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There is a tremendous amount of research and resources
available to communities and afterschool programs from state and
national sources. The Iowa Afterschool Alliance has identified some
of the leading organizations that offer valuable information and
resources relevant to afterschool programs. These organizations
are described below and internet links are provided to access more
information from these resources.
Afterschool Alliance
The Afterschool Alliance was launched to raise awareness of the
importance of afterschool programs and advocate for quality,
affordable programs for all children. The purpose of the Alliance
is to serve as a public resource and voice for afterschool programs.
The web-site includes policy information and program tools.
Afterschool.gov
Afterschool.gov connects people to federal resources for information
on strategies to support children and youth during out-of-school
hours. The site includes a searchable database of federal government
funding sources; ideas on networking with others in the field;
links to organizations and publications that focus on youth issues.
The Finance Project
The Finance Project is a non-profit policy research, technical
assistance, and information organization that was created to help
improve outcomes for children, families, and communities nationwide.
Its mission is to support decision making that produces and sustains
good results for children, families, and communities by developing
and disseminating information, knowledge, tools, and technical
assistance for improved policies, programs, and financing strategies.
The Forum for
Youth Investment
The Forum for Youth Investment is a national
initiative dedicated to increasing the quality and quantity of
youth investment and
youth involvement in the United States by promoting a "big
picture" approach to planning and policy development. The
Forum is designed to add value to existing efforts to improve youth
outcomes by finding or creating tools, vehicles and opportunities
for reaching across fields and systems to bring researchers, policy
makers, practitioners, media, and philanthropists together to identify
common messages and agendas. The website offers various publications
on youth and afterschool issues.
Harvard Family Research
Project
The Harvard Family Research Project strives to increase the effectiveness
of public and private organizations and communities as they promote
child development, student achievement, healthy family functioning,
and community development. After School @ HFRP is an initiative
of the Harvard Family Research Project that works to identify areas
of challenge and opportunity in the emerging after school field.
It focuses especially on issues related to after school evaluation,
research, and accountability. HFRP also houses an OST evaluation
database. The database is a tool for evaluators who are planning
an OST program evaluation, allowing them to quickly get detailed
information about previous OST evaluations by searching the database
using relevant criteria.
JCPenney Afterschool
The JCPenney Afterschool Fund works with partners and providers
of afterschool care to raise awareness of the need for afterschool
programs and maintain and increase the number of programs available.
The website offers facts, figures, news, and updates on various
afterschool issues. A nation-wide afterschool program locator can
also be found on the website.
National Central Regional
Educational Laboratory
Through its "Beyond the Bell" initiative
and website, NCREL provides many resources to help a program through
every stage
of development from the conceptual stage to an established program
looking for creative ways to improve programming or find new funding
sources. The website provides links to resources for creating effective
afterschool programs, information, and grant writing assistance.
National Institute on Out-of-School
Time
The National Institute on Out-of-School Time, formerly known as
the School-Age Child Care Project, at the Center for Research on
Women, Wellesley College, produces a wide array of research and
technical assistance papers, assessment and training tools, and
publications. NIOST provides research-based training for directors
and staff, school administrators, community leaders, and others
committed to providing high quality afterschool programs for children
and youth.
National Afterschool Association (formerly
NSACA)
NAA's mission is to build a profession that develops, supports,
and promotes quality afterschool programs for children and youth.
NAA is the only national membership organization representing the
entire array of public, private, and community-based providers
of afterschool programs. The website offers information on public
policy issues and publications on afterschool issues. It also describes
NAA’s accreditation process for afterschool programs.
21st Century
Community Learning Centers
The 21st Century CCLC Program is a federally
funded grant program designed to create an opportunity for students
and their families
to continue to learn new skills and discover new abilities after
the school day has ended. The focus of this program is to provide
expanded academic enrichment opportunities for children attending
low performing schools. the website contains information about
this program including applicant information, laws, regulations,
and guidance. In addition, the website offers resources for students,
parents, teachers, and administrators. Current Iowa grantees of
the 21st CCLC Program can be found at http://www.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/grantees.html. |
