A project of the Afterschool Alliance.

Virtual Y the afterschool program: A ray of sunshine for urban public elementary school children

Year Published: 2005

A report by The National Center for Schools and Communities at Fordham University presenting the results of seven years of evaluation for the YMCA of Greater New York’s Virtual Y afterschool program—an afterschool program that served elementary school students five days a week between 3 and 6 p.m. Teachers reported significant improvements in classroom behavior for Virtual Y participants, including improvement in task motivation, frustration tolerance, learning skills, acting out, peer social skills, assertive social skills, and shyness and anxiety. The average school day attendance of 3rd and 4th grade Virtual Y participants also exceeded the average attendance of a comparison group. Additionally, Virtual Y participants outperformed a comparison group in post-program math scores.

Program Name: Virtual Y initiative, YMCA of NYC

Program Description: The Virtual Y initiative brings YMCA afterschool programs and providers to NYC elementary schools to provide free afterschool programming to students attending New York City public schools who could not otherwise participate. It offers academic enrichment opportunities—including reading and math support, as well as games and activities to keep children engaged, nutrition and healthy lifestyle information, and includes a focus on teaching values, such as respect and responsibility. Between 1997 and 2005, the Virtual Y served more than 50,000 elementary school students in New York City.

Scope of the Evaluation: Local

Program Type: Afterschool

Location: New York, NY

Community Type: Urban

Grade level: Elementary School

Program Demographics: The Virtual Y program aims to serve at-risk youth, with the majority of students being ethnic minorities, and a large proportion of students coming from low-income families.

Program Website: http://www.ymcanyc.org/association/preview/classes/yafterschool

Evaluator: Eddins, G. National Center for Schools and Communities at Fordham University.

Evaluation Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, students participating in the Virtual Y afterschool program were compared to a group of similar nonparticipants—controlling for students’ demographic features, prior math skill, and school attendance. Data were collected through teacher surveys and math test scores.

Evaluation Type: Quasi-experimental

Summary of Outcomes: The study found that the YMCA of Greater New York Virtual Y program had a positive impact on students’ academics, school day attendance and behavior. Virtual Y participants significantly outperformed the comparison group in post-program math scores, demonstrating statistically significant gains in math test scores compared to their peers who did not participate in the program. The average school day attendance of third and fourth grade Virtual Y participants also exceeded the average attendance of the similar comparison group.

The study’s author also examined the effect of the program on student behavior and based on teachers surveyed, there were significant improvements in classroom behavior for Virtual Y participants. More specifically, participants in the YMCA of Greater New York Virtual Y programs demonstrated statistically significant and moderate-to-large improvements in task motivation, frustration tolerance, learning skills, acting out, peer social skills, assertive social skills, shyness and anxiety, as well as showed improvement on the overall behavior scale.