An Outcome Evaluation of the Spirituality for Kids Program

This report presents results from a multisite, quantitative evaluation of the international Spirituality for Kids (SFK) after-school program. Despite its name, SFK is a nonreligious program that seeks to build resilience in children by teaching them to access inner resources and build positive connections with others. The SFK program is unlike most after-school programs both in its focus on spiritual development and in its focus on spiritual development and in its emphasis on outcomes related to resilience rather than academics. The authors found that the program had beneficial effects on adaptive skills, behavioral problems, overexternalization of problems, and school problems, and the effects persisted at 12-week follow-up. Interestingly, the program positively affected school-related outcomes, even though SFK is not an academic intervention. Overall, a major strength of the program appears to be its careful attention to uniformity of program delivery -- in particular, its standardized curriculum, use of experienced teachers, and format teacher-training program.