Focuses on the integration of measuring outcomes specific to both after-school program improvement and the individual child as an overall plan for program improvement and evaluation. Discusses the current context for designing an evaluation-based after-school program, and provides examples of and tools for establishing and measuring desired…

An outreach program focusing on group intervention helped children and adolescents in a distressed Minnesota farm community to cope with the stress of family change. The program provided support groups, taught problem-solving and decision-making skills, and encouraged expression of feelings and group cooperation. (SV)

Summarizes results of reports and resources concerning the reform of social welfare policy. Focuses on a profile of Indiana children, hospital policies and programs designed to meet the psychosocial needs of hospitalized children and their families, a senior center/latchkey program, and lead poisoning prevention. (BB)

For young adolescents, the link that exists between learning during the school day and opportunities for educational and social growth in the afterschool hours warrants attention. By implementing the connections of this link, young people will be able to utilize the proper skills, experiences, and guidance necessary to become contributing members…

A critical approach to the application of research by developmental psychologists is proposed, using a concept of culture derived from agricultural metaphors in the English language. The approach is illustrated in a study of afterschool activities for California children. (SLD)

To improve its school failure rate, a Virginia intermediate school instituted Project Achievement, a privately funded program helping at-risk students complete homework assignments. Structured into three one-hour sessions featuring tutoring, interdisciplinary study groups, and special activities, the project is immensely popular. During the summer…

Founded by Norma Gray in 1972 as an early-childhood demonstration center, River Valley Child Development Services now operates various programs related to young children in nine southern West Virginia counties and a statewide apprenticeship program for child-development specialists. Programs provide child care, after-school programs,…

Discusses an activity in which students in an after-school art class drew one another on pieces of 2-by-4 scrap lumber in order to create a class portrait in three dimensions. Stresses that the portraits on the wood blocks were done in-the-round, or each side was covered. (CMK)

Describes an after-school program in which 54 youth mentors worked with 584 elementary and middle-school children in small groups over a two-year period. Focuses on bonding, prosocial norms, peer influence, participant characteristics, service features, and other factors. Outcomes suggest that the program benefitted both children and mentors. (RJM)

Two studies were conducted to determine the efficacy of an after-school tutoring program. Results indicated that at-risk junior high students and students with learning disabilities (n=14) who were failing classes could earn average or better grades on quizzes and tests if they had the support of trained adult tutors. (Contains references.)…

Science centers and children's museums, such as the New York Hall of Science and the Orlando (Florida) Science Center, offer rich programs linked to students' classroom learning and provide an informal, inquiry-based setting for exploring major concepts. School/museum partnerships can further teachers' and students' lifelong learning progress.…

In 1999, two schools in an impoverished border town in Texas received 3-year federal grants from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program to support varied after-hours activities: academic tutoring, computer literacy, "ballet folklorico," arts and crafts, guitar instruction, and service learning. Students and parents now have a safe…

Describes the Hands On Science Outreach (HOSO) program which aims to provide informal science experiences for preschool and elementary-age children. Discusses participants views of the program. (JRH)

A preliminary evaluation of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program at four San Francisco middle schools found no significant statistical evidence on academic achievement. The program successfully implemented its first-year objectives: positive perceptions among parents and students and solid student participation. Influential factors…

Explores the social space of the "out of school club," an important environment of British childhood. Notes particularly how children construct and contest the meanings they attach to material and social environments they inhabit after school. Shows how the notion of place is linked with children's action and behavior in these spaces and…