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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 4: The 3:00 Project®: 1999/2000 Program Evaluation


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 Non-Experimental: Data collection from eight 3:00 Project stakeholder groups, including students, parents, site coordinators, staff, teachers, principals, advisory council members, and community resources at 15 3:00 Project sites.
Data Collection Methods Surveys/Questionnaires: Surveys addressed stakeholder satisfaction with the program and curriculum as well as community collaboration in support of the program. Survey respondents were asked to respond to statements on a five-point scale, from “strongly agree,” to “strongly disagree,” which was collapsed into three categories for analytic purposes. The survey also included open-ended questions. In addition, information was collected on demographics, aspects of the program liked most and least by participants, what activities and community service projects were done, where students would be after school if not in the project, and the level of difficulty of the project. In total, 706 surveys were analyzed, 420 of them from students.
Data Collection Timeframe Data were collected during the spring of 2000.


Findings:
Formative/Process Findings

Activity Implementation No students thought the things they did at the project were too hard for them. Nearly 80% thought they were just the right amount of difficulty, while 23% thought they were too easy. No parents thought activities too hard for their children; 92% thought the activities were just right, while 8% thought they were too easy.
Program Context/Infrastructure The majority of students, parents, and other adult stakeholders reported the project as a safe place to go after school.
Recruitment/Participation All sites served predominantly African-American population.

Typical students were in grades 6–8 and ages 12–14, although some sites included students in either lower or higher grades, as well as some students younger than 12 and older than 14.

Males and females were represented in approximately equal proportions across all sites.

Thirty-one percent of students said that if not in the program they would be hanging out with friends; 24% said they would be home with an adult; 18% said they would spend their afternoons home alone; 11% said they would be at another club or sports practice; 7% said they would be doing things they weren't supposed to do; 6% said they would be at the library; 16% gave a variety of other responses.

Forty-four percent of parents said their children would be home with an adult if not for the program; 29% said their children would be home alone; 21% said they would be hanging out with friends; 11% said they would be doing things they weren't supposed to do; 8% said they would be at a school or church club; 8% said they would be at sports practice; 6% said they would be at the library.
Satisfaction Over 80% of students reported liking coming to the project, while 96% of parents reported the same of their children. A little over 90% of adult stakeholders reported that students liked going to the project.
Staffing/Training Seventy percent of students and 93% of parents agreed that project staff were nice.

Sixty-six percent of students thought that staff usually knew “what the kids were up to.”

Fifty-one percent of students felt they could tell the staff about their problems; 73% of parents thought that their children would feel comfortable discussing problems with the staff.

Seventy-eight percent of students thought staff knew how to do lots of different activities.

Almost all parents thought staff did a good job of supervising the kids in the program.

Ninety-two percent of parents found the staff to be well trained and the project to be well managed.

Three-quarters of students agreed that staff did a good job helping them do their homework. Approximately 85% of parents and other adult stakeholders also agreed.


Summative/Outcome Findings

Academic Sixty-four percent of students thought they were better students because of the program; 73% of parents and 75% of stakeholders agreed.

Approximately 61% of students reported getting better grades because of the things they did in the program; 67% of parents and 68% of stakeholders agreed.
Prevention Seven percent of students and 11% of parents reported that if not for the project, the children would be doing things they weren't supposed to do after school.
Youth Development Over 80% of students and 88% of parents agreed that participants made new friends through the program.

Seventy-two percent of students reported learning new things; 89% of parents and 85% of other adult stakeholders concurred.

Over half of students felt the program helped them learn how to avoid fighting and yelling when mad, and 58% thought they got along better with people because of things they learned at the program. Seventy-percent of parents agreed with these two ideas.

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Published by Harvard Family Research Project