Over the last several years, public education in the U.S. has experienced a remarkable growth in the number of schools that have expanded their schedules beyond the conventional calendar of 180 6.5-hour days. Spurred by significant policy activity at the federal, state, and local levels, more and more educators have capitalized on opportunities to…

This synopsis highlights the main findings from "Investments in Building Citywide Out-of-School-Time Systems," which documents approaches six cities across the country have taken to build, finance and sustain effective citywide out-of-school-time (OST) systems. Developed by Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) and The Finance Project, the…

A wide body of research shows that consistent participation in high-quality afterschool and summer programs, also called out-of-school time or OST, provides substantial benefits to children and youth and their communities. Youth are more prone to engage in juvenile delinquency, substance abuse and other risky behaviors after 3:00 p.m. if there are…

This report is the last in a series funded by The Wallace Foundation and developed by Public/Private Ventures (P/PV) and The Finance Project to document the costs of out-of-school-time (OST) programs and the city-level systems that support them. The report examines the development of OST systems in six cities across the country and summarizes the…

When the bell rings at the end of a school day, millions of children are left to their own devices while they wait for their families to return home at the end of the work day. Findings from a study conducted by the Afterschool Alliance, "America After 3PM," show that 15.1 million children are unsupervised when the school day ends. The…

This guide aims to help California leaders in schools, school districts, and community-based organizations meet the After School Education and Safety (ASES) Program matching requirement and secure funding. This guide is filled with practical information on how to attract and work with school and community partners; how to adopt a strategic…

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. families are now headed by two working parents or a single working parent. Accompanying the rise in working parents is a growing demand for high-quality supervised care and enrichment activities for children and youth during out-of-school hours. To make sound investment decisions, policymakers, program providers and…

A collaborative publication between Harvard Family Research Project and The Finance Project, this brief offers guidance in documenting progress and demonstrating results in local out-of-school-time programs. Following introductory remarks providing a rationale for program evaluation, discussing principles of program evaluation, and clarifying key…

Noting that the past decade has seen a rapid increase in the number of out-of-school time and community school initiatives and that finding funding for these initiatives remains a challenge to their success, this strategy brief discusses the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) as an important long-term source of funding. The brief provides an…

In communities all over the country, afterschool programs play an important role in keeping children and youth safe, providing them with important learning opportunities, and helping them become successful adults. Federal, state, local, and private investments in afterschool programs have grown in recent years due both to widespread public support…

In response to growing public understanding of the importance of quality care and activities during out-of-school hours for children's healthy development, a variety of out-of-school initiatives are being implemented across the country. This guide is designed to provide policy makers, program leaders, system-building advocates, and others with…

Despite widespread support for out-of-school time programs, many of these programs rely on time-limited core funding and struggle to find new funds to sustain their programs and initiatives as initial grants expire. This report provides concrete tips and examines ways out-of-school time initiative leaders have succeeded in replacing initial seed…

Despite the demonstrated social value of out-of-school time and community school initiatives, such programs lack dedicated funding sources available to support their efforts. This strategy brief argues that Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act can serve as an important funding source for out-of-school time programs and community…

The growing demands for afterschool programming for children is accompanied by an increasing understanding of the importance of quality care and activities to children's healthy development. Among the many challenges faced by the growing number of out-of-school time initiatives are developing financing plans and finding funding that will support…