Child Trends identified evaluated after-school programs in Oakland 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 $340,000 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. In a few cases, programs that did not meet one of the above criteria but had undergone very strong evaluations were also included.

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 site managers were conducted. In the case of Oakland, Program Directors at multiple sites, including the East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC), KIPP Bridge College Preparatory, Museum of Children’s Arts (MOCHA), Oakland Asian Students Educational Services (OASES), and Safe Passages, 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 Oakland, important supplemental evaluation information was obtained from sites such as the Oakland Unified School District (www.ousd.k12.ca.us), the California Department of Education (www.cde.ca.gov), the City of Oakland website (www.oaklandnet.com), the Alameda County Probation Department (www.acgov.org/probation), and the U.S. Department of Education (www.ed.gov).

National and Regional Umbrella Organizations: To obtain additional evaluation information, a series of searches of national and regional umbrella organizations were conducted. These Internet, web-based searches of national umbrella associations included the Oakland Fund for Children and Youth (OFCY), The Stuart Foundation, Advocates for Youth, and the George P. Scotland Youth and Family Center. These searches yielded important evaluation studies, often multi-site studies, which may or may not have had Oakland 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, the Promising Practices Network, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA’s) Model Program site. Evaluations included in these databases yielded important information for Oakland.

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 Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health, Prevention Science, Journal of the American Medical Association, and Applied and Preventive Psychology. The evaluation reports used in these articles were identified, sourced, and incorporated into the program evaluation summaries.