ResourcesInformation, Research & Tools on Afterschool & Summer Learning
SNAPSHOTS on MINNESOTA YOUTH, NONFORMAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES(Volume 2, Issue 2)
Volume 2, Issue 2 of the Snapshots on Minnesota Youth series addresses the issue of out-of-school time activities and nonformal learning opportunities. Youth have approximately 2000 hours of discretionary time each year or the equivalent to a full time job.1 This is time that is not filled by family, school or other obligations. How this time is filled is based on program availability, access to opportunities and the choices youth make about participating. 2 This issue of Snapshots is dedicated to exploring the quality opportunities that are available for youth during their discretionary hours and the characteristics of the youth who participate in them.
Each afternoon across the U.S., 15 million children--more than a quarter of our children--are alone and unsupervised after school. The parents of 18 million would enroll their children in an afterschool program, if one were available. These are some of the key findings from the nation’s most in-depth study of how America’s children spend their afternoons. America After 3PM was sponsored by the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. The 2009 report, conducted for the Afterschool Alliance, surveyed nearly 30,000 households across the United States.
The survey finds that 8.4 million children participate in an afterschool program, an increase of nearly 3 million children over the past five years. While this is encouraging, there is still work to be done. The number of children left alone after the school day ends has risen to 15.1 million children - an increase of 800,000 children - since the 2004 edition of America After 3PM.
Minnesota was identified as one of six states across the country that is moving in the right direction of providing high-quality non-formal learning opportunities afterschool and beyond the classroom. While we are excited about the progress we've made in the past five years, the survey also reminds us how much more needs to be done to help all Minnesota's children and youth access afterschool and community learning experiences. Click on the links below to see the national and state data.
America After 3PM National Report
Minnesota Data from America After 3PM
States on the Move Report
EXPLORING THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR COMMUNITY LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN MINNESOTA - A Survey of Minnesota Parents and Youth
This study was designed to explore Minnesota parent and youth perceptions about afterschool opportunities for young people across the state.
The Wallace Foundation - The Cost of Quality Out-of-School Time Programs
Out-of-school time (OST) programs are increasingly expected to be of high enough quality to produce real benefits for children, but until now there has been little information on what such quality programming costs. This groundbreaking report fills that gap, providing a data-filled examination of the costs of 111 diverse, quality OST programs in six cities. The report finds that costs vary widely depending on a range of factors from program goals to times of operation and the ages of the children served. The report is also distinctive because it looks at the full costs of programming, including non-cash contributions OST operators often depend on such as free-of-charge space for programming. Wallace and the report’s research team also created an online “OST cost calculator” to help users calculate the costs of various options for high-quality OST programs. Click here to access the cost calculator, examples of program costs and options, quality strategies and other resources.
EXPLORING THE COSTS OF OUT OF SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMS IN MINNESOTA
This study was commissioned by the partners of Youth Community Connections: Minnesota’s Statewide Afterschool Alliance and led by its staff. The results of the study were released at Youth Community Connections' bi-annual meeting, The Afterschool Formula: Bringing It All Together on Thursday, November 13, 2008. (Click here for materials used during that presentation.)
Out of School Time Cost Calculator
The Wallace Foundation commissioned the development of the out of school time (OST) Cost Calculator in order to bring the findings the cost study research to life. Wallace and the report’s research team created an online “OST cost calculator”. The OST Cost Calculator is available on Wallace’s website to help users calculate the costs of various options for high-quality OST programs.
Charting a Course: A Practitioner's Guide to Quality Out-of-School Time Experiences
This resource is designed to assist school and community personnel as they work to create and maintain high-quality out-of-school time opportunities for young people in Minnesota. Building off the Charting A Course: Connecting Out-of-School time Opportunities booklet, the Resource Guide provides detailed information bout each of the various funding resources available through the Minnesota Department of Education as well as research, resources and operational tools.
Understanding
the State of Knowledge of Youth Engagement Financing and Sustainability
Youth programs and organizations have developed a variety of approaches
for including young people in decision-making processes that affect them,
their peers, and their communities. Despite these efforts, little is known
about these approaches. The Annie E. Casey Foundation funded the Finance
Project to produce a report on the state of knowledge on financing and
sustaining youth engagement programs.
Developed by the Harvard Family Research Project, Harvard Graduate School
of Education - As part of their continuing effort to help practitioners
and evaluators choose appropriate evaluation methods, this Snapshot describes
instruments and tools that you can obtain and use for on-the-ground program
evaluation.
W.T. Grant Foundation Highlights Report on Afterschool (PDF)
The report, "After-School Programs and Academics: Implications for Policy, Practice, and Research," is a synthesis of the latest research on combining academics with traditional after-school enrichment programming.