Child Trends identified evaluated after-school programs in Chicago that: were 501 c3 organizations; served over 50 children; served children and adolescents between the ages of 8 and 16; had an operating budget of $750,000 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 Community Foundations and Experts: Where individual program web-sites did not yield detailed evaluation information, phone interviews with program sites managers were conducted. In the case of Chicago, Program Directors at Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of Chicago, Girls' Best Friend Foundation, After School Matters, and the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum were interviewed. 

Web-Based Searches: Internet web-based searches of government and city and state level web-sites were also conducted. In the case of Chicago, important supplemental evaluation information was obtained from Illinois' Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Prevention and Research Development at the University of Illinois.

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 Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters, 4-H Youth Development Program, Junior Achievement, and Boy Scouts of America. These searches yielded important evaluation studies, often multi-site studies, which may or may not have had Chicago 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 Harvard Research Family Project, MDRC, Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Child Trends (Lifecourse Model), Policy Studies Associates, Public/Private Ventures, RAND, and the Academy for Educational Development. Evaluations completed by The Promising Practices Network on Children, Families, and Communities yielded important information.

Peer-Reviewed Journals: We also 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 include Prevention Science, Drugs and Society, and The Elementary School Journal. The evaluation reports used in these articles were identified, sourced, and incorporated into the program evaluation summaries.