Afterschool Alliance Research
Informing providers, advocates, and policymakers for 20 years
Delve into our vast collection of research resources that show afterschool programs are keeping kids safe, inspiring learning, and helping working families across the country.
An integral component of Afterschool Alliance’s mission to ensure that all children have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs is research that assesses and examines the ways children spend their time during the afterschool hours, the opportunities afterschool programs provide the children and families in their communities, and the public support for these programs.
This section contains research materials the Afterschool Alliance has produced over the past 15 years. Find the resource that best fits your needs by searching by document type or by issue area. If you are interested in learning more about afterschool programs, explore Afterschool Essentials, or find out how many children are in afterschool programs by visiting the America After 3PM page. You can also search by issue topic and learn more about afterschool programs supporting young people in variety of areas and subjects, ranging from the arts to health and wellness to STEM.
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Afterschool Programs Strengthen Communities (2004) As people work longer hours, endure longer commutes and manage busier schedules, they have less time to socialize or join community organizations. This means it has become increasingly difficult for individuals to get to know their neighbors and communities. This brief explores how afterschool programs can play an important role in strengthening communities by offering a safe and stable environment for youth and providing opportunity for school and community partnerships. |
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Afterschool Programs Level the Playing Field for All Youth (2004) This brief describes how afterschool programs have an opportunity to help disadvantaged youth catch up with their peers when the regular school day may not provide enough time or resources to address the various economic, language, or cultural barriers some students face. |
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Afterschool, Community Service and Volunteerism (2004) Parents and teens show overwhelming support for participation in community service, and they would like to see their afterschool programs offer volunteering opportunities. This issue brief explores how afterschool programs can give youth the opportunity to volunteer and discusses the benefits of volunteering, including learning applicable life skills, forming bonds with community organizations, and discovering the value of community service. |
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Afterschool and Service-Learning (2004) Through youth-designed and youth-implemented service projects, youth not only are able to apply their academic skills to the real world, but also donate their services to their neighborhoods. This brief explains how afterschool programs offering service-learning projects can benefit both youth and their communities. |
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Afterschool: The Natural Platform for Youth Development (2004) This brief discusses the relatively new "youth development" movement, and explores the ways in which this movement can utilize afterschool programs as a solution to the increasing number of challenges our unsupervised youth are facing today. |
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Afterschool and Healthy Youth (2004) Since childhood obesity was declared a national epidemic in 2002, much attention has been focused on the health risks associated with sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition. This brief addresses how afterschool programs are promoting healthy lifestyles and positive attitudes by offering healthy snacks, physical activity, and health education in the curriculum. |
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Afterschool and the Building of Character (2003) Respectfulness, positive behavior, self-confidence, and an interest in school are just a few traits kids can develop through participation in afterschool programs. Check out this issue brief to learn more about ways afterschool can help build character. |
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Afterschool Programs Help Working Families (2003) Today, less than one-fourth of American families portray the "traditional" image of one parent at home while the other parent provides financial support. This makes accessible, affordable childcare more necessary than ever before. With work hours increasing and flexibility decreasing, the burden on parents, dangers for children and drain on employers is continuing to grow. This brief examines the ways in which working parents, their children, and employers can all benefit from quality afterschool programs. |
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Afterschool and School Improvement (2002) According to state departments of education, more than 7,000 schools in the United States are considered in need of improvement. This issue brief addresses how afterschool can be a strategic part of a successful school improvement plan, and highlights the recognition afterschool is receiving, from principals and educational organizations across the country, for supporting school's already. |
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Afterschool and Pregnancy Prevention (2002) Though teen pregnancy rates in the United States have dropped within the past decade, the teen birth rate in the U.S. is still higher than any other developed nation. This brief explains how a safe environment, positive role models, decision making skills, and health education offered by afterschool programs can aid in teenage pregnancy prevention. |
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The Afterschool Alliance is working to ensure that all children have access to affordable, quality afterschool programs. Afterschool programs are critical to children and families today, yet the need for programs is far from being met. Learn more
