The Brotherhood/Sister Sol helps young people develop into critical thinkers who are committed to themselves and to community change. In single-gender chapters throughout New York City, primarily in Washington Heights and Harlem, teenagers learn to embrace and embody the ideals of brotherhood and sisterhood and to appreciate their connections to…

This report reviews the current research and literature on Out of School Time (OST) programs especially with regard to their effectiveness. It also explores the range of OST programs and activities as employed by the various youth-serving sectors; considers the untapped possibilities of OST programs to meet the needs of young people, including…

This study examined six Beacon centers, which are community centers located in public school buildings that offer a range of activities and services to participants of all ages, before and after school, in the evenings, and on weekends. Individual Beacons are managed by community-based organizations. The study examined how the Beacons provided…

Afterschool programs provide safe places for youth after school in addition to improving academic achievement and helping working families. Afterschool programs provide youth a safe, supervised environment that reduces their risk of committing or becoming a victim of violent crime. A recent report from Fight Crime: Invest in Kids has found that…

Comprehensive community care principles emphasize the importance of positive community-based activities for children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), and caregivers frequently indicate the need for recreation and after-school programs. This study examined the involvement of children with EBD in positive youth development programs and…

Evidence that youth programs have real benefits has prompted efforts to get young people in the door of out-of-school-time (OST) programs. Once youth are enrolled, attendance plays a key role in the participation equation. Children and youth will not benefit unless they attend programs regularly, and evidence is emerging that those who attend more…

"After School: Connecting Children at Risk With Responsible Adults to Help Reduce Youth Substance Abuse and Other Health-Compromising Behaviors (After School)" helped develop intermediary organizations in Boston, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area in order to create citywide systems of after-school programs. The…

This program assessment package is for those providing after-school services for young adolescents. Introductory material discusses why the focus is on 10- to 15-year-olds, the need for program evaluation, and assessment criteria. The package includes the following items: (1) "3:00 to 6:00 P.M.; Programs for Young Adolescents," by Joan…

This report identifies and synthesizes what is known about specific program features for children and youth aged 6-17 that might be manipulated or regulated-components such as staff wages, group size, activities, and theoretical approach that make up the "how" of program implementation. The authors have culled information from the limited extant…

Changing family structures place extra burdens on children, parents and employers. The image of 21st century families is vastly different from that of previous centuries, or even the family image of 50 years ago. While women are still the primary caregivers, either as single mothers or part of a two-parent family, they are entering the workforce…

The "Making the Peace" curriculum is a complete program offering everything needed to address violence prevention in the classroom, after-school program, residential program for youth, or juvenile justice setting. The curriculum can be adapted to various time frames and parts may be incorporated into social studies, health, or other…

Recent findings show that children and teens are most vulnerable either to committing or being a victim of crime between 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Community organizations with afterschool programs are particularly well positioned to counter some of the hazards that threaten children, especially urban adolescents: drug abuse, gang activity, and…

This paper reports findings from a longitudinal study that investigated ways in which a comprehensive youth development program could support social and academic competence and reduce aggression in middle childhood for students living in public housing. Children residing in public housing complexes in southern California who participated in a 4H…

Primary support programs may be identified as programs, places, and activities beyond schools that are available to and appropriate for all children and their families and that supplement the family's own capacity to promote its children's safe and healthy development. This report examines 77 quality youth-serving programs that provide some…

Harvard Family Research Project's (HFRP) Issues and Opportunities in Out-of-School Time Evaluation briefs highlight current research and evaluation work in the out-of-school time field. These documents draw on HFRP's research work in out-of-school time in order to provide practitioners, funders, evaluators, and policymakers with information to…