Afterschool Programs’ Support of Children’s Social-Emotional, Behavioral, and Physical Health During Middle Childhood: A Targeted Review of the Literature

This literature review identifies interventions and practices implemented in afterschool settings that improve children’s social-emotional, behavioral, and physical health.

The accompanying overview details the methodology and findings, and the summary highlights key findings on positive outcomes. The findings may be helpful to policymakers and program administrators working to allocate resources serving children from low-income working families.

The literature review was conducted as part of the Improving Programs, Policies, and Services to Promote Healthy Development in Middle Childhood in Afterschool Settings project to identify—

• Afterschool programs reporting positive outcomes during middle childhood
• Evidence for differential impacts by gender
• Characteristics of programs, participants, and families associated with programs reporting positive outcomes
• Routines, content, and activities of programs reporting positive outcomes

A collaboration by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation and Office of Women’s Health, the project examined how relevant federal investments support local efforts. The study focused on the extent to which evidence-based interventions are implemented in afterschool programs; promising practices for administering, improving, and sustaining these interventions; and how programs can better address the needs of boys and girls.