The U.S. government’s Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans suggest that children should engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity for 60 minutes per day (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [U.S. DHHS], 2008). However, recent data indicate that children in the U.S. are not accumulating enough physical activity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). The concern is deepest for youth of lower socioeconomic status and youth of color (Moore, Davis, Baxter, Lewis, & Yin, 2008; Singh, Kogan, Siahpush, & van Dyck, 2008). As a result, professionals in a variety of
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Heather ErwinStephanie RoseSarah SmallJay Perman
Across the country, school administrators and educators struggle to find time for children to engage in physical activity while still giving them enough time in academic instruction. The steep rise in childhood obesity in the U.S. (National Center for Health Statistics, 2011; Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2014) suggests that the concern is urgent.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Georgia HallKristin Fay PostonStephanie Harris
One in three children in the US is overweight or obese. One in five lives in food-insecure households that struggle to put food on the table. Both problems are linked to poor academic performance, behavior problems, and high rates of school absenteeism. To address these issues, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation's Out-of-School Time initiative has been working since 2011 in eight cities to support the adoption of the National Afterschool Association's healthy eating and physical activity (HEPA) standards by before-school, afterschool, and summer programs.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Daniel HatcherCrystal Weedall FitzsimonsJill Turley
This article reviews a book that provides a detailed account of the interviews, observations, research, and successes and failures that led to the development of Project Coach, a program that helps youth gain life skills through mastery of a sport. Project Coach empowers and employs teenagers to become coaches and academic mentors to elementary youth in the community.
With 8.4 million children in the US spending an average of eight hours a week in afterschool programs, afterschool providers are an important part of the network of caring adults who can help to keep children safe. This article explores the topic of mandated reporting of suspected child abuse by afterschool staff.
An annual conference gathers young Native Americans from several states and many tribes to celebrate their culture, deal with issues they face in their communities, and get involved in tribal and state political issues.
A program that combines sports and literature can improve students’ reading, writing, and comprehension skills. What’s more, it promotes children’s personal development and selfesteem, and forges a link between sports, literature, and their daily lives.
OST programs can be part of the solution to the growing epidemic of child obesity. A first step is to understand current practices and learn about supports for—and barriers to—providing nutritious foods in afterschool programs.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Jessica WiechaGeorgia HallEllen GannettBarbara Roth
The 2000 Census indicates a significant increase in foreign-born and first-generation students in public schools, at a time when multicultural communities are challenging long-held notions about civic participation in America. This study of Teen Educators Advocating for Community Health (TEACH) illustrates how an innovative afterschool program attempted to nurture social capital and a sense of belonging in immigrant youth. Drawing on Robert Putnam’s distinction between the bonding and bridging forms of social capital, the study argues that afterschool programs can help immigrant youth develop
This article explores the partnership between the Baltimore County 4-H program and the Baltimore County Public Library, which forged a partnership to offer structured experiential programming opportunities to meet the afterschool needs of youth who visit their local library. Their experience suggests that libraries and youth development organizations can fruitfully collaborate to create sustainable quality afterschool programming.
This paper will provide program leaders and staff with a brief overview of what is known about physical activity in afterschool programs. Then, by integrating experience in afterschool programming with expertise in health promotion, physical education, physical activity promotion, public health, and the social psychology of sport and physical activity, we will present strategies and recommendations for promoting physical activity in afterschool settings.
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TEAM MEMBERS:
Aaron BeighleMichael BeetsHeather ErwinJennifer HubertyJustin MooreMegan Stellino
Afterschool Matters interviews Kennise Farrington, a September 2009 senior at John Bowne High School in Queens, out-of-school time rowing in Meadow Lake, Queens.