ResourcesInformation and Research
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.)
Latest Research and Tools on Afterschool & Summer Learning
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.