Guide to Effective Programs
for Children and Youth





Service or Vocational Learning



Career Academies
Program with mentoring component worked to decrease problem behaviors and increase social skills and attitudes in school-age children.

Career Beginnings
Program with mentoring, academic, and workplace components has positive impacts on youths’ academic and professional achievements.

Job Corps
Multi-component program for disadvantaged youth has many positive impacts as well as some null and negative impacts.

Job Training Partnership Act
Program that provides various job-training services had positive and negative impacts.

JobStart
Multi-component program had positive impacts on employment- and education-related outcomes.

Quantum Opportunities Program (QOP)
Intensive, multi-year program had positive impacts on disadvantaged teens' educational, reproductive, and community service outcomes.

Reach for Health Service Learning Program
Program reduced the likelihood of participants initiating sex by 10th grade.

South Oxnard Challenge Program (SOCP)
Program was effective in increasing the amount of contact with staff, the amount of time that was spent on a child's case, and the child's use of referral services.

Summer Training and Education Program (STEP)
Community- and school-level program had positive short-term, but not long-term, behavioral impacts.

Teen Outreach Program (TOP)
Multi-component volunteering program had positive impacts on educational, reproductive, and certain behavioral outcomes.

Washington State Client-Centered Pregnancy Prevention Programs
Program decreased likelihood of teens having and intending to have intercourse.

Youth Corps
Paid service-work program positively impacted several young adult outcomes.