National Center for Afterschool and Summer Enrichment

to states, territories and Tribes to support expanded access to and supply of high quality afterschool and summer programs that foster children’s development and learning, especially for low-income children and families. The Center will work with the Office of Child Care (OCC) to design and implement a work plan that includes, but is not limited to, working with CCDF agencies and their state and local partners to identify needs and best practices that will help them expand quality learning opportunities for school-age children; supporting state implementation of new health, safety, and quality provisions in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014, as appropriate in school age care settings; identifying and promoting family engagement approaches that positively involve parents in afterschool and summer programs; and coordinating with early childhood and school-age stakeholder groups and other federal programs to maximize effective service delivery models. The National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment will be awarded as part of a group of six National Centers. T/TA will be delivered to state child care agencies, and other early care and education settings across regions, States, tribes and territories. In addition, the National Center will maximize the use of previously developed web-based material and resources that are consistent with OCC’s missions. The National Center will work collaboratively and cooperatively with OCC National T/TA Centers and ACF regional offices. Because of the complex work the National Center will conduct, the grantee is encouraged to bring together a consortium of knowledgeable partners within the field of school-age care and summer learning. The National Center’s work should be research/evidence-informed as well as practical in application, by way of T/TA within the field of school-age care and summer learning.