Why Leadership Matters in Before & After School Programs
The day doesn’t end for everyone when the last school bell rings. It shifts.
Between 3:00 and 6:00 PM, after-school programs step in to support millions of children. These hours can quickly become the most challenging part of the day without strong leadership and effective after-school program staff training guiding the environment, expectations, and staff.
The 3-6 PM Challenge: What Happens When School Ends
Across the U.S., nearly 7 million children attend after-school programs, with millions more waiting for access. In fact, more than 22 million children would participate if programs were accessible and affordable, according to the America After 3PM by the Afterschool Alliance.
These programs are essential, but they also operate during a unique window of time.
After spending 6-7 hours in structured classrooms, children often arrive tired, hungry, overstimulated, or dysregulated. The fatigue is strong. Research on self-regulation shows that a child’s ability to regulate their behavior decreases when they experience cognitive fatigue or stress after sustained demands. To put it plainly: children are going to have a hard time following directions and managing emotions during after-school time.
Sources:
1. Grillon, C., Quispe-Escudero, D., Mathur, A., & Ernst, M. (2015). Mental fatigue impairs emotion regulation. Emotion, 15(3), 383.
2. Kuperminc, G. P., Seitz, S., Joseph, H., Khatib, N., Wilson, C., Collins, K., & Guessous, O. (2019). Enhancing program quality in a national sample of after‐school settings: The role of youth–staff interactions and staff/organizational functioning. American Journal of Community Psychology, 63(3-4), 391-404.
3. Brewer AT, Strickland-Cohen K, Dotson W, Williams DC. Advance Notice for Transition-Related Problem Behavior: Practice Guidelines. Behav Anal Pract. 2014 Aug 19;7(2):117-25. doi: 10.1007/s40617-014-0014-3. PMID: 27540509; PMCID: PMC4711751.
Where Things Break Down
Without intentional leadership, the after-school environment can quickly become overwhelming for both children and staff.
Some of the highest-impact moments include:
- Arrival and transitions between activities
- Unstructured or loosely supervised time
- Unclear expectations or inconsistent routines
These parts of the day are often the toughest for everyone. When routines aren’t clear or environments feel chaotic, children have fewer supports to rely on. This makes it harder to navigate expectations and transitions.
Leadership Sets the Tone
Strong leadership sets the tone for confident teams. They do more than manage issues as they arise in programs. Strong leaders prepare for them.
Leaders play a critical role in:
- Creating predictable routines and clear expectations for both children and staff
- Designing environments that are inclusive and supportive
- Building team confidence through training and coaching
Research shows that after-school program staff training is key to building staff confidence and improving program outcomes. When staff have practical strategies and shared approaches, they are better equipped to respond to a wide range of needs.
After participating in a KIT training, 99.7% of participants report feeling confident supporting children with disabilities and challenging behavior.
Building Stronger Programs Starts with Your Team
Before and after-school programs have incredible potential to be spaces where children feel safe, included, and understood. But, this doesn’t happen by chance.
It happens when leaders are intentional about how their teams are prepared.
Our latest Train-Your-Team course, Ready, Set, Support: Before & After School is designed to help you do just that. Built specifically for before and after-school programs, it helps leaders strengthen inclusive practices, support staff in challenging moments, and create environments where children feel safe, supported, and ready to thrive during the most challenging hours of the day.
Train your team to lead with confidence. Explore the course.