For most full-time employed parents, the gap between the end of the school day and the time they arrive home from work adds up to about 20 to 25 hours per week. Thus, many parents look to afterschool programs to satisfy their desire for safe, enriching experiences for their children while they are working. "Afterschool" is the general term used to…

With a growing number of families with both parents in the workforce, there is a continuing struggle to find child care for school-age children during the out-of-school hours: before and after school, summers, and holidays. This report provides an overview of the need for school-age care in Arizona and highlights the state's major program…

After-school programs have the potential to keep children safe and out of trouble and can help to improve the academic performance of the increasing numbers of participating children. This report presents positive research on after-school programs and examples illustrating the potential of high-quality after-school activities to keep children…

The Madison Local School District offers guidelines for developing and implementing an independently financed, after-school enrichment program for latchkey children in rural areas. The district, located 40 miles from Cleveland, Ohio, borders on Lake Erie. Sections of the guide concern: (1) program development; (2) establishment of the environment;…

This manual details the events which led to the opening, in April, 1986, of the Cleveland (Ohio) Public Schools' Family Life After-School Program for urban latchkey children. Sections of the manual concern: (1) assessment of need; (2) resource inventory; (3) community input; (4) planning; (5) program design; (6) site selection; (7) program size;…

In January 1990, the League of Women Voters (LWV) Education Fund launched a 2-year national project to increase the availability of affordable, quality school-age child care for low and moderate income families. As part of this national project, local LWVs implemented model projects with one or more of the following activities: (1) increasing the…

Provided are guidelines for developing and implementing a before- and after-school child care program for elementary school students in suburban areas. Guidelines are based on the experience of Ohio's Groveport-Madison Local School District. Contents concern: (1) the process of establishing need; (2) the process of laying the groundwork; (3) first…

First authorized in 1994, the 21st-Century Community Learning Centers program supports after-school programs in approximately 7,500 rural and inner-city public schools . A distinguishing characteristic of 21st-Century programs is the inclusion of academic activities. This report presents the first-year findings from an evaluation of the program.…

Noting that the disappointing findings of the first-year evaluation of the 21st-Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) after-school program were offered as a rationale for a requested decrease in funding in President Bush's fiscal year 2004 education budget, this report compiles expert commentary on methodological issues in that evaluation…

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, implemented through a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Education and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, provides grants to communities to fund public schools as community education centers. The community education centers are intended to allow students after-school…

This report summarizes research on the problems of young adolescent latchkey children and describes 18 programs designed to address their needs. There is growing consensus that young adolescents (10 to 15 years of age), as well as elementary school children, may be at risk when left on a regular basis in unsupervised settings. Children in sibling-…

This paper reports on a study of the Houston (Texas) Independent School District's Lighted Schoolhouse Program, which is designed to serve as an intermediary between homeless children and community service agencies, to provide a range of after-school activities for unattended children, and to provide opportunities for participation of families and…

This report describes the administrative structure and program design for an after-school program for school age children (aged between 5 and 13 years) in the 1990-91 school year in the Atlanta (Georgia) Public Schools (APS). The program took policy and regulations from the pertinent Board of Education policy and guidelines and was administered by…

During a typical week, as many as 14 million children and youth across the United States lack adult supervision during non-school hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the lack of structured and supervised afterschool programs in American communities contributes to a higher incidence of drug and alcohol use and delinquent…