National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment Resource Library

The Urban Institute engaged in a yearlong project to document how states access and strategically use federal funds to support early childhood systems and compensation. Five states including GA, IL, NM, TX, WA and other leaders joined in a convening to discuss their experiences. States shared challenges and the innovative strategies they are employing that include tailoring strategies to state context to address fragmentation; using philanthropic or private TA organizations to build state leaders' knowledge of how to access funds; and using cost models to advance child care compensation.  

This brief draw on interviews with administrators on what ten states have learned about sustaining policy gains after the pandemic (CT, IL, KS, KY, NC, ND, NM, OK, OR, SC). Listed are allowable strategies used to: (1) increase the number of families eligible for child care assistance; (2) reduce the burden of family copayments; (3) stabilize child care based on actual cost of care; and (4) support higher compensation for the workforce. This resource supports equity.

The Center for American Progress partnered with community leaders to learn directly from parents and providers about challenges of living in child care deserts in Nashua, NH; Grand Rapids, MI; and Albuquerque, NM. The Center recommends that sustained investments in child care can transform the system by building supply, expanding affordability, and supporting the workforce. An additional resource is a map of child care deserts based on earlier data collection that can be found here: https://childcaredeserts.org. This resource supports equity.

This brief summarizes findings from a study about equity in out-of-school-time programs run by school districts. It explores: (1) what equity looks like in OST programs provided by equity-minded districts; (2) what challenges districts face integrating their equity goals and efforts into their OST programs; (3) what actions districts can take to meet these challenges; and (4) what further research is needed to better inform policy and practice. This resource supports equity.  The companion full report can be found here: https://education.virginia.edu/documents/how-do-districts-implement-equity-afterschool-and-summer-programs

This journal article in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences examines the role of afterschool and recommends that programs focus on relationships, developing youth interest, identity and social capital. Given the pressure from government and funders to focus on academics, this is an equity issue because research shows that wealthier youth are more likely to be offered enrichment experiences to develop interests and identify, but low-income and youth of color are more likely to have OST as extended forms of child care or schooling. This resource supports equity.  

This tool kit can help partners across the nation understand the child care landscape, establish new relationships, and build bipartisan solutions to child care's most pressing challenges. Included are sections on the child care funding landscape; tips for building support; talking points for making the case; and supporting child care and early learning in centers, family child care, and in support of American Indian and Alaskan Native children.  

This report from the Afterschool Alliance summarizes the results of a survey from Fall 2022 of 1,016 providers representing 7,400 centers. The survey found that 1 in 4 providers have not been able to return to pre-pandemic program capacity due to difficulties recruiting and retaining staff; increased costs of running programs; and some issues with demand since many parents are working from home. When asked about supports that would be helpful, the priority was advice about preventing staff burnout and keeping teams engaged. 

This tool is designed to assist states and territories with calculating the annual and monthly State Median Income (SMI) and Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG) used to determine income eligibility and family co-payments for child care subsidy programs. Included are related resources and the tool connects to a Microsoft excel spreadsheet to calculate the SMI; the file is available by emailing [email protected]

Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) agencies are required to consider cost information when setting payment rates. Many meet these by doing a narrow cost analysis. This three-part series of issue briefs includes helpful information on: (1) Defining narrow cost analysis; (2) Approaches to narrow cost analysis including cost models and cost surveys; and (3) Using a narrow cost analysis to inform payment rates. These resources can help OST leaders understand how CCDF is moving toward the true cost of quality, equitable staff compensation, and increasing payment rates. This resource addresses equity. 

The Virginia Partnership for Out-of-School Time (VPOST) developed a map of OST programs and the relationship with population density, poverty, and Social Vulnerability Index in Virginia as a way to highlight gaps in the availability of programs. The OST Access Map project is now being used as an advocacy tool to expand access to more children. This project could serve as a model for other states.