In April 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) hosted a Forum, Emphasizing Evidence-Based Programs for Children and Youth, to convene the leading practitioners and researchers with experience using and evaluating an array of evidence-based programs for children and youth. During the Forum, experts discussed challenges encountered when selecting and replicating evidence-based programs (EBP s) and also identified approaches for developing evidence-informed programs when EBPs are not available or applicable for a given population. This brief introduces key themes that emerged from the discussion. This is one of four research briefs prepared under the auspices of an ASPE contract entitled Emphasizing Evidence-Based Programs for Children and Youth: An Examination of Policy Issues and Practice Dilemmas Across Federal Initiatives.