Key Components of Engaging After-School Programs for Children and Adolescents

Abstract

After-schools programs provide youth with access to positive experiences that are not easily matched in other contexts of their lives (e.g., Larson & Dawes in Cultivating adolescents’ motivation. Wiley, Hoboken, pp. 313–328, 2015). Research has demonstrated that youth experience more combined levels of concentration, hard work, and enjoyment in after-school programs compared to schools (Larson in Am Psychol 55:170, 2000). Understanding what factors and processes help to make after-school programs effective at supporting positive development has been a focus of many stakeholders in the field. In this chapter, we focus on the features of programs that positively impact youths’ engagement (i.e., a state characterized by focused attention, deliberate and sustained effort towards a program goal). Specifically, we discuss three features that have been identified as important for advancing engagement: structure, support for efficacy and mattering, and supportive peer relationships. Additionally, the discussion of these features is enhanced by incorporating supporting evidence from research and practice domains. To conclude, recommendations for practice and policy are presented.