• The NJ After 3 initiative succeeded in expanding the availability of after-school services and in attracting increased numbers of youth to its programs. On average, program attendance rates rose among participants at each grade level.
  
  
• Most participants attributed important academic, social, and personal outcomes to their engagement in the program.
  
  
• Teachers reported improvements in the language-arts skills of two-year participants, relative to grade-level expectations within their schools. This finding indicates that these participants made greater gains over two years than would be expected based on their performance level in the first year.
  
  
• Desired youth outcomes were most likely to be achieved in programs that had received technical assistance, that reported a positive program environment, and in which the site coordinator reported a high level of job satisfaction.
  
  
• Some programs needed additional support and training targeted at increasing the skills of front-line staff and promoting participants’ opportunities for hands-on learning, higher-order thinking, and exposure to new experiences.
  
  

                                           Second-Year Report

                                           First-Year Report