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Issue 23

School-age Children's Out-of-School Time: Expanding Opportunities

Contents

  • School-age Children's Out-of-School Time: Expanding Opportunities
  • Issues and Trends in Out-of-School Time Programs
  • Funding Snacks and Transportation During Out-of-School Time
  • Visit Afterschool.gov on the Web
  • Enhancing Opportunities in Schools
  • Public-Private Partnerships Help Address School-Age Challenges
  • State Initiatives
  • School-Age Resources

    • up arrowSchool-age Children's Out-of-School Time: Expanding Opportunities

    Since the Child Care Bureau was established in 1995, it has focused on several priorities, including care for infants and toddlers, inclusion of children with disabilities, Head Start-Child Care collaboration, welfare reform, and care for children during out-of-school time.

    The Bureau's ongoing commitment to ensuring that families have access to affordable, high-quality care for their children when they are not in school parallels a rising demand for such care.

    At the same time, researchers have documented the short- and long-term benefits to children of participating in out-of-school time activities. These benefits range from greater academic success and improved behavior and social skills, such as more positive peer relations and conflict management skills, to a decreased likelihood of using drugs and alcohol and other problem behaviors. Children also benefit from having access to safe environments and a variety of learning opportunities.

    Federal funding for out-of-school time programs is provided primarily through the Child Care Bureau's Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) and the U.S. Department of Education's 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program. The CCDF includes a 4 percent set-aside for quality child care, which encompasses school-age care activities, as well as a set-aside for states to use to improve and expand school-age care. In addition, approximately 35 percent of the average monthly number of children receiving a CCDF subsidy in 1999 were school-age.

    This issue of the Child Care Bulletin provides information on out-of-school time trends, research, funding opportunities and resources, as well as state initiatives and public-private partnerships that are striving to expand school-age opportunities to all children when they are not in school.

    up arrowIssues and Trends in Out-of-School Time Programs
    Beth M. Miller, Ph.D., Research Director, National Institute on Out-of-School Time

    After-school programs today are responding to a wide variety of needs with diverse strategies and program models. The three major goals driving the increase in both public interest and supply in the field are prevention of antisocial behavior, including juvenile crime, drug use, and teen pregnancy, and promotion of youth development; provision of child care that facilitates parents' employment, including the employment of welfare recipients; and increasing the academic performance of children and youth.

    Youth Development

    Prevention programs, many of which have evolved into youth development programs, have a long history in urban America. The social reformers of the late 1800s, followed by the Settlement House movement at the turn of the century, identified after-school clubs for youth as an important strategy for promoting youth health, safety, and education. Over time, the emphasis has shifted from prevention of certain antisocial behaviors to an assets-oriented goal of supporting young people's successful transition to adulthood.

    The number of programs, as well as public support for youth programming, has waxed and waned, from a high prior to the Depression to major cutbacks during the 1980s. More recently, widespread publicity focused on the relatively high rates of juvenile crime during the afternoon hours, as well as awareness of upcoming increases in the number of young adolescents, has resulted in renewed interest in structured activities as a crime prevention strategy. Funding for this diverse field flows from different sources to specific types of programs: United Way supports the Boys and Girls Clubs and other groups; municipalities fund recreation departments; federal and state crime prevention dollars fund specific local initiatives by public and nonprofit community-based organizations. Getting a handle on the number of youth served or the types of programs available is extremely difficult, and most programs exist outside the parameters of state licensing requirements.

    Child Care

    After-school programs developed specifically as child care arrangements began in large numbers in the late 1970s. During this period, increasing numbers of middle-class mothers joined the workforce only to discover their child care problems did not end when their child reached age 5 and entered school, but rather became more complex and difficult to manage. In response, parents, principals, community organizations, and youth-serving organizations developed programs that would offer care for elementary school children during the many hours that create a gap between the school day and the typical work day, including the morning, late afternoon, school vacations and holidays, and summer.

    Like high-quality early care and education centers, school-age programs typically utilize a flexible structure that emphasizes child-directed learning and choices of activities, with a balance of programming to support children's physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development. With the institution of welfare reform, child care for school-age children has become a policy focus for low-income children. It is estimated that 35 percent of children served through Child Care and Development Fund subsidies are receiving school-age care.

    Widespread recognition of the need for after-school child care in low-income communities is coinciding with a need to improve the academic performance of the same children, resulting in a merging of general developmental and educational goals for programming.

    Academic Enhancement

    After-school programs with explicit educational goals are a relatively new program prototype. While individual schools and school districts have had tutoring and academic support programs in the after-school hours, only recently has extended learning time been widely promoted as a strategy for school reform and improved student achievement. Public funding for educationally oriented after-school programs has increased dramatically over the past few years, under the assumption that increasing the opportunities and support available to children during the hours they are not in school can influence school performance and close the gap between children in low-income and affluent communities. Whatever the auspices, such programs typically rely on school staff, including teachers and assistant teachers, as well as volunteer tutors, to carry out program goals. Activities vary widely, from traditional direct instruction to hands-on science experiments, but are guided by assumptions about best practices for enhancing academic achievement.

    Summary

    The convergence of interests in the potential for out-of-school time has resulted in a rapidly changing field, with many diverse sectors that will likely overlap and grow more similar in the coming years. No sector has yet solved the dilemmas of staffing, program quality, and adequate financing that plague the field, nor is there yet a consensus regarding program goals and outcomes. However, there is the potential for rich cross-fertilization from the three frameworks, creating in the long run a holistic approach to meeting the diverse needs of children, youth, and families during the many hours known as "out-of-school" time.

    up arrowResources from NIOST

    The National Institute on Out-of-School Time's Literacy: Exploring Strategies to Enhance Learning in Out-of-School Time (1999) reviews research on how children develop literacy skills and explores the reasons children struggle with reading. NIOST provides statistics and research findings on school-age care in its Fact Sheet on Out-of-School Time (January 2000).

    For more information, contact NIOST at 781/283-2547 or http://www.niost.org on the Web.


    up arrowFunding Snacks and Transportation During Out-of-School Time

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National School Lunch Program (NSLP) offers cash reimbursement for healthy snacks served to children after school. To participate, programs must be public or private nonprofit organizations or eligible for-profit organizations operating after school care programs at area eligible sites. Programs must provide educational or enrichment activities in an organized, structured, and supervised environment after school, on weekends, or on holidays during the school year.

    Reimbursement for after school snacks is also available through the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). To participate, the school district must operate the lunch component of NSLP and the program must provide educational or enrichment activities in an organized, structured, and supervised environment after the school day has ended.

    For state contacts, visit the Department of Agriculture Web site at http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/

    Transportation is critical to getting young peoplesafely to and from before- and after-school programs. Funding is available through the U.S. Department of Transportation to create or expand bus service to after-school programs if the service is open to anyone. In addition, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding is available to help states fund transportation needs for families moving off welfare and into jobs.

    Visit the following Web sites for details:

    Community Transportation Resource Guide 2000: Federal Funding Resources
    http://www.ctaa.org/ct/resource/funding_ 2000.shtml [Editor's note (8-12-02): this url has changed: http://www.ctaa.org/ct/resource/funding.asp]

    U.S. Department of Transportation funding:
    http://www.fta.dot.gov/wtw [NCCIC Editor's note (03-20-04): This URL is no longer available.  For more information, see http://www.fta.dot.gov/9393_ENG_HTML.htm]

    TANF program transportation funding guidelines:
    http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/funds2.htm#appropriate

    up arrowVisit Afterschool.gov on the Web

    Afterschool.gov is a new federal government-wide resource that provides information about more than 100 federal grants and programs, best practices, links to publications and Web sites for children and teenagers. The Web site, which is funded through and maintained by the General Services Administration (GSA), grew out of a project named the Federal Support to Communities After-School initiative, which was established in January 1998 to better coordinate federal efforts in the delivery of afterschool services to communities.

    The content and design of the Web site are based on input from extensive focus groups with parents, children, providers and national organizations. The site features a database of more than 100 federally funded grant and loan programs, community success stories, and government guides, reports and links.

    Afterschool.gov was designed to help address what the initiative's executive committee identified as one of the key barriers faced by communities in developing and providing afterschool care-lack of information about a broad range of federal resources that can offer support to providers, parents and children.

    The Federal Support to Communities Initiative is governed by an Executive Committee comprised of representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Corporation for National Service, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Education, Environmental Protection Agency, General Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Institute of Museum and Library Services, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of National Drug Control Policy, National Park Service, Small Business Administration, and U.S. Department of Transportation.

    up arrowEnhancing Opportunities in Schools

    The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program provides expanded learning opportunities for children in safe, drug-free, and supervised environments. Funding enables schools to stay open longer to:

    • Provide safe places for homework centers, intensive mentoring in basic skills, and drug and violence prevention counseling;
    • Help middle-school students prepare to take college prep courses in high school and enrichment in the core academic subjects;
    • Offer opportunities to participate in recreational activities, chorus, band and the arts, technology education programs and services for children and youth with disabilities.

    For more information, visit http://www.ed.gov/21stcclc/ on the Web.

    up arrowPublic-Private Partnerships Help Address School-Age Challenges
    Sharon Deich, Project Manager,  Child Care Partnership Project

    In the past decade, the demand for school-age child care has skyrocketed. Not only have there been dramatic increases in the number of school-age children who spend time alone during non-school hours, but recent research has documented the negative effects of leaving children unsupervised. These elements have created a new urgency for improved access to supports and services for out-of-school-time programs. Responsibility and oversight for after-school programs often cuts across many public service agencies including state and local departments of education, health and social services, youth development, juvenile justice, and parks and recreation. Likewise, a variety of private sponsors such as youth organizations, churches, and traditional child care providers are struggling to meet the growing demand. In many states and communities, the solution to these challenges begins with public-private partnerships. By pooling resources and expertise, states and communities are finding innovative approaches to enhancing and expanding after-school opportunities. The following examples illustrate how various partnerships are working to expand the supply and quality of after-school programs.

    Parents United for Child Care. Parents United for Child Care (PUCC) is a member organization in Boston that aims to empower parents to effectively advocate for improvements in child care policy. Through PUCC, low- and moderate-income parents have joined together and collaborated with a range of public and private sector entities to improve child care. PUCC's Boston School Age Child Care Project awards grants and offers technical assistance to help parents, providers, and schools start out-of-school time programs. PUCC also fosters networks of out-of-school time programs, builds public awareness, and offers professional development for providers. PUCC has collaborated closely with the City of Boston, Boston Public Schools, the Dewitt-Wallace Reader's Digest Fund, and others.

    Employers' Child Care Alliance. This group of business leaders in Lee County, Alabama, is working closely with government and other public agency officials to develop solutions to the after-school program shortage. The alliance established the Bridges program, an after-school and summer program created with a special emphasis on addressing the needs of 10-14 year-olds. Employees of businesses involved in the alliance have priority in accessing Bridges programs for their children. The group also hires work-study students and Americorps members to help family child care providers during transition times.

    The After-School Corporation. Created in New York City by the Open Society Institute, The After-School Corporation (TASC) is working to enhance the quality and availability of after-school programming. In collaboration with the city's Board of Education and other New York state and school systems, TASC provides funding and technical assistance to after-school programs located in public schools and open to all children enrolled in the schools. The impetus for this project was the commitment by the institute of up to $25 million annually to support after-school programming for up to five years, contingent upon a 3:1 match from other public and private sources.

    Since its inception in 1998, TASC has secured more than $30 million in New York City and State funding and more than $10.5 million from private foundations, corporations, and individuals. One hundred after-school programs have been funded in New York City and nine programs have been funded in other areas of the state.

    While each of these initiatives relies on a unique approach to expanding high-quality after school options, none would have been successful without the support of both public and private sector partners. For more information on partnerships that enhance the quality and supply of after-school programs, visit the Child Care Partnership Project on the Web at http://nccic.org/ccpartnerships.

    up arrowState Initiatives

    CALIFORNIA

    CCDF funds will be used to provide resource grants to new and on-going providers of before-and after-school programs and to support school-age quality enhancement activities. These grants will cover the cost of special, age-appropriate equipment; ancillary educational materials; and minor renovation and repair to meet health and safety requirements.

    The California School-Age Consortium will conduct a series of training-of-trainers institutes. Statewide training will be provided using the California Department of Education's (CDE) Kids' Time Training Manual, Program Guide, and video as the basis of the curriculum. The training activities will include such topics as developmentally appropriate practices for school-age programs, behavior management techniques, creating positive interpersonal environment, assessing children's interests, building partnerships with parents, strengthening links with the child's school, and encouraging community participation.

    To support the retention of trainers who have completed state-funded Kid's Time training of trainers institutes, and to provide community-based training to staff working in before-and after-school programs, CDE will provide stipends for endorsed trainers to conduct local training sessions and to provide on-site consultation for the enhancement of quality in school-age and after-school programs.

    School-age curriculum and program materials will be prepared and disseminated in print and electronic format to foster the training and development of staff and promote high-quality school-age and after-school programs. Materials will include literacy and science activity guides; a handbook for college volunteers; and a manual for program administrators working with volunteers. CDE also funded the University of California, Irvine's School-Age Care Collaborative Project, which developed curriculum and program materials. In further collaboration with this project, CDE published a report, School-Age Care and After-School Programs in California: A Study of the Options for Training, Certification, and Professional Development. Based on an extensive survey of the field, this report proposes a new certification structure for staff working in school-age care. The proposed Child Development Permit with a School-Age Emphasis is the first type of certification in the nation for school-age care personnel. Aligned with this new permit are more college coursework and alternative training options designed specifically for the burgeoning field of school-age care.

    For more information, contact Michael Silver, Administrator, Child Development Division, California Department of Education, 916-324-8296.

    GEORGIA

    The Georgia Child Care Council plans to use quality set-aside funds to provide technical assistance and training for school age programs. Both currently operating programs and new programs are eligible for funding. Mini-grants are available to programs seeking to improve the quality of their environment and staff.

    Programs seeking accreditation from the National School-Age Care Alliance will also receive mini-grants. In addition, scholarships for low-income working parents with school-age children will be available through contracts with local programs. Local programs that want to apply for a contract for scholarships must begin or complete the accreditation process. If this process is not completed, the program must develop a plan to accomplish some other quality initiative during the term of the contract.

    Georgia has also made a significant state investment in school-age care for 4th- to 8th-grade children. Activities funded through CCDF will be coordinated with this state funding, which is managed through Georgia's Department of Education.

    The Child Care Lead Agency in the Georgia Department of Human Resources plans to use discretionary funds to increase the number of before- and after-school programs. The Boys and Girls Club has an agreement with the Division of Family and Children Services to develop a new after school and summer program in Roberta, Georgia. The Club will also expand two existing programs to serve 300 children. All programs will receive technical assistance to enhance educational programs, establish cultural enrichment programs, set up sports outreach and fitness programs, and develop community involvement programs. These activities will increase available child care options for school-age children in areas with few resources.

    The Georgia School Age Care Association, Inc. (GSACA) has an agreement with the Lead Agency to start and expand school-age programs in Georgia. This project seeks to increase the capacity, supply, and quality of before- and after-school programs that serve low-income children. Eight new before- and after-school programs in targeted communities will receive start-up money and technical assistance to provide this care.

    GSACA will select three year-round after-school programs that will commit to program improvement leading to accreditation by the National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA).

    For more information, contact Delores Woodward, Child Care and Parent Services Unit Chief, Department of Human Resources, 404/657-3438.

    NEW YORK

    Research into the elements of quality care highlights the relationship between staff education and quality of care. New York State recognized this link and has developed the New York State Child Development Credential. This effort was developed by a team consisting of the Office of Children and Family Services, Cornell University, and the New York School Age Care Alliance.

    The New York State Credential Team modeled their work on that used in the U.S. military for child care programs. The first group of credentials are about to be awarded. The New York State Credential Team believes this initiative will improve the quality of school-age child care and improve the retention of school-age child care personnel.

    The Office of Children and Family Services is currently implementing a new initiative called the Advantage Schools Program. This program will offer safe and accessible places for school-age children to learn and play from 3-7 p.m. on school days. Research has shown that these are the hours when preadolescent and adolescent problem behaviors occur.

    An initial nine programs have been selected for funding. Grants are under review for the next stage of the statewide rollout. The selected programs will be operated in school buildings by community organizations in partnerships with local schools and other partners.

    For more information, contact Suzanne Zafonte Sennett, Director, Bureau Of Early Childhood Services, Department of Family Assistance, 518-474-9324.

    NORTH CAROLINA

    The Division of Child Development contracts with the Cooperative Extension Service-Department of 4-H Youth Development to carry out or subcontract for most activities to increase the availability and quality of school-age child care. Through its network of county offices, the Cooperative Extension Service is able to address local school-age child care needs.

    CCDF-funded school-age activities include: Grants to counties target underserved groups of children and areas of the state with a limited supply of licensed school-age programs. Target groups of school-age children include those with special needs, Spanish-speaking children, and children from low-income families. In contract year 1998-99, grants were made to 28 counties to increase the availability of quality care for school-age students and 1,773 new slots were created for school-age children during out-of-school time.

    In addition to making it possible for more children to receive quality before- and after-school care, grants are available to underwrite summer camp experiences for targeted groups of children and improve the quality of school-age care.

    CCDF funds are used to: train school-age child care providers, develop curricula, and purchase training materials so providers can offer safe and enriching care during non-school hours.

    To support quality school-age activities in family child care homes, CCDF funding is used to offer scholarships for family home providers to attend state conferences and local training sessions; pay for substitutes so family home providers can attend training; and provide them with resources to use with school-age children.

    CCDF funding is used to: provide technical assistance and training to programs seeking national accreditation. It may also be used to purchase resource materials for school-age child care providers to use in improving program quality.

    CCDF funds are used to: produce and distribute materials that make parents aware of the importance of high-quality school-age care and how to locate quality programs. Recognizing the growth in North Carolina's Latino population, some of these written materials have been translated into Spanish. CCDF funds are also used to provide information to Latino families about school-age care through public forums, training sessions, and exhibits at community festivals.

    During the 1999-2001 biennium, North Carolina will explore the possible use of CCDF funding to support the implementation of a five-star rated license for school-age child care programs, provide training about school-age care to community college staff, who play a large role in educating the child care workforce, and enhance collaboration with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (the state's public education agency) to improve the availability and quality of school-age child care programs offered through public schools.

    For more information, contact Peggy Ball, Division of Child Development, Department of Health and Human Services, 19-662-4543.

    OHIO

    Through a collaboration among the Ohio Department of Education, the Ohio Department of Human Services, and the Ohio Hunger Task Force, the $10 million Urban School Initiative School Age Care Project provides subsidized child care to school-age children from low-income working families. Collaborative support for school-age programs is provided in 17 urban school districts with 125 centers, serving about 3,000 children.

    The initiative supports program development by working with school-age specialists from child care resource and referral agencies, licensing agency specialists, Child Care Food Program specialists, and other community partners. In one example, 10 new school-age program sites were opened in Columbus, Ohio. The school districts chosen for these programs were those with the highest levels of absenteeism, lowest student test scores, and a lack of available school-age child care services.

    A statewide evaluation of the initiative conducted by the University of Cincinnati's Evaluation Services Center found that children who attended the school-age child care program missed fewer days of school the year they attended the program than during the previous year, and performed better on all fourth- and sixth-grade proficiency tests except sixth-grade science. Principals and teachers reported benefits including completed homework assignments, better school behavior, and better school attendance.

    For more information, contact Dianne Radigan, Associate Director, Ohio Hunger Task Force, 614-341-7700.

    SOUTH DAKOTA

    South Dakota's Child Care Lead Agency, Child Care Services (CCS), is working to develop programs designed to serve elementary and middle school students during out-of-school time (OST). Funding is available for first-year start-up programs with preference given to requests demonstrating community-wide collaboration, quality of program, school district commitment, ability to sustain the program after funding ends, and other factors. Programs funded in the first year of the project are eligible for continuation grants at a reduced rate for up to three years for the same project.

    Grants to Expand OST Care: In 1998, South Dakota initiated an aggressive grant opportunity (Governor's Initiative on Out-of-School Time Care) to create growth and expansion in OST programs, opening to middle schools for the first time. Governor Janklow's challenge to school districts to become program hosts, rent-free, resulted in 12 new OST programs across the state in the 1999-2000 grant cycle. Thirty-two programs were funded, serving up to 2,220 elementary and middle school children. Grants for the 2000-2001 summer and school year were recently approved.

    Technical Assistance and Support: CCS offers on-site technical assistance to help school districts or community members plan quality after-school programs. Usually, CCS licensing staff and the state Program Coordinator are available to attend community program planning meetings to provide guidance and support early in the planning process. New OST Support Specialist staff have been added at each of the five regional resource and referral offices in South Dakota (funded by CCS) to provide training, technical assistance and other program support to OST programs. Programs are tracked through site observation visits by CCS staff, parent surveys, and quarterly project reports.

    Resource Development: Funding is also used to purchase resource materials for school-age program development and support for conferences and training. All regional resource and referral offices are provided OST resources to build upon their resource lending libraries.

    Training: CCS provided a "Kick-Off" training to all funded programs in August 1999. The five OST support staff have provided several regional training opportunities for funded and non-funded OST programs since October 1999. CCS also hosts grant workshops via the Rural Development Telecommunications Network to numerous locations statewide each November to provide guidance on preparing for the annual OST grant. CCS provides a grant "bidder's" workshop for potential applicants for the 21st CCLC grant and provides technical assistance and support to schools planning programs under that grant, working closely with the state's U.S. Department of Education liaison. Using OST grant funds, South Dakota encourages awarded OST programs to send directors and/or staff to the National School-Age Care Alliance's (NSACA) annual conference.

    Professional Development: In October 1999, CCS sent the five new OST Support Specialists and state OST Program Specialist to Cleveland, Ohio, to a NIOST-sponsored school-age care training to strengthen their expertise. All OST Support Specialists and the state OST Program Specialist will attend the annual NSACA conference or the National Older Kids Conference in 2000 and 2001. CCS also plans to host the "Kids' Time" Training of Trainers (from California) in the summer of 2000 and provide this training to all licensing workers, OST support staff, other resource and referral staff, some OST Program Directors/Trainers, and Extension Family Educators.

    CCS has provided leadership and support in the formation of a state network of school-age providers called the South Dakota School-Age Care Alliance (SoDakSACA) to promote the importance of professional development and quality in the field of school-age care. CCS has provided funds for SoDakSACA-sponsored training events, bringing nationally recognized trainers in the field of school-age care and youth development to the state to build membership. Recently, SoDakSACA received approval on state affiliation with NSACA. State leaders in school-age care are emerging and more school-age care professionals are networking with each other.

    For more information, contact Rosemary Hayward, Child Care Services, 605-773-6432 or 800-227-3020.

    UTAH

    Utah has identified several areas of concern and is working to address these issues: training/technical assistance, developing quality staff, funding, collaboration, public awareness, affordability, school age database, program quality, evaluation, and accessibility.

    The state plans to:

    • Offer grants to develop, enhance, and support out-of-school time programs.
    • Fund regional school age coordinators to provide localized services, including program monitoring, technical assistance to programs, public awareness, and development of local community collaborative efforts.
    • Fund school-age specific training and offer an annual school age training conference for school age providers.
    • Provide funding to maintain a school age program database.
    • Collaborate with the Utah School Age Care Alliance, resource and referral agencies, regional school age specialists and other agencies to develop public awareness and education projects, increase communication with the school age provider community, and conduct community review and evaluations of out-of-school time programs. The Office of Child Care will oversee and monitor school age programs and activities.

    For more information, contact Ann Stockham, Child Care Program Specialist, Utah Department of Workforce Services, Service Delivery Support, 801-526-9769.

    up arrowSchool-Age Resources

    FUNDING

    Two strategy briefs on the topic of financing and sustaining out-of-school time and community school initiatives are available from the Finance Project's Out-of-School Time Technical Assistance Project on the Web at http://www.financeproject.org/osthome.htm.

    • Creating Dedicated Local Revenue Sources for Out-of-School Time Initiatives, by Barbara Langford, is the focus of the September 1999 brief.
    • Using TANF to Finance Out-of-School Time and Community School Initiatives, by Margaret Flynn, is the focus of the October 1999 brief.

    The Finance Project has also developed two comprehensive guides to help readers understand and pursue funding options for school-age care:

    • Finding Funding: A Guide to Federal Sources for Out-of-School Time and Community School Initiatives, by Nancy D. Reder, identifies and summarizes over 120 federal programs with the potential to support out-of-school time and community school initiatives.
    • Financing After-School Programs, by Robert Halpern, Sharon Deich, and Carol Cohen, describes what after-school programs do and the variety of forms they take, analyzes information on the range of costs and cost elements programs experience, presents a framework for thinking about the costs involved in developing and operating after-school programs and systems, and provides a guide to revenue sources.

    Contact the Finance Project at 202-628-4200 or on the Web at http://www.financeproject.org for additional information.

    Tapping TANF For Youth: When and How Welfare Funds Can Support Youth Development, Education, and Employment Initiative by Marie Cohen and Mark Greenberg of the Center for Law and Social Policy (January 2000) is designed as a resource for agency administrators and advocates seeking guidance on how to use TANF funds for youth initiatives. It is available on the Web at http://www.clasp.org.

    School-Age Care: Federal Funding Opportunities, from the Children's Defense Fund, provides a comprehensive list of federal funding sources for school-age care activities and programs as well as application tips. For a copy of the publication, contact CDF at 202/628-8787.

    RESEARCH AND GENERAL INFORMATION

    Child Care Patterns for School-Age Children with Employed Mothers, by Jeffrey Capizzano and Gina Adams of the Urban Institute and Kathryn Tout of Child Trends, examines different types of child care arrangements, including unsupervised "self-care," that families with working mothers use for their school-age children. The report also looks at a variety of family characteristics, including income, race and ethnicity, parental work schedules, and parental availability.

    For additional information, contact the Urban Institute at 202-833-7200 or on the Web at http://www.urban.org.

    School-Age Review, the Journal of the National School-Age Care Alliance, includes articles focusing on accreditation, literacy, inclusion, and evaluation. The journal is published twice a year. For additional resources and more information about NSACA, visit http://www.nsaca.org or call 617/298-5012.

    The Promise of After-School Programs for Low-Income Children, published in the Early Childhood Research Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 2, draws on findings from the evaluation of a three-city after-school initiative, as well as general literature, to examine the field of after-school programs, focusing on programs serving low-income children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly is available on the Web at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/08852006 [NCCIC Editor's note (03-22-04): This URL has changed:
    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=JournalURL&_cdi=6538&_auth=y&_acct=C000029040&
    _version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=571676&md5=842ad614c6122507aac29b7182c7321f    .]

    Quality Matters: The Path to Early Learning and Development, from the YMCA, the nation's largest provider of after-school programs, includes a "Quick Quality checklist." For a copy of the publication, visit http://www.ymca.net/programs/childcare/quality/quality.htm on the Web or call YMCA's Public Policy office at 202/835-9043 or 800/932-9622.

    Working for Children and Families: Safe and Smart After School Programs, from the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice, highlights evidence of the impact that safe, enriching, and high-quality after-school opportunities can have on children and youth. The publication is available on the Web at http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/SafeSmart/. [NCCIC Editor's note (02-25-04): This URL has been changed: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/archives/pubs/parents/SafeSmart/index.html]

    The National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) has updated its Fact Sheet on School-Age Children's Out-of-School Time for 2000. It is available on the Web at http://www.niost.org/factsht.html#update [NCCIC Editor's note (03-20-04): This url is no longer active. An updated Fact Sheet on Children and Youth in Out-of-School Time for 2004 can be found at: http://www.niost.org/publications/Factsheet_2004.pdf]

    LISTSERVS AND ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS

    The Mott Afterschool listserv, sponsored by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, encourages the online sharing of ideas, approaches and strategies for improving and sustaining quality after-school programs. Sign up at http://www.mott.org/forms/joinlist.html.

    The SAC-L listserv is sponsored by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time and the ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education (ERIC/EECE). It is a discussion group for those interested in school-age care planning, resources, funding, and related topics. Sign up at http://ericeece.org/listserv/sac-l.html [NCCIC Editor's note (02-03-04): This URL has changed: http://ecap.crc.uiuc.edu/listserv/sac-l.html].

    The EDInfo mailing list provides information on grants, publications, and other news from the U.S. Department of Education. To subscribe, address an e-mail message to listproc@inet.ed.gov. Then write SUBSCRIBE EDINFO [first name] [last name] in the message.