Despite extensive research documenting the benefits of investing in young children, infants and toddlers are underrepresented in the federal budget, a new study from the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution found.

The nation’s 12.5 million children under age 3 are 4.2 percent of the population, but they received just 2.1 percent—$44.1 billion—of federal domestic spending in 2007. Domestic outlays, which exclude defense, homeland security, and international affairs, totaled $2.1 trillion.

On March 30th, 2009, the Urban Institute, with support from the A.L. Mailman Family Foundation, conducted a roundtable discussion entitled "Infants and Toddlers in State and Federal Budgets: Yesterday's Choices, Today's Decisions, and Tomorrow's Options." The event brought together about 40 leading state and federal budget experts, practitioners, and policy-makers including experts in early childhood, health care, and nutrition policies and programs. The aim was to assess the evidence about the effects of state and federal budget choices on young children, to identify immediate opportunities and risks for young children related to the recession and the economic recovery package, and to suggest both short- and longer-term next steps for researchers and policy-makers. The conversation centered on two substantive areas: health and nutrition (particularly Medicaid and WIC) and early care and education. In addition to this podcast, organizers will prepare a conference report outlining insights from the day's proceedings.

The Forum for Youth Investment (our publisher) says Nashville, Tennessee has launched a quality-based citywide coordination of after-school services for middle school students.

President Obama recently announced a new summer service initiative in partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service. Local service projects can find volunteers and volunteers can find projects in education, health, energy, the environment and more.

After-school programs have grown rapidly in recent years, spurred by rising employment
rates of mothers, pressure to increase academic achievement, and concerns about risks to
children who are unsupervised during after-school hours. The percentage of public schools
offering “extended day” programs (which include before- and after-school programs) more than
tripled from 1987 to 1999, from about 13 percent to 47 percent.

The federal government’s investment in after-school programs has grown rapidly as well.
Funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, created in 1994, rose from
$40 million in 1998 to $1 billion in 2002. The program now provides funding to 2,250 school
districts to support school-based programs in 7,000 public schools.
Some studies of after-school programs have found that these programs increase academic
achievement and student safety, as well as reduce negative behaviors such as drug and alcohol
use. However, other studies have found that after-school programs have no effect on—and even
worsen—certain outcomes, leading to debate over whether the evidence supports increased
investment in after-school programs.

In 1999, the U.S. Department of Education contracted with Mathematica Policy Research,
Inc., and Decision Information Resources, Inc., to evaluate the 21st Century Community
Learning Centers program. The evaluation team collected student outcome data in five areas:
after-school supervision, location, and activities; academic performance and achievement;
behavior; personal and social development; and safety. Because the purpose of the 21st Century
Community Learning Centers program by law is safe and drug-free learning environments for
students that support academic achievement, this evaluation focused on student and school
outcomes. It did not explore the full range of parental needs and satisfaction that might be
affected by the availability of after-school programs. It did collect parent outcome data on
involvement in school activities and employment status.

This compendium contains evaluation briefs on 49 youth programs that were assessed by the American Youth Policy Forum. The programs were selected because they demonstrate that careful application of the following principles can lead to powerful results for youth.

Over 10 years, the researchers studied community-based organizations (CBO) for young people, eventually examining the work of approximately 120 youth-based organizations in 34 different cities. A look at these organizations and the young people they serve shows that CBOs offer a means of reaching at-risk youth, and that they can have a significant impact on the skills, attitudes, and experiences of young people. Surveys of CBO participants show that they express a sense of personal value, hopefulness, and agency far greater than peers in their communities, and even greater than the attitudes of youth growing up in more representative U.S. circumstances. Follow-up studies with more than 60 participants in youth CBOs show that the majority of these young people are firmly set on positive pathways as workers, parents, and community members. Research reveals that effective CBOs are intentional learning environments. CBOs cannot be effective, however, without support from community members and other community organizations. Long-term and short-term strategies to promote involvement in CBOs are outlined.

Report from Fight Crime: Invest in Kids that outlines the necessity for after-school programs and effectiveness in positive youth development.

Hosted by the National Center for Summer Learning at Johns Hopkins University, the Summer Changes Everything (April 16-17, 2009 in Chicago) covers how to build and strengthen summer programs. Preconference cost: $175