Youth Development Resources

Adolescent Health and Youth Development
Afterschool.gov
Afterschool Investments Project
Afterschool Alliance
Center for Summer Learning
Children and Youth Coordinating Council
Coming up Taller
Georgia Afterschool Investment Council, Georgia’s Afterschool Network, Sign-up now!
Georgia Child and Parent Services
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Georgia Department of Education
Georgia School Age Care Association/ National School Age Care Association
Georgia TeenWork Program
Georgia Independent Living Program
Family Connection Partnership
Forum for Youth Investment
Harvard Family Research Project
Media Kits
Mott Foundation – Moving Towards Success – Framework for Afterschool Programs
National Institute on Out-of-School Time
National Afterschool Association
National Child Care Information Center – Positive Youth Development
Promising Practices in Afterschool
Summer Food Service Program- Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
Techsoup-Free Software for Nonprofits
Voices for Georgia’s Children
Women’s Sports Foundation

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Afterschool 101: Facts for Georgia and the Nation

Source: www.afterschoolalliance.org

• In Georgia, 21% of K-12 youth are responsible for taking care of themselves. More than 31% of K-12 youth in self-care would be likely to participate in an afterschool program if one were available in the community.

• 82% of parents in Georgia are extremely or somewhat satisfied with the afterschool program their child attends.

• Nearly 30,703 of Georgia's kids are counting on the programs supported by the U.S. Department of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative, the only federal program dedicated to afterschool.

• If the No Child Left Behind Act were fully funded, Georgia communities could have double the number of afterschool programs giving nearly 77,015 children a safe place to go after school.

• An October 2006 report found that afterschool programs in Georgia are serving a high need population, serving more children than expected, and struggling to maintain their funding. See Uncertain Times: Funding Insecurity Puts Afterschool Programs at Risk (link to PDF report)

National research studies prove that Afterschool programs:

1) Improving Academic Achievement;
2) Keeping Kids Safe; and
3) Helping Working Families.

Improved School Attendance and Engagement in Learning

o Approximately half (48%) of youth, who participated in three quarters or more of the available activities in Texas 21stCCLC programs, missed five or fewer days of school during the fall semester, compared to 17 percent of youth who participated in less than one quarter of the available activities. (Texas Education Agency, 2004)

o Participants in the Breakthrough Collaborative program enroll in college-preparatory mathematics courses at double the national average, and are accepted to college-preparatory high schools by more than 80 percent. (Breakthrough Collaborative, 2006)

o Children in LA's BEST improved their regular school day attendance and reported higher aspirations regarding finishing school and going to college. Drop-out rates among LA's BEST students are 20 percent lower than the overall district drop-out rate. (UCLA Center for the Study of Evaluation, June 2000 and December 2005)

o Sixty-five percent of former Citizen Schools 8th Grade Academy participants enrolled in high-quality high schools compared to 26 percent of matched non-participants. Ninety-two percent of high exposure participants were promoted on-time to the tenth grade compared to 81 percent of matched non-participants. This is critical, since earning promotion to tenth grade on time is a key predictor of high school graduation (i.e. preventing drop-out). (Policy Studies Associates, December 2006)

o Boys and girls in the Quantum Opportunities afterschool program were half as likely to drop out of high school and two and one half times more likely to go on to further education after high school than their peers. (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2000)

Improved Test Scores and Grades

o Active participants in programs offered by The After-School Corporation (TASC) were more likely to take and pass the Regents Math Sequential 1 exam by ninth grade than were non-participants. Thirty-two percent of active ninth grade participants took and passed the exam, compared to one percent of ninth grade non-participants. Fifty-two percent of active participants took and passed the Math Sequential 2 and 3 exams, compared to 15 percent of non-participants in the same grades. (Policy Studies Associates, 2004)

o Participants in North Carolina's Young Scholars Program with at least 280 hours in the program averaged double-digit increases annually for proficiency in both math and reading. Promotion rates rose by 38 percent. Furthermore, the number of Young Scholars receiving A's and B's increased an average of 38 percent, while the number receiving F's decreased an average of 50 percent. (Z Smith Reynolds Foundation, 2006)

o Active participants in the Boys and Girls Club of America increased their average grades by 11 percent from baseline to the 30-month measurement while comparison youth and non-comparison youth increased their average grades over the same period by .4 percent and .3 percent, respectively. (Columbia University, 2000)

o Participants of St. Paul Minnesota's 21st CCLC Pathways to Progress program received better grades in English and Math than non-participants and more of the grades received by these students were satisfactory ones - a grade of C minus or better. (University of Minnesota, March 2004)

Students at Greatest Risk Show Greatest Gains

o Citizen Schools reported especially large improvements in achievement among the most high-risk students, including those initially in the lowest quartile on standardized test scores and English language learners. In the primary grades, there was a 53.4 percent decrease in grade retention associated with the program. (Policy Studies Associates, November 2005)

o The CORAL initiative in California found that reading gains were greatest for participant youth who were two or more grade levels behind at the time of the first assessment. This improvement represents approximately three quarters of a grade level in reading (.78). (Public/Private Ventures, December 2005)

Afterschool Programs Keep Kids Safe, Healthy and on Track for Success

o The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning reviewed data from 73 afterschool studies and concluded that afterschool programs employing evidence-based approaches to improving students' personal and social skills were consistently successful in producing multiple benefits for youth, including improvements in children's personal, social and academic skills, as well as their self-esteem. (CASEL, 2007)

o Female participants in the Children's Aid Society Carrera-Model Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program were less than half (46%) as likely to report a birth compared to matched non-participants. (Philliber Research Associates, 2001)

o Teens who do not participate in afterschool programs are nearly three times more likely to skip classes than teens who do participate. They are also three times more likely to use marijuana or other drugs, and they are more likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes and engage in sexual activity. (YMCA of the USA, March 2001)

o An evaluation of the Fort Worth After School program(FWAS), funded in part by 21st CCLC, found that 94 percent of parents agreed that FWAS kept their child from getting in trouble, and 45 percent also felt that their child would get into trouble if they were at home. (Texas A & M University, 2005)

o Youth attending 23-40 or more days of Maryland's After School Opportunity Fund Program showed a more positive gain on such measures as commitment to education and academic performance, and a reduction in delinquency and contact with the police. (University of Maryland, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, June 2004)

o A study measuring the health and social benefits of afterschool programs found that controlling for baseline obesity, poverty status, and race and ethnicity, the prevalence of obesity was significantly lower for afterschool program participants (21%) compared to non-participants (33%) at follow-up. (Mahoney, J., Lord, H., & Carryl, E., Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005)

Afterschool Programs Help Working Parents

o In an evaluation of LA's BEST, three-quarters of the parents surveyed indicated that since enrolling their children in the program, they worried significantly less about their children's safety and had more energy in the evening. A majority also indicated the program sizably saved their time. (UCLA Center for the Study of Evaluation, June 2000 and December 2005)

o Parents in the TASC study said that the program helped them balance work and family life: 94 percent said the program was convenient; 60 percent said they missed less work than before because of the program; 59 percent said it supported them in keeping their job; and 54 percent said it allowed them to work more hours. (Policy Studies Associates, 2004)

o A study of the Extended-Service Schools Initiative found that "the after-school programs were having some of these beneficial outcomes: 80 percent of parents said they were less worried about their child's safety after school; 57 percent said their child's participation helped them manage their own work schedule; 47 percent said it let them attend classes or job training more easily; and 45 percent said it helped them get a better job or do better at their job." (Public/Private Ventures, 2002)

o Parents who are concerned about their children's afterschool care miss an average of five extra days of work per year, which is estimated to cost employers $496.00 to $1,984.00 per employee, per year, depending on the employee's annual salary. (Community, Families and Work Program at Brandeis University, 2004)

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Start a Program

Afterschool Alliance
What If There Is No Afterschool Program in Your Community? Don’t give up.

Many afterschool programs have been created by residents and parents in partnership with schools, organizations and other concerned individuals. Just think: if you are interested in a high quality afterschool program for children, there must be many others who are also interested. There are people near you — at places such as the library, police stations, community centers and foundations — who can help.

Don't be afraid to approach people. Nine out of 10 Americans, whether they have children or not, agree that all kids should have access to afterschool programs.

Here are some steps you can take to get one started in your community:
1. Talk to parents, guardians, grandparents and concerned neighbors. Find out if others in your community are interested in having afterschool programs. Working in larger numbers gives you greater strength and influence.
o Ask your neighbors and friends.
o Place a notice in your school’s parent bulletin or ask teachers to place flyers in each child’s backpack. The notice can ask parents if they are interested in afterschool programs for their children, and whether they are willing to help organize such programs.
o Attend a PTA meeting and ask participants if they are concerned about the after school hours.
o Build a list of the individuals who are interested in having afterschool programs.
o Document your need. Use the national poll data in this Kit as a guide for collecting the information that can help you make your case.

2. Talk to your school principal and/or teachers. Principals often control the use of school facilities and equipment after school. School teachers and the principal can also be a great help in getting people together to start an afterschool program.
o Ask for ideas and help on starting a program.
o Tell them about the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, www.ed.gov/21stcclc.
o Tell them about the DHR Afterschool Services Program.

3. Contact other people in your community who might help. Call any or all of the people listed here for guidance on finding or starting an afterschool program. Start with: local police, the mayor, city councilperson, local YMCAs, parks & recreation director, Boys & Girls Clubs, 4-H staff, Urban League, Cooperative Extension Service, labor organizations, arts organizations and museums, PTA, local chapter of NAACP and La Raza, local businesses, libraries, community centers, and local churches, synagogues and mosques. Ask each one if he/she could contribute ideas, time or money to help start an afterschool program in your community.

4. Call a meeting of the parents and other individuals who are interested in starting an afterschool program. Your list might include educators, local police, organizations that work with children, local businesses and elected officials.
o Use the information contained in this Kit as a basis of discussion. Talk about the benefits to the community and to families of a high-quality afterschool program.
o Assign people at the meeting to complete tasks such as:
a) assessing the community’s after school needs and the resources that may be available to create afterschool programs that help meet those needs;
b) talking to elected officials about obtaining financial support for the program;
c) finding out how other communities got afterschool programs started;
d) talking with teachers about activities that might be offered in the program;
e) copying and distributing the Afterschool Action Kit to everyone interested; and
f) developing a fund-raising plan.

Getting Your Employer Involved in Afterschool:

Employers have a vested interest in afterschool programs. Afterschool programs alleviate anxieties of employees with children. They also help develop a stronger future workforce by offering students new learning opportunities.
o Ask your employer to donate a product or service to the program, or to allow employees to volunteer at the afterschool program once a week.
o See if your employer will get her/his business and/or civic associations involved in supporting afterschool programs.
o Ask him/her to visit the afterschool program and see what goes on. Perhaps your employer would like to talk to a group of children about what your company does.
o See if your employer would like to give a group of children from the afterschool program a tour of your business.

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