On any given day, an estimated 28 million schoolchildren need something to do between the time school gets out and the time their parents come home. Communities throughout the United States are responding with after-school programs that provide a safe place for children to be while encouraging academic enrichment.
Strong programs represent tremendous hope for students and communities.
But they do not happen overnight. Space, staffing, program content, and parent involvement are just a few of the ongoing considerations after-school programs grapple with. Beyond the Bell offers tools and ideas for staff to help improve the quality of after-school programs. We'd like to thank everyone who invited us into their schools.