CIS and After-School Programs
The nation's fifth largest youth-serving organization, Communities In Schools (www.cisnet.org) champions the connection of needed community resources with schools to help kids succeed in school and prepare for life. Communities In Schools has a long history of helping provide children with “a safe place to learn and grow.” During the 2004-2005 school year, more than 1,300 education sites served by CIS offered after-school or before-school programming.
Purpose
The body of research on after-school programs – though still maturing – must be accessible to people who run after-school programs. This toolkit was designed to put research into the hands of the people running after-school programs by summarizing:
- After-school programs found to be effective
- Core elements that contribute to the success of these programs
- A body of resources to sustain quality after-school programs
Toolkit Development
The contents of the Toolkit were developed by the National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) in collaboration with Communities In Schools, with funding provided by the MetLife Foundation. These contents are based on the following report: Hammond, C., & Reimer, M. (2006). Essential Elements Of Quality After-School Programs. Clemson, SC: National Dropout Prevention Center/Network, College of Health, Education, and Human Development, Clemson University.
Toolkit Components
GENERAL PROGRAMS: Use this section to learn more about the core elements of all after-school programs. These are elements identified through rigorous research as relevant to quality after-school programs. Elements are divided into three categories:
- Infrastructure Elements
- Partnership Elements
- Program/Practice Elements
Checklist of Quality After-School Program Core Elements
READING PROGRAMS: NDPC researchers isolated a set of eight elements associated with quality after-school programs that promote reading skills.
MATH PROGRAMS: If you are considering an after-school program with a math focus, these six elements should be part of the equation.
FIVE THAT WORK: The amount of experimental research that has been conducted on after-school programs is limited. Based on rigorous research, our quest for programs found to be effective illuminated these five standouts.
RESOURCES: There are copious resources available through the Internet. We found several useful collections that we categorized into the following areas:
- Helpful Tools for Developing or Enhancing a Quality After-School Program
- Resources to Support Sustainability of Quality After-School Programs
- Further Research Reports and Summaries
- Additional After-School Resources
RESEARCH NOTES: For a quick summary of the parameters for the literature review upon which this site is based, take a look at the Search Strategy section. As with any research, there were limitations to this research - and they are overviewed briefly here (the full report provides more details).
Key Recommendations
It generally takes at least six months following implementation for after-school programs to have any measurable impact. Learn other key recommendations about after-school programs.
Getting Started
Learn how this toolkit was designed to fit into a comprehensive program development model for building a quality after-school program.
© 2006 Communities In Schools, Inc., MetLife Foundation and National Dropout Prevention Center / All Rights Reserved
Content for this website is based on the following National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) Report. Users are encouraged to read the NDPC report in its entirety.
Hammond, C., & Reimer, M. (2006). Essential Elements Of Quality After-School Programs. Clemson, SC: National Dropout Prevention Center/Network, College of Health, Education, and Human Development, Clemson University.