This guidebook was prepared by TASC (The After-School Corporation) and their Frontiers in Urban Science Education (FUSE) programs. FUSE is TASC's initiative to help more out-of-school-time programs and expanded learning time schools offer kids engaging, exciting and inspiring activities that promote science inquiry. The guidebook offers a a…

Everyone who runs a youth program believes in their hearts that their program helps kids, but in their heads, they know they need convincing data to prove it. This guide--updated from 2011--is here to help them get the data they need. The guide addresses a common problem throughout the youth field: Out-of-school time (OST) programs can help youth…

North Carolina's education model is based on an agrarian calendar when it comes to time spent in school and on an industrial, factory model for the process of how students are educated. Educational models structured around the agrarian calendar and industrial model served the state well during a time period in the state's history, but that time…

Engaging classes in every subject. Enriching encounters with the arts. Fun physical activities and healthy nutrition. Guided explorations of possible careers. Every young person deserves all of these experiences. At the moment, unfortunately, not all of the nation's children and youth do. This guide is intended to accompany the video…

In this brief guide, first published in 2009 and updated in March 2011 with new research, The Wallace Foundation highlights what it has learned about how to improve the academic and enrichment opportunities we provide for our children, both in and out of school. The research findings and other resources cited in this document offer…

Conflict among peers is common, and not necessarily a bad thing. Disagreement, teasing, and conflict are part of growing up, and children and adolescents need to develop skills to resolve these clashes. However, bullying, an extreme form of peer conflict or teasing, can be physically and psychologically harmful. Therefore, it is important for…

This "Afterschool Action Kit" contains tips on what the community can do to support afterschool programs. The kit is a useful tool for parents, community members or practitioners, and gives advice on finding or starting a quality program, identifying program needs and what resources to tap for help. The kit notes that Americans agree that…

An effective youth development-based staff training program includes such key elements as: building caring and trusting relationships; engaging participants; offering opportunities for contribution; setting high expectations; and providing continuity. Presents a framework for thinking about how to strengthen training, offering practical…

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…

The Employers' Child Care Alliance, a group of major employers in Lee County, Alabama, developed the "Bridges" program, an innovative program for children ages 10-14 during out-of-school time. The program focuses on the growth of the whole child, specifically in areas not traditionally focused on in school, such as creative development, cultural…

Presents one teacher's experience of organizing and producing a high school theatrical group specializing in performances for younger children. Describes recruitment of students, writing the script, rehearsals, performances, and student feedback. Argues that such an undertaking is English education at its best.(HB)

A description is given of a program that provides preventive measures to check obesity in children and young people. The 24-week program is divided into two parts--a nutrition component and an exercise component. At the start and end of the program, tests are given to assess the participants' height, weight, body composition, fitness level, and…

Most typical high school programs are not meeting the needs of gifted and talented students. Programs for the gifted are often neither interdisciplinary nor differentiated as encouraged by Texas state guidelines. Gifted students can gain much from well-designed extracurricular activities. Grade weighting schemes in which gifted courses are…

Expanded learning opportunities (ELOs), which include afterschool, summer learning, and extended day and extended year programs, can help states reduce dropout rates and increase graduation rates. Effective elementary, middle, and high school ELOs support academic rigor, boost student engagement, and provide students with supportive relationships.…

This handbook for parents outlines policies and procedures of the Adel-Desoto Community School District Child Care Program, which provides child care in district elementary schools. Topics of discussion include: (1) goals; (2) parents' rights; (3) parents' responsibilities; (4) children's rights; (5) children's responsibilities; (6) fees and…