Links

Learn More.

This list of links has been assembled to provide essential information to the Afterschool community in defined categories. Within each category, the top field resources are displayed with a brief organization description.
  • Advocacy Organizations
    Advocacy organizations provide training, peer networking opportunities, and important information on a national and/or state level.
  • Development Resources
    Professional development resources provide staff training, curriculum ideas, professional trends and statistical information necessary for best practices.
  • Professional Associations
    Professional associations are a representative for the profession. They assist in maintaining and furthering the cause of their constituencies through networking, workshops, and other skill-building opportunities.
  • Federal Resources
    Federal resources are national initiatives that provide funding, curricula, and/or development training best practices.
  • Other Resources
    Other resources include but are not limited to children and youth health, crime prevention, homeless and family initiatives.

Advocacy Organizations

Afterschool Alliance

The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of afterschool programs and advocating for quality, affordable programs for all children. It is supported by a group of public, private and nonprofit organizations that share the Alliance’s vision of ensuring that all children have access to afterschool programs by 2010.

http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/

National Afterschool Association

The National Afterschool Association is a strong voice in the afterschool profession dedicated to the development, education and care of children and youth during their out-of-school hours. The National Afterschool Association, formerly the National School –Age Care Alliance, was founded in 1987. The National School-Age Care Alliance grew out of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, NAEYC, as the special interest group and ultimate association for professionals working with school age children and youth.

http://www.naaweb.org/

National Institute on Out-of-School Time

The National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST), formerly known as the School-Age Child Care Project, at the Wellesley Centers for Women, Wellesley College, has successfully brought national attention to the importance of children's out-of-school time. Through research, training, education and program development, NIOST has continued to be at the forefront of advances in the field, and has acted as a leader in many areas of out-of-school time policy development, increased quality standards, professional recognition, and community action.

http://www.niost.org/

Pennsylvania Statewide Afterschool Youth Development Network

PSAYDN promotes sustainable, high-quality out-of-school time youth development programs through advocacy and capacity building to enhance the welfare of Pennsylvania’s children, youth and families.

http://www.psaydn.org/

Development Resources

Academy for Educational Development

Since its founding in 1961, AED has worked to improve decision making for educational reform and workforce development in the United States. We work at all levels of the education system, focusing on teacher preparation and student achievement. Programs support children with disabilities, Migrant Head Start, high-school and middle-school reform, youth engagement, and access to higher education. The AED Center for School and Community Services and the Educational Equity Center at AED have done extensive work in the field of afterschool and out-of-school-time education, geared to helping programs provide high-quality programming for all youth, and especially for minority and female students and youth with disabilities.

http://www.aed.org/

http://scs.aed.org/projects/afterschool.html

Center for Schools and Communities

Since 1988, the Center for Schools and Communities has been committed to improving outcomes for children and families through training, technical assistance, program evaluation, research and resource development. The Center’s work focuses on prevention and intervention initiatives operated by schools, organizations and agencies serving children, youth and families.

http://www.center-school.org/

Childtrends Databank

The Child Trends DataBank is the one-stop source for the latest national trends and research on child and youth well-being. The DataBank includes information for over 60 indicators about the types of programs and interventions that may influence particular outcomes for teens and young children.

http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/

Harvard Family Institute

HFRP is working in partnership with other organizations to add value to the out-of-school time (OST) field by promoting strategic use of information to improve quality, accessibility, and sustainability of OST programs across the nation.

http://www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/index.html

National Partnerships for After School Science

The Center for Science Education (CSE) and Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley, Calif. (LHS), are leading a national initiative to promote a model for long-term professional development for after-school program providers to help community-based organizations (CBOs) implement high-quality, hands-on science and engineering projects with their children.

http://cse.edc.org/profdev/npass/default.asp

National Youth Development Information Center

The National Youth Development Information Center is a one-stop website for youth workers with interest in any and all of the following areas: funding, programming, research, policy, job and training opportunities. NYCIC also provides current news to the youth development field and has one of the largest online libraries, providing practice-related information at low-cost or no cost. NYDIC provides constant opportunities for practitioners to share knowledge and experience, enabling them to build the best practice in the field of youth development.

http://www.nydic.org/nydic/

Pennsylvania 21st Century Community Learning Centers

The Pennsylvania Department of Education provides 21st CCLC funding to the children and youth in Pennsylvania through the creation of 21st Century Community Learning Centers. 21st Century Community Learning Centers focus on providing expanded enrichment opportunities to children attending low performing schools. From 1998 to 2001, the U.S. Department of Education administered the 21st CCLC program and supplied funds to local communities through a competitive proposal process.

http://www.21stcclc.org/

United Way of Allegheny County

The United Way of Allegheny County is a change agent and efficient community fundraiser that improves lives by addressing critical community needs. By convening diverse partner and investing in programs and people to advance solutions, United Way creates long-lasting change and helps children and youth succeed, strengthens and supports families by promoting financial stability, ensures the safety and well-being of vulnerable seniors, and provides county-wide access to information and referral sources meeting basic needs.

http://www.unitedwaypittsburgh.org/

You For Youth

Training and Resources for 21st CCLC Professionals.

http://y4y.ed.gov/y4y-pdm/

Professional Associations

The American Camp Association

The American Camp Association (formerly known as the American Camping Association) is a community of camp professionals who, for nearly 100 years, have joined together to share our knowledge and experience and to ensure the quality of camp programs.

http://acacamps.org/

National Association of Child Care Professionals

The National Association of Child Care Professionals is a leading national association serving child care owners, directors, and administrators. The organization’s goal is to improve, enhance and strengthen the credibility of the people who lead the child care industry by providing membership services and benefits.

http://www.naccp.org/

Federal Resources

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center

The NYVPRC is a Federal resource for communities working to prevent violence committed by and against young people.

http://www.safeyouth.org/

U.S. Department of Education

The U.S. Department of Education works to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence for all Americans. President George Bush’s program, No Child Left Behind, works to provide that educational excellence. Federal dollars will be spent on effective, research programs and practices. Funds will be targeted to improve schools and enhance teacher quality. Parents will have more information about the quality of their child’s school.

http://www.ed.gov/

U.S. Department of Education Afterschool Information

Afterschool.gov is a one-stop website connecting the public, and particularly afterschool providers, to federal resources that support children and youth during out-of-school time. A great range of resources is included on Afterschool.gov, including issues that face America’s youth, and information about starting and operating an afterschool program. Afterschool.gov includes resources from a variety of federal agencies, including a searchable database of federal funding sources.

http://www.afterschool.gov/

Other Resources

National Crime Prevention Council

The National Crime Prevention Council is a national leader in helping individuals, families, and communities preventing crime and maintaining safe environments. NCPC provides communities with tools and guidance.

http://www.ncpc.org/

Pennsylvania Homeless Children’s Initiative

The Pennsylvania Homeless Children’s Initiative established in 1988 by the Pennsylvania Department of Education has five main objectives: to inform local school districts of their responsibilities to homeless children and youth, to increase awareness about the needs of homeless children, reveal and overcome possible educational barriers, explain current legislation and policies, and provide practical tips for working with homeless children.

http://homeless.center-school.org/

Pennsylvania Parent Information & Resource Center

Pennsylvania Parent Information and Resource Center (PA PIRC) provides training and consultation to urban, rural and suburban communities throughout Pennsylvania. Our priority is to deliver services to schools and communities that have families who live in poverty, minority families, families for whom English is a second language and families whose children have learning delays or disabilities.

http://www.center-school.org/pa-pirc/

DrugAbuse.com

DrugAbuse.com is The Coalition Against Drug Abuse's website. The site features extensive information for anyone facing drug addiction or alcoholism issues, and offers a number of resources to aid in successful treatment and recovery.

http://drugabuse.com/library/get-the-facts-on-substance-abuse/

EducationWeek.org

In the sixth decade since its founding, Editorial Projects in Education, the non-profit publisher of Education Week, America's most respected source for education news and insight, remains true to its mission: raising the level of understanding and discourse on critical issues in American education.  Their Beyond School:  Exploring Learning outside the traditional school day blog contains insight relevant to afterschool.

 

American Graduate

America loses one out of four young people to the dropout crisis each year. A high school diploma is an important step in preparing a young person to live an independent, secure and happy life and is an essential component of America’s economic competitiveness to create a more educated, innovative workforce. Dropping out not only makes it harder for these young people to succeed in life, but our economy also loses hundreds of billions of dollars in productivity and our communities suffer enormous social costs. The good news is that solutions exists and – together – we can end the dropout crisis. Visit this website to learn more about this crisis facing our country and get resources to be part of the solution.

To learn more, click here.

 

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