National Institute on Out-of-School Time
An Innovative Approach to Prevention and Early Intervention
By Erica D. Kelsey
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest that 1 in 5 children and 1 in 2 adolescents experience a mental or behavioral health disorder. CDC studies show that people of color and other marginalized groups have higher rates of behavioral health challenges than White people (2022).
By Helen Chiu, Sarai Koo, George D. Taylor, and Gregory K. Tanaka
With a public school student-to-counselor ratio that has surpassed 400 to 1 nationally for the past 30 years (American School Counselor Association, 2020), afterschool programs play a vital role in bridging disparities in college access.
A Framework for Making Black Girls’ Lives Matter
By Dyann C. Logwood
In the wake of current sociopolitical movements, research on the lives of Black girls and women is gaining momentum. However, studies providing Black girls space to voice their experiences within learning and afterschool environments remain a crucial—and often ignored—component of this conversation.
Youth Development in a High School STEM Afterschool Program
By Amy Lang
“I would never have thought that I could go into beekeeping as a full-time commitment. It was after learning about the large impacts (good and bad) that insects have on agriculture and the environment that I could fully comprehend the scope a job with bees could cover. Though I do not know exactly what I want to be, I know that I want to pursue a career where I can work with bees and plants. I have been drawn to help others learn about the importance of pollinators and develop a passion for the environment like myself. I am now an active member of the Association of Southern Maryland Beekeepers, and have been involved in many projects teaching others about the importance of pollinators through this program.”
A Culturally Responsive, Project-Based Interdisciplinary Summer Camp
By Alma D. Stevenson and Shelli L. Casler-Failing
During recent decades, educational reform in the U.S. has favored standards-driven curricula with the purpose of improving education. However, national assessments have not demonstrated significant improvements in educational outcomes, especially among economically disadvantaged and minoritized populations (Hussar & Bailey, 2017).
Youths’ Perceptions of Meaningfulness and Future Orientation in Summer Youth Employment Contexts
By Denise Jones, Zaida Pearson, Deanna C. E. Sinex, Jeremiah Nash, Aiwen Chen, & Dennis F. Jones
Summer is a unique time for students to extend the gains made during the school year by engaging in opportunities that support their growth and development. For younger teens, these opportunities may focus on developing relationships and competence; older youth may want to gain experience in the labor market (Afterschool Alliance, 2010).
A Review of Programs for Low-Income Adolescents
By Rebecca S. Levine
As communities grapple with the harmful, inequitable effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which have been particularly hard on low-income and marginalized youth, renewed attention has been directed toward how out-of-school time (OST) programs can help youth reconnect and re-engage (Afterschool Alliance, 2021; Stanford, 2022).
Promoting Literacy Through Youth Engagement and Culturally Relevant Design
By Rachael Todaro, Brenna Hassinger-Das, Jennifer M. Zosh, Sarah R. Lytle, Roberta M. Golinkoff, & Kathy Hirsh-Pasek
High-quality language interactions not only support children’s language development but also promote better long-term academic outcomes (Hirsh-Pasek, Adamson et al., 2015; Huttenlocher et al., 2010; Pace et al., 2019; Storch & Whitehurst, 2002). Interactions in the form of frequent back-and-forth conversations between caregiver and child predict language growth in children (Adamson et al., 2014; Hirsh-Pasek, Adamson et al., 2015), regardless of whether families are from highly resourced or underresourced environments (Masek et al., 2020).
By Sarah Underwood, Heather Diaz, Stephanie Manieri, and Magalli Larqué
“Before I started this program, if anybody ever said they had a mental illness, I’d probably immediately have thought that they were crazy. And I probably would have had this perspective that I myself could never have a mental illness because, as a Latina, I have to be strong and resilient. I can’t show signs of weakness because that’s not who we are.”
Equity Evaluations, Recommendations, and Critiques
By Veronica Benavides, Shakirra Meghjee, Tasha Johnson, Aasha Joshi, Christine Ortiz, and Victor Rivera
Social and emotional learning (SEL) has proven to be an effective conduit to improved attendance scores, grades, and graduation rates; to adaptive behaviors and gainful employment in adulthood; and to a wide variety of other measurable factors spanning the spectrum of human adaptiveness and wellness (Aspen Institute, 2018).
By Elizabeth Starr, Edward Franklin, Amy Franks, Georgia Hall, Patricia McGuiness-Carmichael, Priscilla Parchia, Vesna A. Karmelic-Pavlov, and Kate Walker
The place of out-of-school time programming in supporting young people’s learning and growth is well established. Yet little is known about the staff and volunteers who support young people in school- and community-based afterschool programs, summer camps, national and local youth-serving organizations, and more.