News and Press

Obesity Rates in U.S. Appear to Be Finally Leveling Off
Los Angeles Times
By Shari Roan | January 17, 2012
After a 30-year, record-shattering rise, U.S. obesity rates appear to be stabilizing. New statistics cited in two papers report only a slight uptick since 2005 — leaving public health experts tentatively optimistic that they may be gaining some ground. Many obesity specialists say the new data, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are a sign that efforts to address the obesity problem are beginning to have an effect in a country where two-thirds of adults and one-third of children and teens are overweight or obese. Read More.

Who’s Who has awarded Dr. Andi Fletcher the 2011 Professional of the Year representing the Educational Consulting Industry.

Andi is currently the Chief Afterschool Consultant for the Center for Collaborative Solutions and a nationally recognized expert, keynote speaker, author, workshop presenter and coach in afterschool program and leadership development. Andi is leading CCS’ Healthy Behaviors Initiative and is the author of Changing Lives, Saving Lives, A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Exemplary Practices in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Food Security in Afterschool Programs. Earlier this year, Andi was also recognized at the 2011 BOOST conference with the 2011 OSTI Pioneer award for her leadership in the afterschool field.

Learning in Afterschool Blog
Comments from Carla Sanger on Expanded Learning Opportunities
By Sam Piha | September 1, 2011
California already has a significant commitment to learning in the afterschool hours through the passage of Proposition 49. So, what does the idea of extending the school day mean to afterschool leaders in California? Click here to view a response from Carla Sanger, CEO of LA’s BEST, one of California’s largest and most effective afterschool program providers.
New Brief Linking Physical Activity to Academic Achievement
Leadership for Healthy Communities, a national program office of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has released a new brief that links academic achievement to policies that promote physical activity. The brief provides suggestions for ways to improve the quality and amount of physical education and physical activity in schools as well as outside of classroom time.

Interested in quality measurement tools for after school programs?
Check out this new paper, A Crosswalk Between the Learning in Afterschool Learning Principles and Afterschool Quality Measurement Tools, by Sam Piha of Temescal Associates and Corey Newhouse of Public Profits. The paper identifies the overlap between the learning principles promoted by the Learning in Afterschool project with items in six program quality measurement tools—tools that serve as good examples of quality measurement tools for afterschool programs. Read More.

Annie E. Casey Foundation Releases 2011 KIDS COUNT Data Book
According to the foundation's annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, the official child poverty rate increased 18 percent between 2000 and 2009, essentially returning to the same level as the early 1990s.... Read More.

The state’s current teacher shortage and severe budget crisis require public nonprofit and private institutions to work together and develop new strategies to meet the demand for skilled and knowledgeable teachers. This policy brief highlights an innovative approach … Read More.

America After 3PM Study Rates CA Afterschool in Top 10.
Each afternoon across the U.S., 15 million children--more than a quarter of our children--are alone and unsupervised after school. The parents of 18 million would enroll their children in an afterschool program, if one were available. These are some of the key findings from the nation’s most in-depth study of how America’s children spend their afternoons. America After 3PM was sponsored by the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. Read More.