Programs

Children who have nowhere to go after school are at a greater risk of poor school performance, potentially becoming involved in drugs and alcohol, or being a victim of crime. As importantly, they are missing out connecting with a caring adult and participating in some form of extended learning. In other words, quality after-school programming can positively impact a child's school success. Ensuring that Cambridge children have access to high quality after-school program is the goal of the Out-of-School Time Initiative. It pursues this goal through a combination of four types of programming. First it offers providers with Leading for Quality professional development provided by the National Institute on Out-of-School Time on the National Afterschool Associations (NAA) accreditation standards. Second Neighborhood Cluster Groups work to "take the training back" to their sites. Twenty-five site Directors also participate in Out-of-School Time Leaders Group which supports on-going program improvement efforts undertaken by the Cluster Groups. Lastly on-site coaching for both directors and front line staff supports program improvement efforts in each site.