---

The first volume of this SpringerBrief presents a series of papers compiled from a conference about how after-school programs may be implemented to promote positive youth development (PYD) hosted by Youth-Nex, the University of Virginia Center to Promote Effective Youth Development. This volume reviews the importance of after-school programs for PYD and discusses key components of effective after-school programs. It also discusses issues related to the evaluation and measurement of quality in after-school programs. In addition, the brief presents suggestions for how researchers, policy makers, and practitioners can move the field forward and maximize the potential of after-school time and programs for promoting positive youth development for children and adolescents.
Topics featured in this brief include:

The history of the relationship between after-school programs and positive youth development.

Specific features of programs that are important for advancing positive youth development.

Issues in and approaches to measuring quality in after-school programs.

The Quality, Engagement, Skills, Transfer (QuEST) model and its use for measuring effective after-school programs.

A case study evaluation of the Girls on the Run program. After-School Programs to Promote Positive Youth Development, Volume 1 , is a must-have resource for policy makers and related professionals, graduate students, and researchers in child and school psychology, family studies, public health, social work, law/criminal justice, and sociology.

---

Executive Summary: Overview of Brief and Recommendations for Practice and Policy.- Chapter 1. Why After-School Matters for Positive Youth Development.- Chapter 2. Understanding What Makes the "Magic" Happen: Key Components of Engaging After-School Programs for Children and Adolescents.- Chapter 3. Measuring Youth Participation, Program Quality, and Social and Emotional Skills in After-School Programs.- Chapter 4. Let´s Talk After-School: The Promises and Challenges of Positive Youth Development for After-School Research, Policy, and Practice.

---

"In After-School Programs to Promote Positive Youth Development, editor Nancy Deutsch and her colleagues provide an overview of current research, practice, and policy on PYD ... . appropriate for those who are involved in developing, implementing, researching, evaluating, or funding these programs for youth. This audience may include researchers, practitioners, educators, program developers, funders, and policy makers. ... content certainly spans education, psychology, public policy, and leadership fields, and within psychology, there are clear connections to developmental and educational psychology." (Michelle Stroffolino Schmidt, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 62 (50), December, 2017)

---