Out-of-school-time Programs Research Articles

Moving from Second Sight to Critical Consciousness Building: Using Social Justice Youth Development and Youth Participatory Action Research to Promote Praxis in Out-of-School Time

Abstract Youth development programs offer flexible environments for healing and positive identity development for youth facing discrimination and oppression. Programs often occur in out-of-school time (OST), a context that is clearly positioned in tandem with the education system to create complex relationships that lead to challenges in OST spaces. Youth development programs occurring in OST settings have the potential for resisting or replicating oppressive practices toward youth occurring in the education system. This article highlights a youth participatory action research (YPAR) project within an OST program using photovoice, field trips, and arts-based strategies. Eleven youth participated in the project over the course of nine months. Thematic content analysis of weekly photovoice and critical consciousness resulted in a primary theme of peeling back the layers. This theme encompassed the evolution of youth understanding the interconnectedness between their individual-level experiences of racism and broader community and systems-level inputs. This article describes critical consciousness development of OST youth participants through intentional engagement in critical dialogue, experiential field trips, and reflective art making.

Assessing Camp Provider Needs Related to the Mental, Emotional, and Social Health of Youth and Staff: Implications for Parent Communication, Human Resources, and Transition of Care

Children, adolescents, and young adults are experiencing increases in mental, emotional, and social health (MESH) challenges including anxiety and depression. Out-of-school time (OST) program providers such as summer camps rely on effective communication with parents and other stakeholders to provide for these MESH needs, and the development of before and after program communication processes are viewed as a promising strategy for MESH response across youth program settings. In addition, OST program providers seek human and educational resources for meeting the MESH needs of program participants, and they also try to match available MESH resources to the work demands of their frontline staff who are tasked with responding to youth MESH needs when they arise. The importance of these topics is not reflected in available research informing recommended OST provider practices. Thus, this study examined program provider communications with parents about their youth’s MESH needs as well as program provider MESH resource utilization. Our three research questions were as follows: (1) What parent communication approaches do camp providers use to support youth MESH needs?; (2) What information is communicated to parents, teachers, or healthcare providers regarding youth MESH before and after camp?; and (3) What supports and resources do camp providers need to better manage MESH issues? Findings from this research highlight camp provider MESH-related parent communications and resource utilization. Notably, while respondents indicated requesting general MESH information on the health history form, further assessment and documentation of these identified MESH issues within- and across-camp seasons was lacking. Respondents also indicated camp nurses as the most prevalent human resource. Collectively, these results indicate that camp providers and out-of-camp stakeholders acknowledge the benefit of health history reporting and communication with regard to MESH challenges as well as providing MESH resources to meet employee job demands.

Female Undergraduate Students’ Experiences Facilitating an Out-of-School Physical Activity Program for Middle School Girls

Purpose: To explore undergraduate students’ experiences leading and facilitating an out-of-school-time (OST) physical activity program for middle school girls. Method: Five female undergraduate students (N = 4 Black or African American) participated in semistructured individual interviews and submitted weekly reflections during their time leading the OST Girls Empowering Movement (program). The data were analyzed inductively by conducting systematic searches across interview transcripts and artifacts. Results: Four themes were generated, including: find something that they would like, sometimes it is hard to calm chaos, those girls cling to me, and this experience was really good for me. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the undergraduate students who facilitated the Girls Empowering Movement program experienced significant growth and learned the complexities involved in facilitating and leading an OST program. These findings have practical implications when considering physical activity leadership practices and experiences leading OST physical activity programming.

How Social Justice Shapes Youth Development: Centering Youth Voice across Shifts in Out-of-School Time

Abstract Out-of-school time (OST) has great significance as a youth development space that can support students’ exploration of social justice. Such opportunities for exploration are especially important in times of social distress and upheaval, such as those experienced during the school shutdowns and racial unrest associated with the global pandemic. Framed in a context of inequities for educationally marginalized youth, this qualitative case study provides a glimpse into the OST experiences of students before and after the onset of COVID-19. Authors explore navigating justice-related topics with youth in both an in-person and virtual format of the OST program. In addition to interviewing youth participants, the authors use a critical reflexivity approach to examine experiences facilitating OST spaces that serve youth of color. Findings point to the importance of youth-driven programming that centers youth voice and reimagines engagement for youth in OST programs. The discussion highlights implications for education and social work professionals in the service of social justice youth development outcomes.

Integrating trauma-informed services in out-of-school time programs to mitigate the impact of community gun violence on youth mental health

Community gun violence disproportionately impacts youth in low-income urban neighborhoods. Integrating trauma-informed mental health care in community-based out-of-school time (OST) programs is an innovative method of service delivery for these youth. This article provides justification for integrating evidence-based, trauma-informed services in OST programs within communities characterized by high rates of violent crime to minimize the impact of violence exposure on youth mental health. We describe the initial feasibility of a model program, the Violence Intervention and Prevention (VIP) Initiative, implemented in a small city in southeastern Pennsylvania. Within the first six months of the VIP Initiative, 95 community residents (90% under age 18; 51% Hispanic) received intervention services, primarily through single-session and short-term weekly group intervention in OST programs, and 80% of OST youth development staff participated in at least one trauma-informed professional development training. Recommendations to enhance and expand the delivery of trauma-informed services in the novel setting of OST programs are provided.

Interacting with supportive adults predicts greater same-day psychosocial functioning among adolescents in a self-driven learning program.

Supportive adults are a critical component of effective out-of-school time (OST) youth programs, yet the short-term dynamics that underlie their role are poorly understood. Within GripTape, a US-wide self-driven learning program, we examined if interactions with program-assigned adults (i.e., Champions) correspond with youths' daily psychosocial functioning (i.e., sense of purpose, self-concept clarity, and self-esteem). Participants were 204 North American adolescents (M [SD] = 16.42 [1.18] years; female = 70.1%, male = 25.0%) enrolled in GripTape, a remote OST program that empowers under-resourced teens to pursue their passions for ~10 weeks. During enrollment, youth are given autonomy to structure their learning goals and methods to best match their needs; a stipend of up to 500 USD; and an adult Champion to act as a touchpoint. Data collection consisted of a baseline survey before the program launch and a 5-min survey on each day of enrollment. Across ~70 days, we found that youth reported greater psychosocial functioning on days they reported interacting with their Champion. After controlling for same-day psychosocial functioning, we failed to find evidence that Champion interactions predicted youths' next-day psychosocial functioning. In addition to being among the first studies to investigate the daily benefits of youth-adult interactions within OST programming, this study documents the short-term incremental change that may underlie previous work on OST program outcomes.

Making Connections to and From Out-of-School Experiences

This chapter surfaces examples of the ways educators, programs, and families are making connections to and from out-of-school time (OST) experiences and into other contexts in learners’ lives, including additional programs, homes, communities, and schools. Through a review, the authors test, refine, and expand a design framework for connections across settings described in connected learning scholarship and identify shared goals and outcome indicators for collectively fostering equity through connective OST practices. The review has implications for practice in terms of offering design principles, examples, and outcome indicators for making connections that policymakers, program leaders, and educators can take up and for research by investigating and theorizing the role connective practices in OST programs can play in learning ecosystems.

Vaccine hesitancy, parental concerns, and COVID-19 in a digital leisure context: Implications for out-of-school time

Due to the increasing prevalence of parental vaccine hesitancy or refusal, it is important to understand parental motives for vaccine hesitancy. This study examines social media conversations and commentaries regarding concerns about parenting, vaccine hesitancy, and the COVID-19 pandemic within an in-person leisure and recreation context: out-of-school time (OST) programs. A generative, probabilistic Bayesian machine learning model was used to analyze 31,925 tweets and group them into seven categories: Government, Feelings, School, Public Health, Christmas, Risk and Safety, and Families. As a result, recommendations for research and practice are discussed in connection to both OST programs and digital leisure, including a diverse range of vaccine hesitancy motivations related to children and parents, communication management strategies for OST professionals, and the impact of the politization of leisure in a digital leisure context.

Understanding the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Children at the Boys and Girls Club of Tippecanoe County, Indiana

Background/Objective:Children with multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have been shown to be at greater risk for chronic health conditions. Providing Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) to children with ACEs has been linked to better downstream health outcomes. Out-of-school time (OST) programs, such as Boys and Girls Clubs (BGC), can play an important role in supporting children with ACEs. Currently, BGC of Tippecanoe County does not require staff or volunteers to participate in training on ACEs or TIC. This study aims to determine the number of ACEs that children at BGC experience, and subsequently if training for staff and volunteers should be required.
 Methods:An anonymous survey was developed using a template from ACEs Aware. The survey included ten ACEs questions and nine Related Life Events questions (considered additional ACEs in this study). An optional demographics section was also included. Caregivers of children at BGC were asked to participate. Staff and volunteers were also surveyed regarding their history of training in TIC.
 Results:A total of 64 surveys were distributed to parents and 52 were completed (81.3% response rate). Of the completed surveys, the mean number of ACEs experienced per child was 4.6, the median was 3, and the mode was 2. The maximum number of ACEs experienced by a child was 14. Fifty percent of the staff and volunteers surveyed (n = 18) had no formal TIC training. Further data analysis is still in progress.
 Conclusion and Potential Impact:Children who attend BGC may experience on average a higher number of ACEs than the general population. Requiring training on ACEs and TIC for staff and volunteers may help better identify and respond to child behaviors linked to ACEs. Helping children feel safe and empowered through TIC provided at OST programs may have a positive impact on their physical and social health.

“We hear everyday, ‘this isn’t me.’” Navigating tensions and opportunities to translate interests toward entrepreneurial making

Out-of-school time (OST) makerspaces are spaces for youth to engage in exploratory practices and deepen STEM interests in personally meaningful ways. Many youth—especially teens—additionally benefit from supportive relationships (e.g., caring adult mentors, peer mentors) in these spaces to help them uncover their interests and translate them into long-term trajectories of maker practice. Using a connected learning lens, this paper focuses on supportive adult relationships at a high school OST program (Sunrise of Philadelphia), and the ways in which practices around interest identification and development within its makerspace entrepreneurship program meaningfully impacted learning trajectories for youth by connecting them to new STEM opportunities, knowledge, and experiences. Through an illustrative case study, we present a portrait-of-practice that shows how OST educators facilitated brokering to connect youth to resources, mentoring, materials, and new communities that transcended their specific program. This manuscript contributes to known practices for translating youth interests in makerspaces, including incorporating youth voice and choice and making cultural connections to entrepreneurship opportunities. This case contributes to an understudied area of entrepreneurship education programs and activities that are needed in educational (K-12) makerspaces.

Overview of Current After School - OST STEM Programs for Girls

Historically, there has been a gender gap within the STEM pipeline, resulting in the underrepresentation of women in STEM fields. Current efforts, both within and outside of educational institutions, have been developed to target girls’ specific needs with the aim of supporting girls' interest and engagement in STEM. The following paper examines the social and cultural factors that perpetuate the gender gap in STEM. It also provides a review and critique of six existing Canadian Out of School Time (OST) STEM programs and the principles used in their development and implementation. Conclusions from this review suggest that OST programs, when developed using best practices, may play a crucial role in encouraging girls to pursue a STEM career. Four primary best practices include: social and collaborative learning, topics related to girls' interests, development of STEM identity, and length of the program (for example, programs done over a longer period of time are generally more effective than programs completed over a shorter duration). Although the COVID-19 pandemic has caused some of these programs to migrate online, these four promising practices transcend face-to-face versus online boundaries. As a result, programs should continue to follow these pedagogical approaches to foster girls' interests in STEM.
 Keywords: gender inequality, out of school time programs, social learning, STEM education, STEM programming

Out-of-school programs and interest: Design considerations based on a meta-analysis

Descriptions of out-of-school time (OST) programs frequently claim to promote visitor/participant interest, but information about which design features are essential for that task are lacking. We report on a meta-analysis of research conducted in OST programs that assessed visitor/participant interest. Search criteria identified a total of 38 studies (k = 77 independent datasets), published between 1998 and 2019. The total sample size was Npre = 23,883 visitors/participants at pretest and Npost = 22,419 visitors/participants at posttest. Study findings suggest that there is a positive but trivial effect of OST programs on interest development (Hedges’ g = 0.08). This appears to be explained by the fact that studies of OST typically do not distinguish between program features designed to promote an initial triggering of interest and the subsequent development and deepening of interest, nor do they clarify differences in the interest they were assessing in the 1-day visit/experience relative to what would be expected in the year-long afterschool program. Results further indicate that changes in interest assessed in OST may be positively moderated by the approach to (and measurement of) interest studied, as well as by program features such as whether they provide multidisciplinary offerings and designed programing that is independent of school, tutor facilitated, had trained educators, and lasted a significant period of time.

Youths’ Perceptions of Features of a Museum-Based Youth Development Program That Create a Supportive Community Context: A Qualitative Case Study

Supportive community contexts are critical to positive youth development. Out-of-school time (OST) programs serve as supportive community contexts, and participation in OST programs is associated with a host of positive outcomes for youth. Cultural centers, such as museums, have been identified as potentially supportive community contexts for youth. Still, museums have been mostly absent in the broader research discussion of the role of community-based OST programs in promoting positive youth development. The current article presents a qualitative, single-case study of 37 youth between the ages of 13 and 18, the majority of whom identified with racial/ethnic identity groups traditionally underrepresented in OST program participation, in which we examined youths’ perspectives of the features of a museum-based, science-focused, youth development program that they found to be particularly supportive. Five themes emerged, including (a) the program structure, (b) meaningful opportunities and experiences offered by the program, (c) relationships with staff, (d) a positive peer culture, and (e) sense of belonging. The results provide detailed insight into how cultural centers, such as museums, can serve as supportive community contexts for youth development.

Visions of Childhood, Notions of Rurality, and Anti-bias Education: Emerging Educators Strive for Praxis

The work of anti-bias educators is becoming increasingly important across educational landscapes in the United States. While this work is well-documented within K–12 schools, less known are the efforts of educators working on the front lines of the anti-bias educational agenda within out-of-school time (OST) programs. In an effort to explore how this work happens in OST programs, we partnered with Read, a summer literacy program serving children in grades K–8. Through an engaged research framework, we asked what factors mediated their delivery of an anti-bias education in the Read program. Two significant findings emerged. First, White parents and caregivers in rural settings were a significant force shaping curricular decisions. Second, conceptualizations of childhood influenced teaching and learning. We offer implications for practice and research and conclude by discussing future directions of anti-bias education in these sites of teaching and learning.

Opportunity for Whom? Understanding Curriculum-Oriented Out-of-School Time Math Learning

Learning opportunities outside of traditional school times can be important factors for cognitive and noncognitive development, as well as for gaps between advantaged and less-advantaged students. Although out-of-school time (OST) education is of great significance in research and practice worldwide, less is known about the ways in which OST learning shapes patterns of educational stratification due to the variety of OST programs and the hidden decision-making processes of participation. The current study focused on curriculum-oriented OST math learning and examined its participation patterns and relevance to academic and non-academic skill development among 15-year-old students in the U.S. Utilizing multilevel ordered logistic regression, the study found that African American students, academically struggling students, and students attending schools with certain teacher and school characteristics were more likely to participate in OST math education. Given the endogenous nature of OST math learning, the study incorporated propensity score weighting in the regression analyses to understand the connections between OST math learning and skills. It is revealed that more hours of OST math learning weekly were related to better skill development in positive study behaviors in math. This study situated the findings within the socio-ecological contexts of education and discussed the interconnected relationships between schooling and OST learning. It is concluded that time and space beyond schooling is a critical component of education and should be included in the discourse of educational justice.

Incentivizing Healthy Snacks During Out-of-School Time Through Grocery Store Partnerships.

Volunteer-led out-of-school-time (OST) programs, such as 4-H, scouting, and youth sports, reach a large population of children and are positioned to offer opportunities for healthy eating. However, cost is a barrier to providing healthy snacks such as fruits and vegetables (FVs) during OST. Offering discounts through grocery store partnerships has shown promise in addressing this barrier in structured, staff-led after-school programs. We tested this model in volunteer-led OST programs and evaluated it using mixed methods. The Snack It Up (SIU) intervention was designed to promote FV snacks to volunteer-led OST programs through weekly $5 grocery store discounts. Participation was limited to 1 leader per program. Thirty-five of 36 recruited OST program leaders completed the study; 16 were enrolled in SIU and 19 in a comparison group. We assessed the following: (1) discount redemption among SIU leaders; (2) snacks served by SIU and comparison group leaders via photographs from 3 to 4 OST program sessions during SIU implementation; and (3) SIU leader perspectives using key informant interviews before and after implementation. SIU leaders saved an average of $48.75 on FV snacks throughout the intervention ($2.90 per week, more than one-fifth of typical self-reported spending on snacks). SIU leaders also served a greater frequency (100% of sessions vs 75%, P < .001) and variety of FVs (an average of 3.5 types per session vs 1.3, P < .001) and fewer salty/sweet snacks (0.0 vs 1.3 types per session, P < .001) than those in the comparison group and expressed positive impressions of SIU. Partnerships between OST programs and grocery stores are a promising avenue for promoting healthier snacks during OST.

Positive Youth Development Through Leisure: Confronting the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption in the lives of millions of people, including children and adolescents. Youth out-of-school time (OST) programs are essential ecological assets and their disruption during the pandemic may have a major impact on youth developmental pathways. Youth programs are one of the primary ways to promote positive youth development (PYD) and, in turn, develop healthy and thriving young adults who contribute positively to society. The pandemic raises the question of how to sustain developmentally oriented forms of youth leisure in times of crisis and, especially, how to support youth with few resources. Although there is considerable scientific evidence regarding the promotion of PYD through OST programs (e.g., sport, clubs, youth groups), public health initiatives to control the pandemic also curtail the delivery of such programs. Nevertheless, research on youth programs can be applied to help support PYD during the pandemic. In this commentary, we review key elements contributing to the effectiveness of youth development programs and provide ideas for how to sustain, adapt, and create these elements and bring them into unstructured leisure settings in the face of the pandemic. In doing so, we highlight particular challenges to implementation, surmise who may be most at risk, and present potential opportunities afforded by the unique situation. Throughout, we highlight innovative examples of adaptation exhibited in affected communities. We conclude with a call to action for researchers and practitioners to unite efforts to support PYD through leisure even in the face of crisis.

Sustaining Passion: Findings from an Exploratory Study of the OST Program Workforce

It has long been understood that high-quality staffing is a major contributor to achieving positive outcomes for children and youth in out-of-school time (OST) programs. Yet, information on the current OST program workforce is outdated and understudied. The purpose of this study was to explore, via a convenience sample of OST program workers, the perceived features of the OST field and the relative importance of these features to workers in the field. The researchers were particularly interested in OST worker perception of features that may typically be associated with longevity in a profession. Improving understanding of the perceptions of the OST workforce may help employers to foster the work environments, staffing structures, compensation approaches, and professional development experiences that influence high-quality workers to stay in the field. The study findings illuminate the significance that workers in the OST field attach to passion for a field of work, and the central importance to them of building relationships with and fostering positive and healthy development for children.

A COMPARISON OF ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE MEASURES OF HSTA PARTICIPANTS WITH NON-HSTA PARTICIPANTS: IS IT POSSIBLE TO NARROW THE AFRICAN AMERICAN-WHITE ACHIEVEMENT GAP?

Historically, African American and other underserved students encounter academic challenges in pursuit of a college degree-one of which is their performance on standardized tests. This paper analyzes College Grade Point Averages (CGPAs), ACT Composite (ACTC), and SAT Total (SATT) scores of students who participated in the Health Sciences and Technology Academy (HSTA), an out-of-school-time (OST) program, and Non-HSTA (NHSTA) students attending West Virginia University. Traditionally, OST programs provide academic enrichment to underserved youth to increase their chances for post-secondary entry and success. Two-Way Factorial ANOVA determined if HSTA participants performed better on academic measures than their NHSTA counterparts. The ANOVAs showed statistically significant differences based on Status (HSTA/NHSTA) and Race (African American/White) on the SATT and ACTC. Although not statistically significant, there are favorable outcomes on the CGPA for African American HSTA students comparable to their Non-HSTA counterparts.

Supporting Out-of-School Time Staff in Low Resource Communities: A Professional Development Approach.

Federally funded out-of-school time (OST) programs provide academic support, enrichment, and safety for students and families in low-resource communities. However, programs struggle to meet these aims, in part because of the lack of program structure and limited training and support for staff. This observational case study documents the training and technical assistance (TA) delivered to OST frontline staff and program leadership to implement Positive Behavior in Out-of-School Time (Positive BOOST), an adaptation of positive behavior interventions and supports conducted in multiple settings. Findings across three programs indicate that varied levels of TA (i.e., business as usual, performance feedback, coaching) are associated with different levels of staff- and program-level implementation. Taken together with previous research, these findings suggest that targeted investment in developing the skills of OST staff and improving program-wide outcomes is critical for supporting youth in low-resource communities.