The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is administered by the US Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) through State child nutrition agencies. Participating providers include childcare centers (including Head Start Programs), day care homes, before and afterschool programs, adult day care centers, and emergency shelters…

This study investigated the efficacy of the Beyond Rubrics Toolkit (BRT) as an embedded assessment instrument within makerspaces. Conducted as a pilot study at two Boys & Girls Club sites during afterschool programming, the research aimed to address the following research questions: (1) What skills are Youth Development Professionals teaching…

Purpose: This short article takes the play and passion of children's literacy as its focal point. Rather than orienting reading and writing around what should be taught or how children should respond and understand written text, in this short reflective essay we aim to explore the play and passion inherent in children's literacy practices. We do…

Making and tinkering is currently gaining traction as an interdisciplinary approach to education. However, little is known about how these activities and explorations in formal and informal learning spaces address the content and skills common to professionals across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. As such, the purpose of this…

Background: For years, physical activity settings had portrayed a discourse that does not allow to add new and different elements in its practice. This discourse established a status quo that has affected in many ways the structure, the pedagogy and practice of physical activity settings. This is the case of out-school programs. Purpose: The…

In this article, inspired by the idea of using data to think "with" theory [Jackson, A., and L. Mazzei. 2012. "Thinking with Theory in Qualitative Research: Viewing Data Across Multiple Perspectives." London: Routledge], we explore how our ethnographic visual data will be 'thought', 'theorised' and verbalised using concepts…

Embodied cognition has been a useful means to support learning in science education. In this article, we describe a model of embodied cognition through analogical mapping that is supported through the participatory simulation and mathematical description of a link and pivot system. We look at the propensity for this model of embodied cognition to…

We investigated youth participation in three Community and Citizen Science (CCS) programs led by natural history museums in out-of-school settings. Using second generation Activity Theory, we looked at repeated participation over time, collecting and then qualitatively analyzing ethnographic fieldnote observations on focal youth participation and…

In response to growing recognition for the mental health impacts of climate change, understanding the full range of children's psychological experiences in climate change education (CCE) contexts is critical to developing approaches that support children's constructive engagement and overall well-being. Through surveys and focus groups conducted…

As big data algorithm usage becomes more ubiquitous, it will become critical for all young people, particularly those from historically marginalized populations, to have a deep understanding of data science that empowers them to enact change in their local communities and globally. In this study, we explore the concept of critical machine…

Afterschool, summer and other out-of-school-time (OST) programs provide young people with a range of opportunities. Youth participants can build positive relationships with peers and adults, develop and hone academic and other skills, and engage in apprenticeships and other forms of intergenerational learning. However, there is a persistent and…

As the end of the school year approaches and families face another pandemic summer, a new survey of afterschool and summer programs brings some encouraging news: Providers are more likely to be open and operating in person this summer and are more optimistic about a return to normal than in previous surveys. However, providers also anticipate…

This study evaluates the problems encountered in using out-of-school learning environments in preschool education. The descriptive phenomenological method was used to describe the experiences of preschool teachers. The working group comprises 20 preschool teachers in kindergartens affiliated with the Ministry of National Education in Konya. The…

Youth benefit from involvement in the arts. At the same time, youth from families with low incomes are about half as likely to have access to arts instruction as youth from families with more resources, due to cuts in arts education which disproportionally affect schools in under-resourced communities that have been economically and socially…

The authors investigated the effects of a collaborative after-school inclusive sports program on adolescents with disabilities and neurotypical students in underserved high schools. The program brought together a large urban school district and a private after-school program to provide a service on the school site. The goals were to provide a…