Research

Administrative History

The Office of Youth Development was created to design, coordinate and promote innovative strategies to advance youth development at both the state and local levels. This function used to be performed by the Division for Youth Office of Local Services, which helped to provide funding and technical support services for the planning and operation of municipal and county youth programs. These programs have provided counties with a wide range of social, recreational, and educational community-based programs to foster positive development in youths up to 21 years, and have supported local programs through grants-in-aid contracts with county or municipal youth bureaus as well as not-for-profit youth service agencies.