NIOST Continues Partnership on the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment
November 11, 2022
The National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST) will continue its partnership with the Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) to guide the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE). Since 2015, NCASE has advanced the goal of expanding supply and access to afterschool and summer learning and development opportunities for school-age children.
With a $9.4 million award from the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Child Care under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, EDC will work with NIOST and long-time NCASE collaborators, the National Summer Learning Association and Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc., over the next four years to ensure that school-age children across the country benefit from high-quality out-of-school time (OST) learning that helps them thrive academically, physically, and emotionally. Their work will have a special focus on enhancing OST care for children and youth from working families with low incomes.
"We are honored to continue this successful partnership,” said NIOST Director Georgia Hall, Ph.D. "We are deeply committed to the mission and vision of NCASE and its support for expanding and improving OST services for children in low-income communities."
Through NCASE, NIOST curates a 400-item Resource Library—which connects users with tools, profiles, and information on a range of key topics in OST—and contributes to webinars and peer-learning communities. These resources provide training and technical assistance to states, territories, tribes, and community partners that use the federal Child Care and Development Fund to support access to OST programs for low-income families.
A few of NCASE’s other key areas of focus include:
- Deliver a wide range of learning events, including national trainings, professional learning groups, and conference presentations;
- Conduct research and share findings on the current status of the OST workforce and strategies to strengthen the field; and
- Consult with a technical working group that includes leading researchers, OST providers, representatives of state, territory, and Tribal agencies, and other stakeholders.
