Low-Income Children's After-School Care: Are There Beneficial Effects of After-School Programs?

1994 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill K. Posner ◽  
Deborah Lowe Vandell
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
After School Programs ◽  
After School ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
School Programs ◽  
School Care ◽  
After School Care

Expanding after School Program Access for Vulnerable Students: Examining the Efficacy of Federal Policy and Funding

2021 ◽  
pp. 001312452110045
Author(s):  
Susan K. Klumpner ◽  
Michael E. Woolley
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression ◽  
After School Programs ◽  
Lower Percentage ◽  
After School ◽  
School Program ◽  
Logistic Regression Models ◽  
School Programs ◽  
After School Program ◽  
Low Income Families

After school programs provide low income students and students of color with learning opportunities across both academic and non-academic domains that such students would otherwise not get. In this study, we examined the intersection of school characteristics (e.g., enrollment size, percent minority enrolled, and percent eligible for FARM) and the types of after school programming schools offered (e.g., fee-based, 21st CCLC, and other types) using binary logistic regression models. I n a sample of schools ( n = 1,601) surveyed by the National Center on Education Statistics 2008 FRSS, we found that under-resourced schools had lower odds of having a 21st CCLC program and higher odds of having a fee-based after school program (than schools with a lower percentage of students receiving FARM). That is counter to the stated goals of the 21st CCLC program. These findings highlight the need for a re-prioritization of 21st CCLC funding such that financial assistance provided to schools to support after school programs is allocated to schools serving students from low income families and communities.

scholarly journals Healthy Food Access and Low-Income Teens: A Photovoice Approach

2020 ◽  
pp. 019394592096380
Author(s):  
Vicki Simpson ◽  
Lindsey Pedigo ◽  
Muna Hamdan Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
Youth Development ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Food Access ◽  
After School Programs ◽  
After School ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
Healthy Foods ◽  
School Programs ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
Healthy Food Access

Lack of access to healthy foods disproportionately impacts adolescents. This mixed-methods study used photovoice to explore everyday lived experiences of food access among teens from low-income families, empowering them to share their stories. Sixty-three diverse teens (12–17 years) from across one Midwest state took images and created narratives to support community presentations. Independent content analysis identified themes. Researchers used t tests to compare pre-post differences ( p < 0.05) for two scales related to empowerment and positive youth development. Themes suggest teens take on adult responsibilities relative to food access, generally selecting unhealthy foods. Families and after-school programs were critical to food-related experiences, with cultural differences noted. A statistically significant increase, t(58) = -2.225, p = .032, was noted for “most community leaders in my city would listen to me.” Findings support the need to address factors contributing to difficulties accessing healthy foods in home and community settings.

scholarly journals Fitness, PA, Perceived Competence, Parental Support, and Literacy Outcomes in the REACH After-School Sports Program

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-234
Author(s):  
Risto Marttinen ◽  
Kathleen Wilson ◽  
Kelly Johnston ◽  
Ray Fredrick III ◽  
Silvia Battistella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Parental Support ◽  
Perceived Competence ◽  
After School Programs ◽  
After School ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
School Sports ◽  
School Programs ◽  
School Differences

The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the REACH program in increasing physical activity (PA) levels, cardiorespiratory fitness, perceived competence, self-efficacy, parental support, and literacy across a year-long after-school PA intervention. Participants (N = 78) were students who volunteered from after-school program at either one of the two intervention schools or the control schools. Data are presented from two time points: Baseline (Aug/Sep 2017), and Post (end of the school year in May 2018). Data consisted of PA levels measured by PAC-Q, PACER test, Harter’s Perceived Competence questionnaire, parental support, and literacy tests. School differences in post-intervention scores were found in three (parental support, literacy, PACER) of seven intervention-related measures. Most notably parental support was higher in intervention schools over the control and PACER scores were higher in one intervention school than the control. The results demonstrate that data collection methods may need to be reconsidered in diverse low-income schools. The dramatic amount of missing data and lack of student effort points to students perhaps being overwhelmed with standardized tests and performing tasks for researchers. This leads to a dilemma in data collection in after-school programs in low-income schools: researchers need data to understand what is happening but how are students being served by the data collection process? Researchers should consider new approaches to collect data in low-income urban after-school programs to limit loss of data and to make the data collection meaningful to student participants.

scholarly journals Community-Based After-School Inclusive Programs for Low-Income Minority Youth and Their Families: the Disability Specialist Approach

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-30
Author(s):  
Donald G. Unger ◽  
Tara Woolfolk ◽  
Vanessa Harper ◽  
Teresita Cuevas
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
After School Programs ◽  
After School ◽  
Community Centers ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Center Staff ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
School Programs ◽  
Local Parent ◽  
Educational Advocacy

Intervention for helping community based after-school programs become more responsive to youth with disabilities and their families is presented in this manuscript. The Disability Specialist intervention utilized a variety of approaches, including: a) increasing awareness of disabilities and services by providing learning opportunity sessions for families and staff, and outreach activities to youth through interactive theater; b) developing in house “disability specialists” to offer ongoing leadership and technical expertise for after-school programs and their community centers; c) developing a network of technical consultants in order to connect families and after-school programs to specialized community resources; d) providing financial assistance to enable community center staff to allocate time to outreach activities; and e) providing families with support in educational advocacy efforts by partnering with a local parent mentoring program. The success of the project depended upon building partnerships with families, community centers, human service agencies, schools, and local funding sources.

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Assessment in After-School Care

2021 ◽  
pp. 202-230
Author(s):  
Dana Minney
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
After School Programs ◽  
Emotional Learning ◽  
Cost Evaluation ◽  
After School ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
After School Program ◽  
School Care ◽  
After School Care

An abundance of research links children's social-emotional competence with positive school and life outcomes, but many barriers to widespread, high quality social-emotional learning (SEL) exist. Studies also found SEL delivered consistently and in coordination with other programs, both in and out of school, is more effective, but lack of unified standards, a supportive framework, and systematic approach prevent consistency and coordination of delivery. Process monitoring and impact evaluation help overcome barriers and improve implementation. After-school programs provide opportunities for quality SEL delivery and evaluation. This chapter reports results of an evaluation comparing pre- and post-program survey data from elementary school children (n = 98) in an after-school program that has incorporated an SEL curriculum. Results showed significant increases in the SEL competencies of self-management, social awareness, and social skills. The author also explored advantages of providing both SEL instruction and low-cost evaluation in after-school care settings in addition to schools.

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