A review of over 50 studies of afterschool programs conducted by The Afterschool Alliance suggests: (1) quality afterschool programs improved school attendance, engagement in learning, test scores, and grades; (2) frequency and duration of afterschool participation increases benefits; and (3) high-risk youth show the greatest benefits. This fact…

Community Drama with Youth is an as yet marginalized practice in the larger drama education field. Yet Community Drama with Youth, and other community youth arts, are fueling a burgeoning after-school youth arts movement. This paper considers federal policies which have shaped youth arts in the last several decades, and the ways in which these…

The Department of Defense (DoD) is committed to meeting the need for child care among military families. DoD supports the largest employer-sponsored system of high-quality child care in the country. Through accredited child development centers (CDCs), family child care (FCC) homes, youth centers, and other after-school programs, DoD currently…

Through state-supported day care programs for employees' children, incentives for industry-supported programs, and careful review of the regulation of child care providers, states are beginning to meet the growing demand for quality child care facilities. In 1984, 34 states considered or adopted changes in policies regulating day care providers.…

This briefing book from the Children's Defense Fund contains factsheets on child care and early education issues. Areas covered include basic facts about early childhood education and care; their importance to children, families, and communities; some of the challenges facing families who need day care; and key child care and early education…