This report examines the effects of out-of-school time on children during early adolescence, when children go through dramatic physical, emotional, and cognitive changes. It discusses the role of afterschool programs in helping young people navigate early adolescence to successful adulthood. Nine sections look at: (1) “Introduction”; (2) “Early Adolescence in Context” (e.g., the family, media, economic, and educational context); (3) “Engagement in Learning” (e.g., involved parents and emotional attachments to caring adults); (4) “The Landscape of Afterschool Programs” (e.g., school-age care and extended learning); (5) “What to Do After Two P.M.” (e.g., self-care and outcomes of extracurricular activities); (6) “Outcomes of Afterschool Programs” (e.g., formal afterschool programs and programs for elementary and middle school students); (7) “Program Strategies” (e.g., experiential education and service learning); (8) “Implementing Effective Programs” (e.g., homework and literacy development); and (9) “Critical Hours.” Two appendixes include a brief summary of resiliency research and challenges to evaluation of afterschool programs. (Contains approximately 280 references.) (SM)
