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Program Description

Overview The mission of the 3:00 Project, a statewide after school initiative in Georgia, is to transform the out-of-school time of early adolescents: instead of unsupervised, unstructured, and unproductive hours, they should be given the opportunity for challenge, commitment, and care. The middle school-based initiative has three key goals: to provide safety for children when they are out of school, to encourage the collaboration of community resources, and to build skills and improve academic success of participating students. The program seeks to provide youth opportunities to grow socially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically.
Start Date 1994
Scope state
Type after school
Location urban, suburban, rural
Setting public school
Participants middle school students
Number of Sites/Grantees 9 sites in 1995–1996; 9 contractors offered the project at 16 sites in 1997–1998—17 additional sites were funded as independent Middle School After School (MSAS) programs, but used the 3:00 Project's curriculum; 9 contractors offered the project at 12 sites in 1998–1999 (with 25 additional MSAS sites); 10 contractors offered the project at 15 sites in 1999–2000 (with 25 additional MSAS sites)
Number Served approximately 500 in 1995–1996; over 750 in 1997–1998; 802 in 1999–2000; over 950 in 2002–2003
Components The programs must provide a safe and nurturing environment that meets the developmental needs of early adolescents; provide opportunities that encourage social, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth; improve school success; and encourage collaboration of community institutions and agencies to support students, the program, and the community. The 3:00 Project uses a curriculum with four components: community service learning, academic enrichment, communication strategies, and socialization/ recreation.

Goals of community service learning are to provide youth with opportunities for developing commitment and attachment to the larger society through productive, meaningful volunteer activities, and also to serve as an outlet for adolescents' capacity and desire to assume responsibility and explore adult roles.

The academic enrichment component is designed to build and enhance skills that support academic achievement, offer enrichment activities beyond the scope of the school curriculum, and incorporate career exploration.

The communication strategies component includes opportunities for participants to enhance their verbal and nonverbal communication skills to support effective decision making, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills.

The socialization/recreation component includes activities that provide participants opportunities to learn and practice social skills, to experience a variety of recreational activities, and to promote mental and physical wellness.
Funding Level $300,000 until 2000–2001; $290,000 in 2001–2002; $285,000 in 2002–2003; the program was not funded by the state in 2003–2004
Funding Sources GSACA, Georgia General Assembly, and private sources; funds are administered from the Georgia Department of Education budget
Other The 3:00 Project is administered by the Georgia School Age Care Association (GSACA). GSACA provides grants to local school districts and parks and recreation departments to implement after school programs in middle schools. GSACA provides technical assistance and training to 3:00 Project sites and training was available to MSAS sites on a contract basis. In 1997 money was provided by the state to fund additional after school programs in local middle schools. Grantees of these middle school after school programs were given the option of using the 3:00 Project curriculum or another age-appropriate curriculum provided that it offered daily or weekly academic enrichment and community service opportunities. The 3:00 Project was not funded by the state for the 2003–2004 school year. The curriculum is still used in a number of locations, but GSACA's involvement will be limited to working with programs only if they contract for services with them. It is now up to local systems to offer the 3:00 Project if they want to with their own funding. Several districts received funding from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants to keep their programs operational.

Evaluation

Overview Annual evaluations are conducted to assess the effectiveness of the 3:00 Project in achieving its mission and goals and to improve the initiative.
Evaluator Anne Marie Carlisi, Ph.D. in 1995–1996; Jenny A. Lipana, MPH, CHES in 1997–1998; Susan E. Bockrath, MPH, CHES in 1998–1999; and Andrea Smith in 1999–2000
Evaluations Profiled The 3:00 Project® program evaluation: Executive summary September 1995 – May 1996

The 3:00 Project®: 1997/1998 program evaluation

The 3:00 Project®: 1998/1999 program evaluation

The 3:00 Project®: 1999/2000 program evaluation
Evaluations Planned The 2002–2003 evaluation is underway.
Report Availability Carlisi, A. M. (1996). The 3:00 Project® program evaluation: Executive summary September 1995 – May 1996. Decatur, GA: Georgia School Age Care Association.

Manior, S. H. (1997). Effects of a structured after school program on middle school students. Unpublished dissertation, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg.

Lipana, J. A. (1998). The 3:00 Project®: 1997/1998 program evaluation. Decatur, GA: Georgia School Age Care Association.

Bockrath, S. E. (1999). The 3:00 Project®: 1998/1999 program evaluation. Decatur, GA: Georgia School Age Care Association.

Smith, A. (2000). The 3:00 Project®: 1999/2000 program evaluation. Decatur, GA: Georgia School Age Care Association.


Contacts

Evaluation Stephanie T. Brumbeloe
Georgia School Age Care Association
246 Sycamore St., Ste. 252
Decatur, GA 30030
Tel: 404-373-7414
Fax: 404-373-7428
Email: gsaca@gsaca.com
Program Stephanie T. Brumbeloe
Georgia School Age Care Association
246 Sycamore St., Ste. 252
Decatur, GA 30030
Tel: 404-373-7414
Fax: 404-373-7428
Email: gsaca@gsaca.com
Profile Updated October 3, 2003

Evaluation 1: The 3:00 Project® Program Evaluation: Executive Summary September 1995 – May 1996


Evaluation Description

Evaluation Purpose To assess the effectiveness of the 3:00 Project in achieving its mission and goals and to improve the initiative.
Evaluation Design Quasi-Experimental and Non-Experimental: Data were collected from participating students, their parents, teachers, principals, 3:00 Project Site Coordinators, and local 3:00 Project Advisory Council members. Longitudinal grades and attendance records collected for participating students in three of the sites allowed for an analysis of participants' changes in these areas over time.
Data Collection Methods Secondary Source/Data Review: Grade and attendance record data were obtained from three of the nine sites. In total, 174 students' grades and attendance records were included in the evaluation. This data were available for students twice per year.

Surveys/Questionnaires: Survey results were received and analyzed from seven of the nine sites. One hundred and twelve parent surveys were completed, along with 206 student surveys, 27 teacher surveys, 5 principal surveys, 5 site coordinator surveys, and 8 advisory council member surveys. Participants were asked to respond to statements about the 3:00 Project on a five-point scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” Survey questions concerned satisfaction with the project, safety, project staff, communication and collaboration between various parties, academic success, skill building, behavioral change, and community service learning. Surveys were administered once per year between April and May.
Data Collection Timeframe Data were collected during the 1995–1996 school year.


Findings:
Formative/Process Findings

Activity Implementation Of the students surveyed, 73.5% agreed that the project's activities made good use of their time and talents.
Costs/Revenues Approximately 79% of parents agreed that they could afford the project's fees.
Parent/Community Involvement Of the parents surveyed, 80% agreed that the program staff kept them informed about their children's successes and difficulties.

Ninety-two percent of parents surveyed felt free to visit the program any time.

Of the parents surveyed, 82% felt free to share their ideas with program staff.
Program Context/Infrastructure Approximately 80% of students, 96% of parents and teachers, and 100% of principals, site coordinators, and advisory council members agreed that the project provides a safe and healthy place for adolescents to go after school.

Over 89% of parents agreed that their children were safer than children who did not participate in the project.

Nearly 95% of parents surveyed agreed that the project's hours fit their needs, while 96.4% agreed that the project's schedule fit their needs.
Satisfaction Over 80% of students surveyed liked coming to the project.

Of the students surveyed, 74.3% would encourage a friend to come.
Staffing/Training Two-thirds of the students surveyed agreed that staff members were positive role models.

Seventy percent of students agreed that the staff was well trained.

Almost three-quarters of students agreed that they liked and respected the staff and 69.1% reported that the staff liked and respected them.

Between 80% and 100% of parents, teachers, principals, site coordinators, and advisory council members agreed that the staff was well trained and served as positive role models for adolescents, and 85%–100% also believed that children were well cared for and supervised by program staff.

Students' satisfaction with staff varied by site, with students reporting high levels of satisfaction with staff in four sites, and more moderate levels of satisfaction in the remaining three sites.


Summative/Outcome Findings

Academic Approximately 55%–70% of students across the three sites with grade data available experienced at least one of their grades improving from the beginning to the end of the school year; none of these students experienced a drop in grades in any of their classes.

Sixty percent of students and 70% each of parents and teachers surveyed reported that students were more interested in school as a result of the program.

Of those surveyed, 67.6% of students, 78% of parents, and 51% of teachers reported that students improved their grades as a result of the program.

Sixty-eight percent of students, 88% of parents, and 63% of teachers surveyed reported that students completed more and better homework as a result of the program.
Prevention Overall, 70% of students agreed that since participating, they were less involved in dangerous situations, while only 10% of students disagreed with this statement.

Over 70% of participants agreed that they were involved in less dangerous situations than their nonparticipating friends.

Nearly 95% of parents agreed that the project reduced their child's exposure to high-risk situations.
Systemic Three-quarters each of teachers, principals, site coordinators, and advisory council members agreed that the project had improved the quality and availability of after school care in their communities.
Youth Development About 90% of parents agreed that their children learned valuable new communication skills since they began participating.

Over 80% of parents agreed that their children learned how to handle conflict better as a result of the program.

Approximately 75%–80% of parents and teachers agreed that participating children had fewer behavior problems, were more cooperative with adults, and were better at following adult rules and directions since participating.

Roughly 60–70% of students agreed that their communication and personal skills had improved since participating in the project, although responses varied greatly by site.

Students at sites where community service was not a regular part of the programming were less likely to report liking community service work and the intention of doing volunteer work in the future.

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