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Additional Resources
Out-of-School Time (OST) is supervised programming that youth regularly participate in before school, after school, and during summer break. These programs keep young people safe, provide child care for working families, and organize activities that help youth develop skills and improve academically. Sometimes, these programs are collectively referred to as “afterschool”.
More resources to start an Afterschool program
Your one stop shop for all things afterschool in Iowa!
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School age children and youth spend 80% of their waking hours outside of school, while 1 in 5 young people in the US are alone after the school day ends. High quality programs promote positive youth development and offer a safe space where students can explore their potential.
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Snacks and Meals
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
This webpage from the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides information and resources on the CACFP program and how it applies to afterschool programs, including information on how to participate in at-risk afterschool meals, frequently asked questions, athletic programs and afterschool meal service, and more.
IAA Quality Standards and Self-Assessment Rubric
When undertaken as a whole, the Iowa Afterschool Alliance’s Quality Standards provide a foundation for providing the most effective afterschool program – a program that prepares all its students to succeed in school, work and life. The goal of these Quality Standards is to reach each one as best as each site’s ability, considering time and experience, program size, number of staff, available funding, building or location restrictions, and so on. The IAA has also created a self-assessment tool that programs can use to evaluate their quality according to these standards and then develop a plan for improvement.