More than a decade of research shows that afterschool programs across the country are an integral support for children, families and communities. Each day after school, quality afterschool programs are keeping kids safe; inspiring them to learn; serving as a source of support and comfort to working families; and even helping working parents be more productive at work and keep their jobs.

Given the difference that afterschool programs can make for children and families, important questions about scope and demand arise: How many children are in afterschool programs? How many families want to enroll their children in an afterschool program? And how many children are unsupervised after school who are missing out on the learning opportunities afterschool programs have to offer?

This guide is intended to help cities strengthen and sustain quality afterschool programs by using an emerging practice known as a quality improvement system (QIS). The guide explains how to start building a QIS or how to further develop existing efforts and features case studies of six communities' QIS.

This report takes a look at the priorities of grantmakers that support afterschool or other expanded learning efforts. It also examines the perspectives of key field leaders, including heads of youth-serving nonprofits and researchers. A survey finds that "improved academic achievement" and "increased student engagement" are the most common outcomes funders hope to see from their afterschool/expanded learning giving. For their part, field leaders offer a number of recommendations, including that funders work to move K-12 reform "toward a broader view" of what learning and growth for young people means.

The report profiles cities that are on the cutting edge in their development of citywide OST systems. With committed mayoral leadership, these cities have moved from managing or funding individual programs to building more coordinated networks that bring disparate stakeholders together and use research-based approaches to improve quality and access.

Afterschool programs around the nation have enthusiastically embraced science, technology,engineering and math (STEM). Some major afterschool providers, like 4-H and Girls Inc., have long mad eSTEM a priority and in recent years, the vast majority of providers have also come to value providing STEM learning opportunities as an important part of their programming. An Afterschool Alliance poll of afterschool programs conducted in 2010-2011 showed that 99 percent of respondents thought that offering some sort of STEM programming was important, even if that wasn't the focus of their program.

As interest and commitment to STEM learning in afterschool grows, there is an increased need for support to build the capacity of afterschool programs to offer innovative and robust STEM programming. The Afterschool Alliance poll of afterschool programs also asked respondents to describe what supports they saw as most essential. Unsurprisingly, funding was ranked as the highest need, but a close second was a desire for partnerships with STEM professionals and STEM-rich institutions, as well as more opportunities for professional development.

This issue brief illustrates the power of strong, successful partnerships between afterschool programs and STEM-rich institutions. Additionally, the partnerships described offer promising and innovative models that can have a significant impact on both students and their instructors.