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Starting an afterschool program

Planning to start an afterschool program? Congratulations!

There's no definitive approach to starting an afterschool program; each community is different and the process varies depending on where you are and what type of program you plan to create. Still, there are several common resources that every program can use—we’ve collected a set of resources and tools for anyone starting a quality afterschool program.

Program start-up guides

These resources will walk you through the basic steps of planning and establishing your afterschool program.

Development, management, and curriculum-building

There are lots of wonderful resources to help you build a quality program with meaningful and engaging content.

Funding and sustainability

We've pulled together the funding tools you'll need to prepare for a strong future.

Afterschool Alliance Research

For 15 years, the Afterschool Alliance has produced a wide range of valuable resources to inform providers, advocates and policy makers about the most up-to-date afterschool facts and research available.

Community Partnerships and Sponsorship: Afterschool programs are often successful because they harness community resources and engage community-based organizations in their programming. Find resources and ideas on building strong partnerships here.

State-Level Resources: Learn more about afterschool programming in your state. Find valuable state-level resources including state agency and statewide afterschool network contact information, research on the need for afterschool in your state, and the latest state afterschool policy developments.

Already have a program and looking to evaluate it and share your program's strengths? Check out Harvard Family Research Project's Afterschool Evaluation 101.