Community-based youth-serving organizations are often seen by participants and their families as safe and supportive environments with no stigma attached to participation. Many children attend community-based afterschool programs five days a week. In such an environment, trusted adults can consistently monitor the moods and behaviors of…

No one-size-fits-all strategy works to increase physical activity (PA) at schools. To realize success, practitioners need flexible PA programs to support the multi-component comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) approach. Walk/run programs have the potential to provide this flexibility, and some have demonstrated increased…

As part of an ongoing, multi-million dollar Wallace Foundation initiative to improve and expand arts learning opportunities for young people, the Wallace Foundation, in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), developed the Youth Arts Initiative (YAI) to deliver otherwise inaccessible high-quality arts programs to low-income…

Purpose: Adolescent females continue to face health consequences associated with risky sexual behaviors such as unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a gender-specific intervention targeted to early adolescent females. Method: This study used an intent to treat…

Background: After-school programs (ASPs) play a crucial role in supplementing the present school day. However, implementing ASPs in the urban environment and among adolescents (grades 6-12) poses unique challenges. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review to identify evidence-based barriers and facilitators to…

Afterschool continues to be promoted as a complementary setting to school for strengthening science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education (for example, Krishnamurthi, Bevan, Rinehart, & Coulon, 2013). This is a reasonable idea: 10.2 million children and youth in the U.S. participate in structured afterschool programs (Afterschool…

We report on an effectiveness evaluation of the Youth Empowerment Solutions (YES) program. YES applies empowerment theory to an after-school program for middle school students. YES is an active learning curriculum designed to help youth gain confidence in themselves, think critically about their community, and work with adults to create positive…

Minimal effects found across youth physical activity (PA) interventions, and increased attention to circumstances that impede adequate delivery of program components, has highlighted the importance of learning from staff what is needed to foster staff comprehension and engagement for developing, adopting, and successfully implementing PA-based…

In the United States, Latino youth experience disproportionately higher rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) than non-Latino Whites. As a result, organizations serving Latino youth seek culturally appropriate evidence-based prevention programs that promote sexual abstinence and condom use. "Cuidate" is an…

This paper presents background, implementation, and feasibility findings associated with planning and conducting an after-school intervention program in an alternative education setting designed to prevent the initiation and escalation of violence and substance abuse among urban African American youth at high risk for life-long problem behaviors.…

Under the larger scope of the National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning, SEDL funded three awardees to carry out large-scale randomized controlled trials (RCT) assessing the efficacy of promising literacy curricula in afterschool settings on student academic achievement. SEDL provided analytic and technical support to the RCT studies…

Describes various organizations that offer programs and services for youth in their early teens. Explains the philosophy of positive youth development that is an emerging theme in this long-standing but newly self-conscious field. Reviews principles of best practice and key implementation challenges. (SLD)

Recognition of the range of potential benefits linked to out-of-school experiences has led to a rapid expansion of out-of-school time opportunities across the United States. This guide outlines an approach for bringing the community together to meet out-of-school time needs of children, youth, and families. Launched in 1994, the MOST (Making the…

Noting that most evaluations of out-of-school (OST) programs have examined the programs as a whole without taking into account the specific activities offered, this issue of "Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshots" surveys the range of activities being implemented in OST settings across the country to better understand and promote…

This guide is designed to help program leaders build into their child care and latchkey/after school helper programs a "Helpers Promoting Reading" program, in which adolescents read and review books with young children, thus improving the reading skills and attitudes of both groups, and responding to the developmental needs of early…