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New Jersey After 3 (NJ After 3) is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to expand and improve afterschool opportunities for New Jersey's youth. Using both public and private resources, it supports a network of youth-service providers that deliver afterschool services based on NJ After 3's program model. Under an agreement with NJ After 3, Policy Studies Associates, Inc., has conducted a longitudinal evaluation of the initiative's operations and outcomes. The evaluation has assessed the extent to which NJ After 3 has expanded the availability of afterschool services, facilitated the delivery of high-quality program content, produced positive outcomes for youth, and created sustainable systems for funding and program quality. Evaluators collected data over three program years, beginning in 2005-06, which was the second year of NJ After 3 service delivery. Throughout this report, the authors present certain data collected in the evaluation's third year (program year 2007-08) and first year (program year 2005-06) in tables and graphs in order to illustrate important program changes, developments, and outcomes. In some instances, the changes are statistically significant. All statistically significant changes are highlighted within the exhibits, and they are also noted in the text of the report. In addition to highlighting changes between these years, the report describes factors and conditions that facilitated or impeded program effectiveness, and it recommends strategies that can improve program implementation and outcomes in the future. This report is organized in six main sections. The first section describes the evaluation design and processes. Section 2 describes program participants, the frequency with which they attended NJ After 3, and their year-to-year retention rates. This section also examines challenges associated with recruiting and retaining youth at targeted grade levels. Section 3 describes the non-academic (i.e., social, emotional, behavioral, and attitudinal) and academic outcomes of program participants. Section 4 describes the activities that are offered by NJ After 3. Section 5 highlights important program accomplishments and examines the challenges that impede program implementation and program quality. Section 6 outlines recommendations for increasing sustainability and securing the resources necessary to increase program reach and ensure program quality. Appended are: (1) Details of Data Used in Analyses of Participant Experiences; (2) Details of Data Used in Analyses of Participant Academic Engagement and Skills; and (3) Details of Data used in Program Observation Analyses. (Contains 4 footnotes and 36 exhibits.) [This report was prepared for New Jersey After 3.]

To expand and improve after-school opportunities for children, New Jersey After 3 (NJ After 3) has sought to develop and implement a comprehensive system of high-quality after-school programs throughout the state. Specifically, NJ After 3 seeks to increase the number of after-school programs in New Jersey that provide a safe environment for children during after-school hours, offer enriching academic activities and homework assistance, and expose children to nurturing individuals and meaningful experiences that promote intellectual, physical, social, and artistic development. Under an agreement with NJ After 3, Policy Studies Associates, Inc., is conducting a three-year, longitudinal evaluation of the statewide initiative. This report describes what the evaluation has learned about the program goals, participants, staff, activities, operations, and short-term outcomes of this initiative based on data collected from August 2005 through July 2006. This first-year report is organized into seven main sections. The first section describes the evaluation design and processes in more detail. The second section discusses the program-level goals of the initiative and of individual programs. The third section describes student participants' characteristics and their program attendance patterns. Section four provides details about programs' activities, structural features, and resources. Sections five and six present baseline data on key program and participant outcomes emerging during the first phase of this three-year evaluation. The final section summarizes preliminary findings regarding structures and practices that are likely to affect the achievement of program goals. This discussion points out program challenges and weaknesses identified by staff, students, and parents. A technical appendix describes the method used in selecting the in-depth study sample. (Contains 28 exhibits and 4 footnotes.) [This report was submitted to New Jersey After 3 by Policy Studies Associates, Inc.]