Creating a Balanced Program

This resource contains: Assessment of needs/interests in the room; Introduction to the Agenda; Defining Aspects of a Quality Program; Defining Program and Components ; Designing an Appropriate Environment; Designing Appropriate Routines/Schedules; Ideas for Themes; Integrating Service-Learning; Keys and Summary; Program Design Tools; and Resource list

Starting or Expanding an Out-of-School Program: Five Steps to Starting Something New

Step 1: Perceive the Need; Step II: Connect with Others; Step Ill: Conduct a Needs Assessment; Step IV: Utilize Information Gathered to Design a Program or Component; and Step V: Formulate an Action Plan

Making an Impact on Out-of-School Time: A Guide for Corporation for National Service Programs Engaged in After School, Summer, and Weekend Activities for Young People

This resource contains: Exploring the Facts about Children’s Out-of-School Time; Understanding Basic Standards for a Quality Out-of-School Time Program; Training Members and Volunteers to Work in Out-of-School Time Programs; Understanding Service-Learning; Tip Sheets: Simple Ideas to Address Important Out-of-School Topics; Training Materials on Important Out-of-School Time Issues; Program Profiles; and Connecting to Additional Out-of-School Time and School-Age Child Care Resources

Afterschool Matters Fall 2018

In this issue: System Building, Relationships, and Quality Interview with NIOST’s Ellen Gannett By Georgia Hall Over the last nine months, Ellen Gannett, former director of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, has transitioned to a new part-time role as NIOST’s senior strategist. Georgia Hall, the new director and managing editor of Afterschool Matters, asked Ellen to share her perspectives on the field and on a lifetime dedicated to raising the quality of youth experience during the out-of-school time hours. A New Way to Assess Nutrition Knowledge: The Healthy Plate Photo Method By Ashley Walther, Weiwen Chai, Tara Dunker, Lisa Franzen-Castle, and Michelle Krehbiel Out-of-school time (OST) programs serve youth from diverse demographic backgrounds. According to the Afterschool Alliance, of the 10.2 million young people in OST programs in the U.S., 24 percent are African American and 29 percent are Latinx; 45 percent qualify for free or reduced-price school meals (Afterschool Alliance, 2014). The Micro Temporal Arc: A Practical Planning Tool for Afterschool Student Engagement By Scarlett Eisenhauer For many youth, afterschool programs positively fill the time between school and home. Quality out-of-school time (OST) programs clearly can have beneficial social and academic effects on youth. Supporting Effective Youth Work: Job-Embedded Professional Development in OST By Jocelyn S. Wiedow Youth work practitioners play a critical role in providing high-quality out-of-school time (OST) opportunities. Creating High-Performance Afterschool Programs By Sonia Toledo In more than 25 years of training afterschool directors in New York City, I have learned that one of the greatest challenges supervisors face is developing and retaining their staff. I spend most of my energy researching best practices for afterschool and figuring out how to educate directors and make the research applicable to their work. Youth GO: An Approach to Gathering Youth Perspectives in Out-of-School Time Programs By Sara T. Stacy, Ignacio D. Acevedo-Polakovich, and Jonathan Rosewood Including youth in the development and evaluation of outof- school time (OST) programs has positive effects on youth, the organizations that serve them, and the communities in which they live. A Seat at the Table: Listening to Adolescent Black Girls By Abigail Amoako Kayser, Annalee Jackson, and Brian Kayser Despite having many identified strengths, adolescent Black girls in the U.S. have historically fared poorly. Afterschool Matters: Call for Papers for Fall 2019 By Georgia Hall The Fall 2019 issue will include a focus on creative youth development. CYD is a new term for a longstanding theory of practice that integrates creative skill building, inquiry, and expression with positive youth development principles, fueling young people’s imaginations and building critical learning and life skills.https://repository.wellesley.edu/afterschoolmatters/1037/thumbnail.jp

Afterschool Matters Occasional Paper Fall/Winter 2004

The Four Cs of Afterschool Programming A New Case Method for a New FieldBy Gil G. Noam, Ed.D., Ph.D. (Habil) with Susanna Barry, Lisa Wahl Moellman, Leigh van Dyken, Carol Palinski, Nina Fiore, and Rob McCouchGrowing public and policy interest in the use of afterschool time has led to a need for research methods that allow investigators and stakeholders to examine and refine program models and activities. The case study method offers promise for afterschool research, but case study models must be refined in order to adequately study afterschool programming, which is characterized by collaboration among numerous stakeholders. “The Four Cs”—collaboration, communication, content, and coherence—provide one such framework. This method allows researchers who study afterschool education to respect its unique characteristics as an intermediary space that must accommodate the needs of many stakeholders and as a transitional space that serves the needs of children and youth in their various stages of development. 19 pages. Investing in Social Capital Afterschool Activities and Social Affiliation in Immigrant YouthBy Marc Camras, Ph.D.The 2000 Census indicates a significant increase in foreign-born and first-generation students in public schools, at a time when multicultural communities are challenging long-held notions about civic participation in America. This study of Teen Educators Advocating for Community Health (TEACH) illustrates how an innovative afterschool program attempted to nurture social capital and a sense of belonging in immigrant youth. Drawing on Robert Putnam’s distinction between the bonding and bridging forms of social capital, the study argues that afterschool programs can help immigrant youth develop affiliations with diverse others outside their own communities by developing relevant programming that engages youth with children and adults in a variety of informal settings. The study examines the particular TEACH activities—community service, career development, and a class on public health issues—and features that worked to foster new relationships, attitudes, and feelings of responsibility toward others: Focusing on social affiliation and its role in promoting civic engagement, the study explores how participation in such activities can help immigrant youth attend to the welfare of their own community and of the larger society. 27 pages.https://repository.wellesley.edu/afterschoolmatters/1005/thumbnail.jp

Afterschool Matters Spring 2009

Making the Most of the Middle: A Strategic Model for Middle School Afterschool ProgramsBy Holly MorehouseBuilding on—ratherthan trying to overcome—the unique characteristics of early adolescence, Vermont’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers are using the “five Rs of program design” to improve middle schoolers’ attendance and youth development outcomes. 10 pages. Preparing Youth for the 21st Century Knowledge Economy: Youth Programs and Workforce PreparationBy Graham R. Cochran and Theresa M. FerrariBy emphasizing work-based learning, youth programs can not only meet their youth development goals but also prepare young people for success in the knowledge economy of the 21st century. 15 pages. The Girl Game Company: Engaging Latina Girls in Information TechnologyBy Jill Denner, Steve Bean, and Jacob MartinezA program that teaches middle-school Latinas to program their own computer games seeks ways of overcoming the growing shortfall of both Latinos and women in IT education and careers. 10 pages. It’s All Happening at the Zoo: Children’s Environmental Learning after SchoolBy Jason A. Douglas and Cindi KatzThis study focuses on the combined role of zoos and an out-of-school-time program focused on environmental issues in influencing children’s relationship with and sense of responsibility toward animals and the environment. 10 pages. Putting Our Questions at the Center: Afterschool Matters Practitioner FellowshipsBy Sara L. Hill, Susan Matloff-Nieves, and Lena O. TownsendPractitioner research fellowships help transform out-of-school-time practitioners from consumers of others’ research to makers of knowledge based on their own experience and practices. 5 pages.https://repository.wellesley.edu/afterschoolmatters/1016/thumbnail.jp

Afterschool Matters Spring 2010

Moving Forward and Growing Together: Interview with Sylvia Lyles Afterschool Matters talked with Sylvia Lyles, Ph.D., program director of the Academic Improvement Programs Group in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC., about providing high-quality learning experiences for children and youth. 3 pages. Right Time, Right Place: Building an Online Learning Community for Afterschool Practitioners by the You for Youth project team Responding to the expressed needs of the field, the U.S. Department of Education is building You for Youth (Y4Y), an online learning community whose modules will enhance the professional development of afterschool practitioners and program managers. 7 pages. Body and Soul: Reflections on Two Professional Development Credential Pilots in Massachusetts by Georgia Hall and Ellen Gannett The example of two pilot credentials in Massachusetts underscores the importance of credentials for afterschool practitioners and can guide efforts toward establishing a national credential. 9 pages. Shared Research Dialogue: One College’s Model for Professional Development of Youth Practitioners by Dana Fusco and Ivana Espinet The shared research dialogue that emerged from the collaborative atmosphere of inquiry in a college OST certificate course suggests that developing the capacity for reflective practice is an important component of OST professional development. 6 pages. Using E-learning to Train Youth Workers: The BELL Experience by Matthea Marquart, Zora Jones Rizzi, and Amita Desai Parikh BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life) cut training costs by two-thirds and improved outcomes for students in its summer program by developing e-learning modules for program staff and managers. 9 pages. Enhancing Program Quality and Care through Supervision by Heather Olsen and Christopher L. Kowalski Afterschool staff need to be able to supervise young participants so they can engage safely in a variety of activities. Afterschool programs should create a strong procedural plan to protect young people from harm and the program from liability. 7 pages.https://repository.wellesley.edu/afterschoolmatters/1018/thumbnail.jp

Afterschool Matters Fall 2011

English Learners and Out-of-School Time Programs: The Potential of OST Programs to Foster EL Success By Julie Maxwell-Jolly OST programs can benefit the growing population of English learners in U.S. public schools by giving them the gift of time in which to learn both English and subject matter content. 12 pages. Learning English and Beyond: A Holistic Approach to Supporting English Learners in AfterschoolBy Jhumpa Bhattacharya and Jimena QuirogaEnglish learners are a diverse group with diverse experiences and needs. While schools focus on teaching them English, afterschool programs can build on their strengths to address their social and emotional needs. 7 pages. Éxito: Keeping High-risk Youth on Track to Graduation through Out-of-School Time SupportsBy Tracey Hartmann, Deborah Good, and Kimberly EdmundsAn intensive intervention including project-based learning and case management services keeps at-risk ninth-and tenth-graders engaged and helps them overcome barriers to school success. 10 pages. You Are Here: Promoting Youth Spaces through Community MappingBy Kathrin C. Walker and Rebecca N. SaitoYouth Action Crews map the youth development programs and places in their neighborhoods in order to raise public awareness of the opportunities-and of where such opportunities don’t exist. 10 pages. A Place for the Arts: Lessons Learned from an Afterschool Art Experience with Reclaimed MaterialsBy Angela Eckhoff, Amy Hallenbeck, and Mindy SpearmanA three-day art project in an afterschool program with no specific arts component illustrates the potential-and the challenges-of engaging children in creating art using recycled materials. 8 pages. Power Sharing: Building Community School Relationships from Friendship to MarriageBy Carol R. HillWhat happens when the relationships among a Beacon center, its school, and an intermediary organization move from mere friendship into dating and eventually even marriage? 4 pages. Researcher’s Notebook: Converging issues in an Out-of-school Time Program for African Refugee ChildrenBy Michelle PorcheField notes from a study of a family support program for African immigrants reveal some of the challenges faced by these parents and their adolescent children. 3 pages.https://repository.wellesley.edu/afterschoolmatters/1022/thumbnail.jp

Afterschool Matters Occasional Paper Fall 2003

Supporting the Literacy Development of Low-Income Children in Afterschool Programs: Challenges and Exemplary PracticesBy Robert HalpernErikson Institute for Graduate Study in Child DevelopmentWhile much of the current concern over the literacy development of low- and moderateincome children focuses on schools (and, to a lesser degree, on parents), many observers are arguing for a role for other institutions. In particular, funders are turning to afterschool programs to address this critical developmental task. This paper explores the roles afterschool programs can and do play in the literacy development of low-income children, drawing on surveys and observations of afterschool programs in Chicago, New York, and Seattle. 26 pages.https://repository.wellesley.edu/afterschoolmatters/1002/thumbnail.jp

Afterschool Matters Spring 2018

Welcome from the Managing Editor of Afterschool Matters, Spring 2018 Wellesley College, home of the National Institute on Out-of-School Time, has a significant connection to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, site of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting. 1 page. By Georgia Hall Critical Friendship: Helping Youth Lift as They Climb Together By Tanya G. Wiggins Critical friendships can help youth build their own social capital and counteract negative messages from society and peers. 9 pages. Youth-Led Participatory Action Research: Promoting Youth Voice and Adult Support in Afterschool Programs By Yolanda Anyon, Heather Kennedy, Rebecca Durbahn, and Jeffrey M. Jenson Participatory action research with a social justice emphasis can help keep middle school students engaged in afterschool. 9 pages. Seed Balls and the Circle of Courage: A Decolonization Model of Youth Development in an Environmental Stewardship Program By A. R. S. Wenger-Schulman and Lauren Hoffman Drawing on child-centered pedagogy from Native American traditions, facilitators help young New Yorkers take responsibility for the local ecology. 6 pages. Positive Change Through a Credential Process By Tinnycua Williams Being forced to earn a school-age care credential was an unexpected boon for this afterschool program director. 3 pages. Measuring Program Quality, Part 2: Addressing Potential Cultural Bias in a Rater Reliability Exam By Amanda Richer, Linda Charmaraman, and Ineke Ceder Like assessments of youth outcomes, the instruments used to assess program quality need to be as free from bias as possible. 9 pages. Beyond “Research Into Practice” By Diane Gruber Review of Creating Research-Practice Partnerships in Education by Penuel & Gallagher. 2 pageshttps://repository.wellesley.edu/afterschoolmatters/1036/thumbnail.jp