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OST in Iowa
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”.
OST in Iowa
Before school, after school, and summer learning programs support working families by filling the gap between work and school schedules, providing additional learning opportunities for youth beyond the classroom, and keeping kids safe. Despite these advantages and the demonstrated improvements that afterschool can have on student success, the demand for programs far exceeds what is available in Iowa.
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45,629 children and teens participate in afterschool programs across the state.
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195,758 youth in Iowa would participate in an afterschool program if one were available.
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25% of Iowa’s youth are alone and unsupervised between the hours of 3 and 6 p.m.
The Iowa Afterschool Alliance exists to increase access to high-quality afterschool programs and reduce this deficit between the number of programs offered and the number of youth who want to participate. The IAA works towards this goal by identifying the programs that exist in Iowa, providing guidance on improving program quality, supporting the afterschool workforce, and helping launch new programs.
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