About the Project

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides Federal resources for child care that support both direct services and quality enhancements.  With nearly half of the children receiving services being of school age, CCDF provides significant funding for afterschool care in a variety of settings.  The majority of CCDF dollars are used to provide subsidies to eligible low-income children under age 13.  A portion of CCDF funding is also used for quality improvement initiatives such as professional development and technical assistance with the goal of building the capacity of states to deliver quality services including programs before and after school, during summers and on school holidays.

To support State efforts to provide quality afterschool opportunities, the Child Care Bureau awarded a technical assistance contract on out-of-school time to The Finance Project.  The Afterschool Investments project provides technical assistance to CCDF grantees and other State and local leaders supporting afterschool efforts.  The goals of the project include:

• Identifying ways that States, territories, tribes and communities are using Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF­) subsidy and quality dollars to support out-of-school time programs, and sharing these practices and approaches;
• Identifying administrative and implementation issues related to CCDF investments in out-of-school time programs, and providing information and context (about barriers, problems, opportunities) as well as practical tools that will help CCDF administrators make decisions; and
• Identifying other major programs and sectors that are potential partners for CCDF in supporting out-of-school time programs, and providing models, strategies and tools for coordination with other programs and sectors. 

To meet these goals, the Afterschool Investments project is:

• Regularly updating and maintaining state profiles of afterschool resources, policies and issues;
• Creating tools and materials to support the development and sustainability of afterschool efforts; and
• Providing targeted technical assistance to state child care administrators around building partnerships, creating financing strategies, and developing state policies that promote investments in high-quality afterschool programs. Technical assistance activities include collecting and disseminating information on promising practices; conference calls and teleconferences; assisting in the identification of potential afterschool partners; setting up peer-to-peer exchanges; conducting workshops and training; and providing on-site consultation and facilitation.

CCDF grantees supporting afterschool efforts are eligible to receive technical assistance and training services under this contract. For more information about the project or to submit a request for technical assistance or information, contact The Finance Project at (202) 587-1000 or by email at afterschool@financeproject.org.  All project tools and resources can be found online on the Afterschool Investments Project website: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/afterschool/.