Afterschool and summer learning programs are critical to supporting the development of children, but low-income families are often unable to access these valuable programs or find high-quality care.
To address these gaps, EDC supports state agencies and other stakeholders in expanding the supply of care for school-age children (ages 5–13) through the National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment (NCASE). NCASE is part of an integrated Early Childhood Training and Technical Assistance System of nine national centers working on behalf of the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Serving states, territories, and tribal communities, NCASE works to increase access to high-quality afterschool and summer learning experiences for school-age children in families of low income.
NCASE provides training and technical assistance through the following activities:
- Develop and disseminate materials on key topics and promising practices in school-age care
- Provide training and technical assistance to help state agencies supported by the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) improve the quality and supply of school-age programs
- Collaborate with national centers and networks of Out-of-School Time stakeholders to achieve the broadest possible impact
- Help programs serving school-age children improve their health, safety, and overall development in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories, and American Indian, Alaska Native, and migrant/seasonal communities
- Support state, territory, and tribal agencies in improving access to and quality of care for the more than 1 million school-age children in families of low-income who use CCDF subsidies to pay for child care each year