attendance. Summarizes research that links overall participation to outcomes. Offers three models that help explain the relationship between attendance and outcomes.
Using Incentives to Increase Participation in Out-of-School Time Programs
Child Trends (2008). Available online here.
adolescent development
Ages and Stages of Youth Development
Ohio State University. Available online here.
Early Intervention at Every Age
Educational Leadership (2007). Available for purchase here.
Many students who drop out of high school send strong distress signals for years. Schools can use these data as an early warning system to flag students at risk of dropping out and intervene in time to keep them on the path to graduation. Several strategies have proven effective: early intervention models in the middle grades, identifying struggling high school students as early as the first or second marking period, and creating multiple pathways for out-of-school youth to earn their high school diplomas.
Assessing Adolescent Reproductive Health: A Guide for Out-of-School Time Practitioners
Child Trends (2008). Available online here.
Assessing Substance Use and Abuse Among Adolescents: A Guide for Out-of-School Time Program Practitioners
Child Trends (2007). Available online here.
Assessing the Diet, Exercise, Body Image and Weight of Adolescents: A Guide for Out-of-School Time Program Practitioners
Child Trends (2007). Available online here.
Assessing the Mental Health of Adolescents: A Guide for Out-of-School Time Program Practitioners
Child Trends (2007). Available online here.
Assessing What Kids Think About Themselves: A Guide to Adolescent Self-Concept for Out-of-School Time Program Practitioners
Child Trends (2008). Available online here.
NMSA Research Summary: Young Adolescents’ Developmental Characteristics
National Middle School Association (April 2007). Available online here.
Promoting Emotional and Behavioral Health in Preteens: Benchmarks of Success and Challenges Among Programs in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties
Public/Private Ventures (2004). Available online here.
older adolescents
Increasing Opportunities for Older Youth in After-School Programs: A Report on the Experiences of Boys and Girls Clubs in Boston and New York City
Public/Private Ventures (2003). Available online here.
This report documents the successes and challenges in attracting a large number of teens, especially older and harder-to-serve youth, by involving them in a variety of activities, and providing them with emotional support, leadership opportunities, and programming in two critical areas: academics and job training.
Out-of-School Time Policy Commentary #10: Rethinking the High School Experience: What's After-School Got to Do With It?
Forum for Youth Investment (2005). Available online here.
With high school reform now a front-burner issue, districts and communities cannot afford to have high school after-school on the back burner. In this commentary, we focus on how and why the high school reform and after-school movements need to be woven together to produce a solid system of learning opportunities and developmental supports designed to help all young people prepare for the future.
Promoting Positive Youth Development for High School Students After School: Services and Outcomes for High School Youth in TASC Programs
Policy Study Associates (2005). Available online here.
Promising Practices in Working with Young Adults
Youth Development Institute (2008). Available online here.
This 131 page publication was developed from extended dialogues with leaders of outstanding programs, including school-community organization partnerships and community organization programs. Each of the nine sections details specific practices and includes quotations from leading practitioners, as well as citations of relevant research. The material is readily used to promote reflection and discussion about effective practices among direct service staff.
papers on family invovlement
All Work and No Play? Listening to What KIDS and PARENTS Really Want from Out-of-School Time
Public Agenda (2004). Available online here.
Building, Engaging, and Supporting Family and Parental Involvement in Out-of-School Time Programs
Child Trends (2007). Available online here.
Engaging with Families in Out-of-School Time Learning
Harvard Family Research Project (2004). Available online here.
Increasing Family and Parent Engagement in After-School
The After-School Corporation (2006). Available online here.
This is a guidebook for parent engagement, which outlines 15 examples of how site coordinators and staff are successfully engaging parents at their after-school programs. It also contains sample materials sites can use to improve parent involvement.
papers on youth participation
Building Effective Youth Councils: A Practical Guide to Engaging Youth in Policy Making
Forum for Youth Investment (2007). Available online here.
The guide is designed to help states and localities create or strengthen their own youth councils. It is a synthesis of theory and practice that provides a general framework for thinking about youth councils, explaining the principles for youth action, and the importance of youth engagement.
Core Principles for Engaging Young People in Community Change
Forum for Youth Investment (2007). Available online here.
Engaging young people as partners in community change is a compelling idea, but translating that idea into effective practice requires focused attention to a range issues. The principles described in this paper emerged from the commingling of research and practice that occurred when the Forum for Youth Investment merged with Community IMPACT! USA.
Youth in Governance: A Guide for Adults Involving Youth as Decision Makers on Boards
The University of Tennessee. 4-H Youth Development. Available online here.
Youth Governance: How and Why It Can Help Out-of-School Time Programs Involve At-Risk Youth
Child Trends (2008). Available online here.
papers on professional development
After Hours: Professional Development for Afterschool Staff
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (April 2007). Available online here. (Scroll down to page 20 of the PDF.)
An Evaluation of Building Exemplary Systems for Training Youth Workers (BEST)
National Training Institute for Community Youth Work (2002). Available online here.
Building the Skills of After-School Staff: A Tool Kit
Policy Study Associates (2000). Available online here.
Core Competencies for Youth Work
Youth Development Institute. Available online here.
Growing the Next Generation of Youth Professionals: Workforce Opportunities and Challenges
Cornerstones for Kids (2006). Available online here.
Promising Practices in Out-of-School Time Professional Development
Out-of-School Time Resource Center, University of Pennsylvania Social Policy and Practice (2007). Available online here.
The Importance of Professional Development for Youth Workers
Child Trends (2006). Available online here.
Understanding the Afterschool Workforce: Opportunities and Challenges for an Emerging Profession
Cornerstones for Kids (2006). Available online here.
Unpacking Youth Practice
Forum for Youth Investment (2008). Available online here.
program evaluation
Building Quality, Scale, and Effectiveness in After-School Programs: Summary Report of the TASC Evaluation
Policy Studies Associates, Inc. (2004). Available online here.
Establishing a Foundation for Progress Toward High School Graduation: Findings from Phase V of the Citizen Schools Evaluation
Policy Study Associates (2008). Available online here.
Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshots
Harvard Family Research Project (2003-2006). Available online here.
The Study of Promising After-School Programs: Examination of Intermediate Outcomes in Year 2
The Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2005). Available online here.
program quality assessment
How Can I Assess the Quality of My Program? Tools for Out-of-School Time Program Practitioners
Child Trends (2008). Available online here.
Improving After-School Program Quality
William T. Grant Foundation (2007). Available online here.
Measurement Tools for Evaluating Out-of-School Time Programs: An Evaluation Resource
Harvard Family Research Project (2005). Available online here.
Describes instruments used by current out-of-school time programs to evaluate their implementation and outcomes.
Measuring Youth Program Quality: A Guide to Assessment Tools
The Forum for Youth Investment (2007). Available online here.
Many tools are now available to help organizations and systems assess and improve quality. Given the size and diversity of the youth-serving sector, it is unrealistic to expect that any one tool or process will fit all programs or circumstances. This report compares the purpose, history, structure, methodology, content, and technical properties of nine different program observation tools.
NYSAN Program Quality Self-Assessment (QSA) Tool (2008)
Available online here.
This self-assessment tool provides an opportunity for program leaders and key staff, in collaboration with other stakeholders, to utilize a common set of standards to assess, plan, design, and execute strategies for ongoing program improvement.
NYSAN QSA User’s Guide (2008)
Available online here.
The NYSAN Program Quality Self-Assessment (QSA) Tool User's Guide is designed to help you get the most out of the QSA Tool and the self-assessment process for your afterschool program. It is full of practical, real-world strategies, tips, case studies, sample tools, and reflection questions that will guide and support you as you cultivate a culture of learning in your organization.
Palm Beach County's Prime Time Initiative: Improving the Quality of After-School Programs
Chapin Hall Center for Children (2008). Available online here.
This series of reports covers the three-year evaluation process of the Prime Time Initiative, a system-building effort to strengthen the quality of after-school programs in Palm Beach County, Florida. Using multiple methods, including interviews with stakeholders, review of documents, and observations of program activities and meetings, the evaluation has followed the implementation of a Quality Improvement System (QIS) pilot project in 38 after-school programs serving elementary and middle school age students in targeted geographic areas. The QIS is comprised of a number of steps, including external assessment, self-assessment, program improvement plans, on-site technical assistance, and re-assessment.
Using Assessment Tools to Evaluate Afterschool Programs: A Look at the Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA)
American Youth Policy Forum (2007). Available online here.
Supporting Success: Why and How to Improve Quality in After-School Programs
Public/Private Ventures (2008). Available online here.
assessment tools
Achieve Boston's Self-Assessment Questionnaire (free)
Achieve Boston (2003). Available online here.
After-School Activity Observation Instrument (free)
Pechman, E., & Marzke, C. (2005), Policy Study Associates and Wisconsin Center for Education Research. Available online here.
After-School Environment Scale (free)
Rosenthal, R., & Vandell, D. L. (1996). Available online here.
Afterschool Program Assessment System (free)
Miller, B. M., & Surr, W. B. The APAS Evaluation System, Wellesley, MA: National Institute on Out-of-School Time at the Wellesley Centers for Women. Available online here.
Chicago Youth Program Standards
Chicago Area Project (2006). Chicago Youth Program Standards. Chicago: Chicago Department of Children and Youth Services. Available online here.
Competency Observation Assessment Tool (free)
National Youth Development Learning Network (2005). Available online here.
Established Standards of Excellence Self-Assessment Tool: K-12 (free)
North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs. Available online here.
Exemplary Practices in Afterschool Program Development (free)
Center for Collaborative Solutions & the Community Network for Youth Development (2004). Available online here.
Quality Assurance System (QAS) ($75)
Weisburd, C., & McLuaghlin, R. (2004). Available online here.
Quality Review for Beyond the Bell Partnerships (free)
Community Impact Consulting (2002). Available online here.
School-Age Care Environmental Rating Scale ($14.95)
Harms, T., Jacobs, E. V. & White, D. (1996). Available online here.
Shared Features of High-Performing After-School Programs: A Follow-Up to the TASC Evaluation (free)
Birmingham, J., Pechman, E. M.,Russell, C. A., & Mielke, M. (2005). Available online here.
Study of After-School Care: Program Quality Observation (free)
Vandell, D. L., & Pierce, K. M. Available online here.
Study of Promising After-School Programs: Observation Manual for Site Verification Visits (free)
Policy Studies Associates, (2005). Available online here.
Youth Development Strategies Inc. Survey ($500)
Youth Development Strategies Inc. Available online here.
Youth PQA (Program Quality Assessment) Starter Pak ($39.95)
Youth Development Strategies Inc. Available online here.
intermediary organizations
Palm Beach County's Prime Time Initiative: Improving the Quality Of After-School Programs
Chapin Hall Center for Children (2008). Available online here.
This series of reports covers the three-year evaluation process of the Prime Time Initiative, a system-building effort to strengthen the quality of after-school programs in Palm Beach County, Florida. Using multiple methods, including interviews with stakeholders, review of documents, and observations of program activities and meetings, the evaluation has followed the implementation of a Quality Improvement System (QIS) pilot project in 38 after-school programs serving elementary and middle school-age students in targeted geographic areas. The QIS is comprised of a number of steps, including external assessment, self-assessment, program improvement plans, on-site technical assistance, and re-assessment.
Premises, Principles and Practices: Defining the Why, What, and How of Promoting Youth Development Through Organizational Practice
Center for Youth Development (1995). Order online here.
Shaping the Future of After-School
Collaborative for Building After-School Systems (2007). Available online here.
This report shows how intermediaries have helped increase the quality, sustainability, and availability of after-school and offers a vision for public policy change to support the continued growth of after-school.
Strengthening Youth Development
Youth Development Institute (2007). Available online here.
Based on an examination of YDI’s work with community-based youth-serving organizations over many years, this booklet provides a detailed description of strategies that an intermediary uses to improve the quality of youth services in communities.
The Role of Local Intermediary Organizations in the Youth Development Field
Chapin Hall Center for Children (2000). Available online here.
The study includes a review of existing literature, interviews with the directors and staff of seven local intermediaries, review of material written by or about them, and interviews with individuals knowledgeable about local youth development intermediaries including policymakers, funders, and evaluators, as well as individuals familiar with the role of local intermediaries in other sectors. Local youth development intermediaries operate in a position between the youth-serving organizations they assist and a body of knowledge, skills, contacts, and other resources.
community schools
Growing Community Schools: The Role of Cross-Boundary Leadership
Coalition for Community Schools (2006). Available online here.
Making the Difference: Research and Practice in Community Schools
Coalition for Community Schools (2003). Available online here.
Report synthesizes research from the fields of health, mental health, youth development, family and community engagement and community building and demonstrates the connection to student learning. Based on the research, Making the Difference presents five conditions for learning that need to be in place for children to succeed at high levels. The report features evaluation data from 20 different community school initiatives and a synthesis of their combined results. By integrating existing community resources with the assets of the school, 15 community schools highlighted in the report produced remarkable improvements in efficiency and results. A lengthy bibliography, resource list, and community school networks contact information is included.
leading resources for information about afterschool programs
Child Trends
www.childtrends.org
Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that studies children at every stage of development. Our mission is to improve outcomes for children by providing research, data, and analysis to the people and institutions whose decisions and actions affect children, including policy makers, program providers, foundations, and the media.
Youth Development: Disseminates research on out-of-school time programs to program providers and policy makers and conducts program evaluations.
Children's Aid Society
www.childrensaidsociety.org
Community schools, sometimes called “full-service” or “extended-service” schools, are educational institutions that combine the rigorous academics of a quality school with a wide range of vital in-house services, supports and opportunities for the purpose of promoting children’s learning and development. The community school unites the most important influences in children’s lives – schools, families and communities – to create a web of support that nurtures their development toward productive adulthood. The third edition of Building A Community School can be found here.
Citizen Schools
www.citizenschools.org
Citizen Schools operates a national network of apprenticeship programs for middle school students, connecting adult volunteers to young people in hands-on learning projects after school. At Citizen Schools, students develop the academic and leadership skills they need to do well in school, get into college, and become leaders in their careers and in their communities. Citizen Schools runs programs at 37 locations in six states, serving an estimated 3,800 students and engaging 2,800 volunteers.
Each week at Citizen Schools, young people extend their learning day in fun, engaging ways that connect them to real-world skills and more caring adults from around the community. Twice a week, they participate in apprenticeships—hands-on learning projects led by volunteer Citizen Teachers. Each semester culminates in WOW!s--public presentations of the projects these young people have created with their Citizen Teachers.
Connect for Kids
www.connectforkids.org
Through its Website, Connect for Kids gives visitors the information and tools they need to learn about issues affecting children, families, and communities and to take action to improve policies and programs, and, ultimately, the fabric of our nation as a whole. In 2007, Connect for Kids joined forces with Child Advocacy 360 to continue to provide excellent articles and annotations of “best of the Web” child-focused content. The CFK Weekly features Child Advocacy 360’s signature content: Who’s Doing What That Works and Voices & Views. Connect for Kids’ main product is a searchable, comprehensive website housing: (1) original and reprinted feature articles, (2) links to organizations and their content, (3) a state section to help visitors make local connections and get involved in their hometown, and (4) live chats. The CFK Update is a biweekly e-newsletter that gathers and contextualizes the latest news, research, emerging trends, and policy developments affecting children, youth, families, and communities. It was designed to operate in tandem with the Youth Policy Action Center alerts.
Coalition for Community Schools
www.communityschools.org
The Coalition for Community Schools is an alliance of national, state, and local organizations in education K-16, youth development, community planning and development, family support, health and human services, government and philanthropy as well as national, state, and local community school networks. The Coalition advocates for community schools as the vehicle for strengthening schools, families, and communities so that together they can improve student learning.
Forum for Youth Investment
www.forumforyouthinvestment.org
The Forum for Youth Investment is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping communities and the nation make sure all young people are Ready by 21™: ready for college, work, and life. The Forum provides youth and adult leaders with the information, technical assistance, training, network support, and partnership opportunities needed to increase the quality and quantity of youth investment and youth involvement. Sign up for their newsletters (Forum Flash, Youth Policy Action Center Alerts, CFK Weekly, Next Generation Youth Work Coalition Bulletin) here, or review their publications here.
Harvard Family Research Project
www.hfrp.org/out-of-school-time
Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP) work in out-of-school time (OST) is geared toward promoting the quality, accessibility, and sustainability of OST programs and activities across the nation. As part of this effort, HFRP:
• Maps the OST field and synthesizes the latest OST research and evaluation information to provide in-depth coverage of key topics in OST evaluation and practice. For example, HFRP publishes in-depth examinations of important OST topics through the Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation series.
• Strengthens OST evaluation practice by scanning and distilling the latest information on evaluation methodology. For example, we produce short, accessible OST Evaluation Snapshots and Research Updates, which highlight evaluation methods and findings culled from our OST Program Research and Evaluation Database.
• Conducts original research on and analysis of “hot topics” in OST and apply those findings to improve OST policy and practice. For example, our Study of Predictors of Participation in Out-of-School Time Activities revealed a significant pattern in who participates in OST, allowing us to make practice and policy recommendations for improving access to OST activities and programs.
• Networks, convenes, and collaborates with local, state, and national organizations and intermediaries to promote best practices in OST evaluation and program practice. In order to maximize our reach, many of our OST conference presentations are available in the Publications & Resources section of our website.
• Builds evaluation and program capacity through the development of tools and “how to” guides. For example, our guide to engaging families in OST programs, Focus on Families! How to Build and Support Family-Centered Practices in After School, contains practical information and advice on how to strengthen after school programs’ family engagement practices.
Moving Beyond the Barriers – Attracting and Sustaining Youth Participation in Out-of-School Time Programs
National AfterSchool Association
www.naaweb.org
The National AfterSchool Association is the only national professional association for the afterschool field. With over 9,000 members and 36 state affiliate organizations, NAA represents the voice of the afterschool field in the areas of professional development, program quality, public policy and current issues affecting children and youth in their out-of-school time. NAA’s membership includes practitioners, policy makers, researchers, and administrators representing all public, private, faith-based, school-based, and community-based sectors.
National Youth Development Information Center
www.nydic.org
National Youth Development Information Center is a one-stop website for youth workers with interest in any and all of the following areas: funding, programming, research, policy, job, and training opportunities. NYDIC also provides current news to the youth development field and has one of the largest online libraries, providing practice-related information at low-cost or no cost. NYDIC provides constant opportunities for practitioners to share knowledge and experience, enabling them to build the best practice in the field of youth development.
Next Generation Youth Work Coalition
www.nextgencoalition.org
The Next Generation Youth Work Coalition brings together individuals and organizations dedicated to developing a strong, diverse after-school and youth development workforce that is stable, prepared, supported, and committed to the well-being and empowerment of children and youth. We believe that this entails progress in at least five key areas: standards and competencies; professional development and training resources; learning delivery systems; career ladders and compensation guidelines; and research and evaluation systems. The primary role of the Coalition is to inform and support ongoing discussions about the public policy, institutional, organizational, and individual changes needed to create a stable, prepared, and supported workforce.
Quarterly Bulletins - The bulletins include professional development/workforce promising practices, highlights of relevant projects, events in the field, and more. The goal of the Coalition is to help achieve the vision of a strong, valued youth work profession through documentation, education, and communications activities and by serving as a locus for joint action and collaboration within the field.
Publications and Resources - This section includes policy briefs, commentaries, and research project findings.
Youth Work Counts Toolkit - These tools, based on a survey conducted by the Coalition in 2006, were created for those interested in bringing data about the frontline youth worker population into their work.
Public/Private Ventures
www.ppv.org
Public/Private Ventures is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the effectiveness of social policies, programs, and community initiatives, especially as they affect youth and young adults. In carrying out this mission, P/PV works with philanthropies, the public and business sectors, and nonprofit organizations.
P/PV's staff is composed of policy leaders in various fields; evaluators and researchers in disciplines ranging from economics to ethnography, and experienced practitioners from the nonprofit, public, business and philanthropic sectors.
See their evaluation of the San Francisco Beacons and the report: Getting It Right.
The After-School Corporation
www.tascorp.org
The After-School Corporation works in New York City, New York State, and nationally to enhance the quality, availability, and sustainability, of comprehensive, daily after-school programs.
TASC is dedicated to building the after-school field by expanding training and college opportunities for after-school staff, and by strengthening the alignment between school day and after-school learning. We develop measures of program quality and accountability, and share with after-school providers lessons learned throughout nearly a decade of developing programs.
TASC advocates and informs after-school policy by serving as a trusted advisor to a broad network of federal, state, and local policymakers and elected officials. We are a partner and coalition builder among organizations that share a common mission of making after-school a public responsibility, and assuring that publicly funded programs are of high quality.
William T. Grant Foundation
www.wtgrantfoundation.org
Since its inception in 1936, the William T. Grant Foundation has had a remarkable constancy of purpose: to further the understanding of human behavior through research. The Foundation’s mission focuses on improving the lives of youth ages 8 to 25 in the United States. We invest primarily in high quality empirical studies. Our current research interests are understanding and improving social settings such as families, schools, peer groups, and organizations, and how these social settings affect youth. Our interests also focus on the use and influence of scientific evidence in policy and practice.
To a more limited extent, the Foundation supports capacity-building, communication, and youth service activities. We fund capacity-building activities, usually commissioned by us, to build the infrastructure for research on our current research interests and our action topic of improving the quality of after-school programs. Most of our communications funding also is aligned around our Action Topic. We fund a limited number of communications activities meant to leverage all of our grant making by enhancing the Foundation’s image and visibility. Our Youth Service Improvement Grants program supports activities conducted by non-profit community-based organizations in the New York metropolitan area to improve the quality of services for young people ages 8 to 25.
Youth Development Institute
www.ydinstitute.org
The Youth Development Institute (YDI) supports the growth and development of young people by strengthening the quality and increasing the availability of experiences offered by the organizations that serve them. We partner with community organizations, schools, colleges, policy makers, funders, and others to create programs, train staff, and develop policies that encourage and enable young people to transition successfully to adulthood.
See our publications on this website:
• Ten Programs for Teens
• Beacon Profiles
• Evaluation of the New York City Beacons by the Academy for Educational Development
Youth Policy Action Center
www.youthpolicyactioncenter.org
The Youth Policy Action Center is a web site that engages young people and adults in democracy: changing policies that change young people's lives. In April of 2006, it launched a redesigned site featuring state-specific pages, an information clearinghouse, in-depth political tools, and interactive features (including a blog, youth videos, and social networking).
The Youth Policy Action Center eagerly welcomes participation from organizations representing all populations of youth and related issues, reflecting varying viewpoints and political perspectives. Local, state and national groups are all welcome to apply. The intent is to serve as an open forum for interested groups to present a wide range of topics and perspectives related to children and youth of all ages.
OTHER WEBSITES TO SURF:
Afterschool Alliance - www.afterschoolalliance.org
Beyond the Bell - www.beyondthebell.org/PrincipalGuide.pdf
Center for Afterschool and Community Education - www.caceafterschool.org
Learning Point Associates - www.learningpt.org
National Afterschool Association - www.naaweb.org
National Institute on Out-of-School Time - www.niost.org
National Training Institute for Community – www.nti.aed.org
National Youth Development Information Center - www.nydic.org
Office of 21st Century Community Learning - www.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/index.html
Program in Education, Afterschool & Resiliency - www.pearweb.org
Policy Studies Associates, Inc. - www.policystudies.com
The Promising Practices in Afterschool System- www.afterschool.org
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory - www.sedl.org
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