Child Trends identified evaluated after-school programs in Atlanta that: were 501 c3 organizations; served over 50 children; served youth between the ages of 8 and 16; had an operating budget of $100,000 and higher; and were evaluated. Programs were excluded if they were large institutions such as schools, juvenile detention centers, residential group homes, religious organizations and hospitals.

To compile a list of programs that might meet these criteria a standardized process was used:

GuideStar Scan: *GuideStar, (the national database of non-profit organizations filing 990s) was used to identify relevant programs based on the criteria specified by Atlantic Philanthropies. A standard set of search terms were used to allow for consistent searching. The search terms used were: children, youth program(s), and child programs.*GuideStar was also searched under the category of “youth development”. Once the relevant program information was identified, it was included in the description of the program.

After-School Program Scan: If information in Guide Star indicated that the program had been evaluated, then the program web-site was scanned for relevant evaluation information.

Phone interviews with Programs Director and Community Foundations/Experts: Where individual program web-sites did not yield detailed evaluation information, phone interviews with program sites managers were conducted. In the case of Atlanta community experts and Program Directors were interviewed from: Cool Girls; Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Inc.; GOAL Inc.; and Yes! Atlanta.

Web-Based Searches: In the case of Atlanta, internet web-based searches were conducted of the following: The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta’s 211 Online Database (an online referral service, located at http://211online.unitedwayatlanta.org); The Promising Practices Network: Proven and Promising Programs that provided information on Communities in Schools of Georgia, and Postponing Sexual Involvement (located at http://www.promisingpractices.net); the Harvard Family Research Project that provided information on the 3:00 Project; and the SAMSHA Model Program site that provided information on Youth PRIDE (web site: http://www.modelprograms.samhsa.gov). These scans allowed us to identify supplemental program evaluation information.

National Umbrella Organizations: To obtain additional evaluation information, a series of searches of national umbrella organizations were conducted. These Internet, web-based searches of national umbrella associations included Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Boy Scouts of America, Boys and Girls Clubs, Girls, Inc., and Junior Achievement. These searches yielded important evaluation studies, often multi-site studies, which may or may not have had Atlanta as a site.

Evaluation Research Databases:  Evaluation information was also obtained from evaluation research databases. These research databases included but were not limited to the Public/Private Ventures, Louis Harris and Associates, The Urban Institute, Georgia State University Department of Psychology, Junior Achievement National Education Team & Worldwide Institute for Research and Evaluation, and the Georgia School Age Care Association.

Peer-Reviewed Journals: We used several databases containing evaluation research articles to complete an evaluation literature search. The data bases used include PsycINFO, Sociofile, EBSCO, and Web of Science. This literature search allowed us to identify several well-known journals that contained articles on after-school program evaluation. Some of the journals used in this search included Prevention Science, Drugs and Society, Family Planning Perspectives, and the American Journal of Public Health. These articles were identified, sourced, and incorporated into the program evaluation summaries.