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program does the evaluation focus on, and when was it conducted?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The evaluation focuses on the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Literacy Enrichment Afterschool Program (LEAP) during the 2018–19 program year.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What core hypothesis guides the evaluation of LEAP?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The evaluation explores whether drop-in programming in a literacy-rich environment helps young people develop skills needed to succeed in school and beyond.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How does LEAP’s drop-in design affect participation and success measures?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Participation includes both regular and occasional attendees, so the report recommends that success metrics reflect serving families in varied ways rather than relying on assumptions from typical OST attendance 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Library of Philadelphia’s LEAP Program  \nChristina A. Russell Julie Meredith  \nThe William Penn Foundation provided funding for this report. The  \nopinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the William Penn Foundation.  \nEXECUTIVE SUMMARY  \nThe Free Library of Philadelphia’s Literacy Enrichment Afterschool Program (LEAP) is a key part of Philadelphia’s comprehensive citywide Out-of-School Time (OST) system. For more than 25 years, the Free Library has offered children academic support and enrichment through LEAP, a free, voluntary, and drop-in program. At the request of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Policy Studies Associates (PSA) conducted an evaluation of LEAP during the 2018-19 program year.  \nFocused on the experiences of LEAP participants in PreK-3, the evaluation explored a central hypothesis: Drop-in programming in a literacy-rich environment can help young people develop the skills they need to succeed in school and beyond. Drawing on data collected through interviews with LEAP staff and librarians, program observations, surveys of students and of staff, and analysis of participation records, the evaluation explored the contribution of LEAP to the citywide OST system and the benefits of LEAP participation. Key findings and our recommendations for further strengthening the program are summarized below.  \nLEAP offers a distinct contribution to the Philadelphia OST System  \nA drop-in program accessible to all  \nLEAP is grounded in the Free Library’s mission to “advance literacy, guide learning, and inspire curiosity” and in the public library commitment to be an open and accessible community resource. Reflecting these values, LEAP is committed to its role as a drop-in program, available to all children without expectation for daily attendance. LEAP encourages children and families to engage with the program based on their needs. While some children attend LEAP daily, other families do not need or want to commit to a daily program but benefit nonetheless from the resources and assistance available on occasion. For families like these, LEAP offers important flexibility and complements other structured OST opportunities available in Philadelphia.  \nIndeed, participation records suggest that LEAP welcomes both a core group of regular participants and occasional participants: of the 1,538 PreK-3 children recorded as coming to a LEAP program in 2018-19, 27 percent attended for more than 20 days of programming, and 25 percent attended only once. This pattern of utilization is reflective of LEAP’s goals and expectations, and we recommend that metrics for LEAP’s success and contribution to the Philadelphia’s OST system reflect the value of serving families and children in a range of ways; assumptions underlying typical OST participation measures are inconsistent with LEAP design.  \nAn opportunity for whole-family learning  \nLocated in public libraries, LEAP sites have a unique opportunity to create an inclusive learning environment that meets the needs of both children and families, especially since Free Library requires that an adult accompany young children (7 and under) to LEAP. In our observations, LEAP staff  \nEXECUTIVE SUMMARY i  \ninconsistently leveraged this opportunity to create a space where a family can learn together: in some libraries, adult caregivers play only the role of a chaperone while LEAP staff work with the child. However, in some programs we saw LEAP staff leverage the presence of these caregivers to amplify the impact of the program. For example, LEAP improved the capacity of parents to support their child’s learning by modeling homework assistance strategies, directing them to additional resources, and connecting them to a wide array of community resources.  \nA literacy-rich environment  \nLEAP offers a literacy-rich environment. Although LEAP is no","cbCaiqDyEjHinVMo","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiqDyEjHinVMo","pdf",2936305,42,"English","# Executive Summary\n## LEAP offers a distinct contribution to the Philadelphia OST System\n### A drop-in program accessible to all\n### An opportunity for whole-family learning\n### A literacy-rich environment\n## LEAP helps participants develop literacy competencies\n## A safe and supportive environment for learning","[{\"question\":\"What program does the evaluation focus on, and when was it conducted?\",\"answer\":\"The evaluation focuses on the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Literacy Enrichment Afterschool Program (LEAP) during the 2018–19 program year.\"},{\"question\":\"What core hypothesis guides the evaluation of LEAP?\",\"answer\":\"The evaluation explores whether drop-in programming in a literacy-rich environment helps young people develop skills needed to succeed in school and beyond.\"},{\"question\":\"How does LEAP’s drop-in design affect participation and success measures?\",\"answer\":\"Participation includes both regular and occasional attendees, so the report recommends that success metrics reflect serving families in varied ways rather than relying on assumptions from typical OST attendance measures.\"}]","Literacy Learning in Drop-in Library Programs - Evaluation of the Free Library of Philadelphia’s LEAP Program | PDF",1792058307,106]