Page 1 of 17
A 2024 evaluation of Kentucky 's 21st CCLC programs during the 2022-2023 school year found positive outcomes related to participants' academic performance, school-day behavior and engagement, and statewide assessments. Both elementary and middle/high school participants who needed to improve their attendance showed improvement in the 2022-2023 school year (72% and 60%, respectively), while middle and high school students significantly reduced their suspension rates (64%). An overwhelming majority of Kentucky teachers reported that students attending 21st CCLC programs who needed to improve did so in areas such as participation in learning activities, attentiveness during learning activities, and motivation to learn. Likewise, students report that their program has helped them achieve better grades, become more involved in school, and enjoy coming to school. Lastly, one-quarter of participating 4th through 8th-grade students improved performance levels on statewide math and ELA assessments, and 7 in 10 middle and high school students who needed to improve demonstrated GPA growth
This study found that Vermont 21st CCLC programs provided high-quality, equitable, accessible opportunities for students across the state. Programs had qualified staff and site directors regularly met with principals to maintain strong relationships between the school and afterschool program. Evaluators shared that forty percent of all 11,467 attendees regularly attended programming. Sites also stepped up during the COVID-19 outbreak, providing remote programming, child care for essential workers, meal support, and professional development and activities for staff.
This evaluation looked at elementary students in Foundations, Inc.'s After School Enrichment Programs at 19 schools in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida. The evaluation found that students participating in the afterschool program experienced greater academic gains compared to non-participating students, where Foundations students scored higher on math and reading standardized tests than their peers who did not participate in the program.
An external evaluation of The After-School Corporation (TASC), which works to increase the availability of quality afterschool programs in New York City, that collected data spanning four school years from 96 TASC afterschool projects and their host schools in New York City and compared students participating in TASC to students not enrolled in the afterschool programs. The TASC model is a partnership between a public school and a local nonprofit organization that provides afterschool programming free of charge to New York City students enrolled in the school. At the elementary and middle school levels, TASC participants showed gains in math achievement and school attendance. At the high school level, afterschool participants passed more Regents exams, attended school more regularly, and earned more high school credits than their non-participating peers.
A longitudinal study evaluating the impact of afterschool program participation on the academic performance and motivation of elementary school students. Participants were 599 boys and girls from an unnamed urban, economically disadvantaged community in the U.S. Data collected from student academic records and surveys of teachers, afterschool providers, and parents indicated that students participating in afterschool programs had significantly higher reading achievement compared to students who were in other after school care arrangements (parent care, a mix of parent care and no adult supervision, and a mix of non-parental supervision and no adult supervision) and had a higher expectancy of success than students who had non-parental supervision and no adult supervision. Students who were in the highest category of afterschool program attendance saw even greater gains, with significantly higher reading achievement, motivation, and expectancy of success than children in all other care arrangements.
A report by The National Center for Schools and Communities at Fordham University presenting the results of seven years of evaluation for the YMCA of Greater New York 's Virtual Y afterschool program—an afterschool program that served elementary school students five days a week between 3 and 6 p.m. Teachers reported significant improvements in classroom behavior for Virtual Y participants, including improvement in task motivation, frustration tolerance, learning skills, acting out, peer social skills, assertive social skills, and shyness and anxiety. The average school day attendance of 3rd and 4th grade Virtual Y participants also exceeded the average attendance of a comparison group. Additionally, Virtual Y participants outperformed a comparison group in post-program math scores.
This evaluation studied third graders, a majority of whom were children of color, at 18 schools in Georgia participating in the Medical College of Georgia FitKid Project, an afterschool program that used a fitness curriculum developed by the Medical College of Georgia to reduce childhood obesity. Researchers concluded that children who attended 40 percent or more of the afterschool sessions showed improvement in body fat percentage, bone mass density, and cardiovascular fitness. Students with higher levels of program attendance saw even greater health gains, where students ' cardiovascular fitness and bone mass density increased and body fat decreased as program attendance increased.
This longitudinal study examined the role that afterschool program participation plays in the development of childhood obesity and peer acceptance among low-income and minority children. The study assessed three unnamed northeastern, urban, public schools and found that the prevalence of obesity was significantly lower for afterschool participants compared to nonparticipants (21 percent vs. 33 percent) controlling for baseline obesity, poverty status, and race and ethnicity. The study also found that students participating in the afterschool programs showed significant increases in peer acceptance during their time in the program.
An analysis of the effects of the Young Scholars Program on students in schools throughout North Carolina. Academic and attendance data collected on Young Scholars over the course of five years shows that participation in the program led to gains in math and reading proficiency, improved grade promotion, increased school day attendance, and increased parent involvement.
A meta-analysis of 35 evaluations examining the academic impact of out-of-school time (OST) programs, specifically programs serving students at risk for school failure, a population that includes students who were not performing well academically in school or students who had characteristics associated with dropping out of school. The meta-analysis found that programs have a statistically significant positive impact on both the reading and math achievement of students participating in the program.
1616 H St., NW Suite 820
Washington, D.C. 20006
(866) KIDS-TODAY | Email us
The Afterschool Impacts Database is a project of the Afterschool Alliance.
The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs.
Afterschool Impacts Database