The Afterschool Investments Project Provides New Resources

The Afterschool Investments Project is funded by the Child Care and Development Fund through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and provides a series of tools and information to help states assess their school age child care efforts.

State Child Care Subsidy Administration Policies Audio Conference
On January 31, 2008, the Afterschool Investments project held an audio conference for State and Regional Office staff on subsidy administration policies for school-age care, with a focus on state strategies for facilitating transitions between the regular school year and school breaks. This event was based on a new strategy brief released by Afterschool Investments. Please click here for more information about this event.

Using Quality Rating Systems to Promote Quality in Afterschool Programs
Executive Summary: Most tiered quality ratings systems were designed with early care providers in mind, but are readily adaptable to providers that care for school-age children. For those providers who only serve school-age children, adapting the ratings systems is more challenging. This brief outlines issues in adapting tiered quality ratings for those caring for school-age children; offers suggestions for adaptations; and provides examples of innovative solutions that states are proposing.

School-Age Children in Regulated Family Child Care Settings
This publication explores the role of licensed family child care providers in caring for school-age children. It outlines steps that states can take to better support these providers in serving school-age or mixed-age groups and addresses information gaps in the field where further research is needed.

Building Professional Development Systems for the Afterschool Field
Executive Summary: This publication provides a snapshot of state and local approaches to building professional development systems for school-age care professionals, highlighting the shared challenges these systems face and the common components of sustainable professional development systems.

State Child Care Subsidy Administration Policies for School-Age Care
This strategy brief examines subsidy administration policies and practices with regard to how they promote access to care for school-age children. It explores how states establish provider reimbursement rates for school-age care, determine co-payments for families with children in school, and develop strategies to facilitate the transitions between part-time care during the school year and full-time care during school and summer breaks.

State Afterschool Profiles
These annually updated profiles provide a snapshot of the “state of afterschool" in every state as well as an opportunity to compare afterschool activities across the country. Profiles highlight key data and descriptions of the afterschool landscape, which include a range of out-of-school time programming that can occur before and after school, on weekends, and during summer months. They are designed to serve as a resource for policymakers, administrators, and providers. Please click here for updated profiles for all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

Federal Resources for Afterschool Providers
This resource list offers a sample of information available on the Afterschool.gov website, including tips on starting and operating an afterschool program, accessing resources for program funding and financing, delivering fun and innovative curriculum and activities, and addressing issues facing America's youth.

Source: The Afterschool Investments Project website