How to start an after-school program: a step-by-step guide

1. Find out what families need

Before you plan anything, find out who needs care, when and at what price. A short survey and a few conversations now keep you from building a program families can't use.

• Ask families which days and hours they need, how their children would get to you and what they could pay each month.
• Ask principals, teachers and school counselors what children need most: homework help, a safe place to play, a meal or time with caring adults.
• Find out which programs already exist nearby, and whether they have waitlists.
• Get the school calendars: dismissal times, early-release days, holidays and breaks.
• Choose your first ages or grades, days, hours and number of children. One site and one age range is an easier start.
• Write down two or three goals, such as reading support or more physical activity. Funders will ask what difference your program makes.

2. Find partners and a space

The right partners give you space, help you reach families and make funders more confident in you. A school is often the easiest site, because children walk down the hall instead of riding a bus. Churches, community centers, libraries and parks departments can work well too.

• Get a written agreement with the site: rooms, days, hours, custodial costs, storage, keys and what happens on early-release and snow days.
• Ask the school for a contact person, a way to share dismissal changes and permission to send flyers home.
• Look for partners who bring activities: coaches, artists, librarians, STEM volunteers and college students.
• Ask local businesses and congregations for in-kind help, such as supplies or volunteers.

3. Licensed or license-exempt?

In many states, a program that regularly cares for school-age children needs a childcare license. Many states also exempt some programs, for example programs run by a public school or a city, programs that meet only a few hours a week or drop-in programs where children come and go. The details differ a lot from state to state.

Don't assume you're exempt. Start with our state-by-state library, then ask your state's licensing office, in writing if you can. Even exempt programs may have to meet health and safety rules, especially if they want to accept childcare assistance, and your insurer, school district or funders may set their own requirements. Questions to ask:

• Does our program need a license, or does it qualify for an exemption?
• If we're exempt, do we still need to register or meet any rules?
• What ratios, background checks and staff training apply to us?
• Can families use childcare assistance at our program?
• How long does licensing take, and what inspections are involved?

4. Plan your schedule

Build the day around what children need after school: food, movement, help with homework and something to look forward to. Keep the same rhythm every day so children know what comes next.

Then plan the year: early-release days, school holidays, snow days and breaks. Decide now whether you'll open when school is closed, and how families sign up for those days. Our after-school daily schedule template can help.

Example for a program that runs from dismissal to 6 p.m.:

• 3:00 Arrival, attendance and snack
• 3:20 Homework and reading time
• 4:00 Outdoor play or gym
• 4:45 Clubs and activities, such as art, STEM or sports
• 5:30 Quiet games and pickup

5. Fund the program

Many after-school programs combine several sources of money. When you serve families with lower incomes, fees alone rarely cover the full cost, so plan a mix from the start.

• Family fees, with a sliding scale or scholarships for families who need help (see raising scholarship money)
• Childcare assistance that pays part of the cost for eligible families (see the next step)
• 21st Century Community Learning Centers, a federal after-school and summer grant program run by each state. Check your state education agency's website for whether it's accepting applications this year and who can apply.
• Other grants from community foundations, local government, school districts and businesses
• Snack and meal reimbursement: ask the state agency that runs child nutrition programs whether your program qualifies
• In-kind help, such as free space, supplies and volunteers
• Fundraising events and individual donors

6. Set tuition and accept subsidies

Decide how families pay before you open registration, and put it in writing.

• Pick a pricing model: a monthly rate based on days per week, a price per term or a daily drop-in rate.
• Decide what happens when a child starts mid-month or switches days: prorate the charge or start the new rate next month.
• Use autopay so tuition is charged on the same date every month, and set a clear policy for late payments.
• Offer sibling discounts and a sliding scale so families aren't priced out.
• Write a late pickup policy, including any fee, and have families sign it at registration. Our late pickup policy agreement is a place to start.
• Learn how childcare assistance works in your state. States run programs that help families with lower incomes pay for care, often including after-school care at programs that meet the state's rules. Ask your state or county office how to become an approved provider, what paperwork you'll need and how and when you're paid.
• Give families receipts and a year-end statement. They may need them for dependent care claims (see childcare tax receipts).

7. Hire and train staff

After-school jobs are part-time and start mid-afternoon, which makes them hard to fill. Look for people whose day ends early or starts late: college students, school aides, retirees, coaches and parents. Try to keep the same staff all year. Children settle in faster with adults they know. Many of the steps in hiring camp counselors apply here too.

• A site coordinator who is there every day and knows every family
• Group leaders, enough to meet your state's ratios every day (use the staff ratio calculator)
• Background checks for everyone who works with children, as your state requires
• Training before the first day: pickup rules, emergencies, allergies and medication, behavior guidance and reporting suspected abuse (see the staff training checklist)
• Substitutes you've already screened, for the days someone calls out

8. Plan arrival, pickup and safety

The moments that need the most care are the trip from class to your program and the trip home. Write both down step by step, and train every staff member on them.

• Arrival: take attendance as soon as children arrive. If an expected child doesn't show up, check with the school office, then contact the family. Decide in advance how many minutes you wait before calling.
• Getting there: if children walk or ride from another school, plan who walks with them or meets the bus, and count heads at every handoff.
• Pickup: release children only to adults on the family's authorized pickup list, and check ID for anyone staff don't know.
• Going home other ways: record whether each child is picked up, takes a bus or walks home, and get written permission from the family for walking.
• Late pickup: decide when staff start calling parents and emergency contacts, and what they do if no one can be reached.
• Problems at the door: decide what staff do if an adult seems unsafe to drive or a custody order applies.
• Emergencies, allergies and medication: write a plan and practice it with staff. Our emergency action plan template is a place to start.

9. Open registration and start small

• Collect each child's registration form, medical and allergy form and authorized pickup form before the first day (see our free templates).
• Give families a short handbook: hours, closures, pickup rules, late fees, illness policy and how to reach staff.
• Hold an open house so children meet staff before day one.
• If you can, start the first week or two below full capacity, and add children once routines work.
• Check in with families after the first month and ask what to change.

10. Track attendance for funders

Funders and boards usually ask how many children you served and how often they came. Decide what you'll report before the first day, so you collect it from the start instead of rebuilding it from paper sign-in sheets.

• Take attendance every day, in one place, with check-in and check-out times.
• Numbers funders often ask for: children enrolled, average daily attendance and how many days or hours each child attended.
• Some funders also ask for family demographics, survey results or school outcomes such as grades. School records usually need a data-sharing agreement and written permission from families.
• Keep a simple monthly report, so the year-end report is a sum, not a scramble. Our grant attendance report template gives you a format.
• Record why children stop coming. It helps you improve and answer funders' questions.

How BackPR helps

BackPR runs after-school registration, tuition and pickup in one place. Families choose days of the week and pay tuition on autopay, with proration when they start mid-term, in English or Spanish. Staff check children in and out from their phones against each family's authorized pickup list, and parents can be notified automatically when a child isn't checked in. Attendance hours reports help with grant reporting, and families get year-end statements for dependent care claims. BackPR is free for registered nonprofits: no subscription and no BackPR fees. Card payments run on Stripe at Stripe's standard rates. Other organizations get pricing by quote.