New study reveals characteristics of successful after-school programs

BOSTON – Parents want after-school programs to help put their children on the path to success – in school and beyond. But new research being released today by United Way of Massachusetts Bay reveals simply walking through the doors of an after-school program isn’t enough. The Massachusetts After-School Research Study finds that the staff’s ability to engage youth and their families is a key barometer for whether the after-school program will result in positive outcomes for youth.

“Pathways to Success for Youth: What Counts in After-School” identifies the characteristics of after-school programs that positively impact youth outcomes such as homework completion, initiative, behavior and relationships with peers and adults. It is the largest study of its kind in Massachusetts, involving 4,100 children in 78 after-school programs from 10 economically diverse school districts in urban, suburban and rural areas of the state. The communities included Boston, Lowell, Fall River, Framingham, Worcester, South Hadley, Turners Falls, Greenfield, Northampton and Holyoke.

“This research documents the components of after-school programs that are helping youth succeed,” said Milton J. Little, Jr. president and chief executive officer at United Way of Massachusetts Bay. “The findings provide solid evidence that whether a program is in the community or based in a school, developing the workforce, improving program quality, increasing communication with families and fostering connections with schools should be the driving forces as we create a strong network of quality after-school programs.”

MARS is one of the first studies to identify the characteristics that lead to high-quality after-school programs and determine the extent to which these characteristics produce positive outcomes for youth. And unlike previous studies that compare youth that attend after-school programs with those who do not, MARS offers useful insights to how after-school programs can help youth succeed.

MARS was developed and funded by United Way of Massachusetts Bay, the Barr Foundation and the Nellie Mae Education Foundation in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Education and the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services. John P. Zuman, Ph.D., of the Intercultural Center for Research in Education (INCRE) in Arlington and Beth Miller, Ph.D of the National Institute of Out-of-School Time (NIOST) at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College led the team of MARS researchers.

Key leaders from the Legislature and the Administration were on hand at today’s launch to react to the report findings and to discuss how policy-makers can use MARS to better coordinate, expand, finance and improve quality out-of-school time programming for school-age children throughout the Commonwealth. A panel moderated by Kevin Fitzgerald, Sergeant at Arms for the Massachusetts State House included Senator Thomas McGee, Chair of the Mass. Children's Caucus and Chair of the Committee on Labor & Workforce Development; Representative Patricia Haddad, Chair of the Committee on Education; (more)

Representative Jeffrey Sanchez, Vice Chair of the Committee on Economic Development & Emerging Technologies; Ann Reale, the Commissioner of the Mass. Department of Early Education and Care; and John Bynoe, Associate Commissioner of the Mass. Department of Education.

The report finds that four characteristics are key to successful after-school programs:

* Staff: Education, compensation (including salary and benefits) and retention of staff are key to after-school program quality. Programs with more highly-educated and better-paid staff had significantly better quality. Yet the average pay for an after-school teacher in the programs studied was just $ 12.60 per hour. Only 48 percent of staff (22 percent in community-based programs) were reported to have a bachelor’s degree or higher.
* Programming: Programs with small group sizes for activities, low staff-to-youth ratios and emphasis on structured activities and project-based approaches led to positive youth outcomes. Higher quality programs also provided challenging activities that were well-paced throughout the afternoon, not rushed or stressful.
* Communication with Families: MARS found that youth who showed the most improvement in their relations with adults were significantly more likely to attend programs where there was good communication with parents at pickup time. MARS also showed that parent outreach and engagement strategies led to better relationships with adults in the program as well. Yet only 10 percent of program coordinators said they spoke with parents on a regular basis to provide updates. The most common reason that staff communicated with families was to discuss a problem, such as attendance or a behavioral issue.
* Connections between schools and after-school programs: It is important to note that where a program was located – in a school or in the community – had no relationship to the quality of the programming it provided. Programs reporting the strongest relationship with school teachers and principals had children who improved the most in four of the five areas that were examined: homework completion and effort, taking initiative, behavior in the program, and relations with their peers. In addition, programs with stronger connections to school had more engaging, challenging activities, higher staff engagement, and higher quality homework assistance.

“After-school programs are increasingly being looked at to boost academic achievement, stem youth crime, increase children’s health and well-being, and support working families,” Little said. “This research will help providers design and implement the best possible after-school programs and will provide funders and policy-makers with empirical data to inform their decisions to support programs that work.”