Deeper_Dive_into_Afterschool

After School Matters—Chicago, IL: An experimentaldesign evaluation of After School Matters found thatstudents participating in the afterschool programengaged in at-risk behaviors at a much lower rate thannon-participants, specifically being less likely to besuspended from school or selling drugs. 19 Participantswere also less likely to take part in other negativebehaviors, such as gang activity and fighting, howeverthese findings were not statistically significant.LA’s BEST—Los Angeles, CA: Results from a longitudinalevaluation of LA’s BEST—an afterschool program thatprovides balanced enrichment activities focused onstudents’ academic, social and emotional developmentin primarily economically disadvantaged communities—shows that students who regularly attended theafterschool program were not only less likely toparticipate in criminal activities than non-participatingstudents, but students who attended the programsporadically as well. 20 Children who had medium levelsof engagement in the program saw a one-third reductionin juvenile crime, and high attending students saw a 50percent reduction. Researchers also translated thereduction in juvenile crime to $2.50 in costs savings tothe city for every dollar of investment.4-H—National: A longitudinal evaluation of 4-H—anational afterschool program that provides children inelementary school through 12 th grade with hands-onlearning activities in science, citizenship and healthyliving—found that youth participating in their programwere more likely to make positive life choices than theirnon-participating peers. 21 The most recent evaluation of4-H—the Wave 8 report—looks at 4-H participants whoare in the 12 th grade and finds that compared to theirnon-participating peers, youth who take part in 4-Hprograms are 3.4 times more likely to postpone havingsex and are also less likely to use drugs, alcohol orcigarettes.21 st Century Community Learning Centers—Texas: Aquasi-experimental evaluation of Texas 21 st Century - 4-H girls are .5 times less likely to useCommunity Learning Centers, also known as Afterschool drugs than non 4-H girls (p =