Out-of-school time (OST) programs are recognized as critical places where kids learn new skills, develop their passions and connect with peers and caring adults. For those of us who were fortunate enough to attend programs ourselves or witness the OST experiences of children in our lives, we know the magic of OST firsthand. I discovered OST magic through 4-H, Girl Scouts and dance classes — well before comprehensive OST systems were in place!
These experiences also made clear for me what research confirms: staff matter. We have a wealth of data that underscores the importance of the OST workforce in delivering quality programs that achieve results. Two decades ago, the NIOST MARS study emphasized that well-trained, competent staff are essential to program effectiveness. More recently, research from Hello Insight found a strong connection between staff engagement and program success, noting programs that foster staff engagement through positive youth development (PYD) practices for staff — such as leveraging staff interests in program planning and creating safe, reflective work environments — tend to achieve higher-quality outcomes for youth.
[Related: From turnover to graduation: Rethinking staff retention]
Despite the importance of this profession, job quality is inconsistent at best. Given the nature of after-school and summer programs, jobs tend to be part time and entry level. The National AfterSchool Association (NAA) has led the way in recent discussions on job quality, publishing its job quality framework in 2023.
According to NAA, “Those in out-of-school time often discuss preparing youth as the workforce of tomorrow. We shouldn’t tout this as a benefit of OST without taking care of our own first.”
Courtesy of Jen Curry
Jen Curry
The focus on the workforce isn’t new; colleagues at the Forum for Youth Investment, ExpandED Schools, Partnership for After School Education and the Wallace Foundation — among many others — have advocated for workforce investments for decades. However, staffing vacancies and turnover have become more challenging than ever in recent years. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of program providers reporting they were extremely concerned about finding staff grew by 20 percentage points between spring and fall 2021 alone.
While these trends make workforce investments all the more urgent, little investment has been made in the youth development workforce. As described by American Institutes for Research and the Wallace Foundation in 2023, “While investments in afterschool programming have continued to rise, youth-serving workers have remained below the radar.”
The youth development sector can’t compete with the salaries of the corporate world or the stability of unionized jobs with clear trajectories, but we know the intangible benefits of youth work are immeasurable. The question is, how do we support youth workers to stay in the workforce with the benefits we can offer? How do we make it work for them, so the sector can work for kids?
[Related: Can you legislate a collaborative, youth-centered vision of education? Iceland did.]
In this recurring column and in broader coverage of the youth development profession in Youth Today, we’ll ask ourselves: How do we make OST jobs good jobs? What are the big picture, long-term investments needed — and what can we do today? We’ll explore real-world solutions at both the pilot and scale level. We’ll celebrate workforce successes, like those documented in the Afterschool Alliance and NAA workforce solutions database. We’ll commit to doing better for the OST workforce. Think of this column as a place where we can both dream big and start small.
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This piece is the first in the series: “Thriving Youth Need a Thriving Workforce”.
Want to get involved? Please be in touch with your ideas! Engage with us on social media or you can reach me at info@changeimpact.net or the Youth Today team at talkwithus@kpcatalysts.com.
Jen Curry, Ed.D., is CEO and founder of Change Impact, a capacity-enhancing organization working with nonprofits, schools and systems to achieve results and advance equity for youth.
