National Institute on Out-of-School Time

Afterschool Research, Training, and Policy

The National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST), at the Wellesley Centers for Women at Wellesley College, serves as a national resource center focused on the importance of children’s out-of-school time. The organization, which collaborates with EDC on several afterschool projects, provides research, training, education, and program development for educators, program leaders, community activists, and policymakers across the United States.

NIOST carries out a range of projects in several communities. Projects are focused on three key themes:

• Understanding and building community/infrastructure systems
  NIOST collaborates with communities to build and sustain infrastructures (planning, information, funding, policy, training, and technical assistance) that enable children and youth—especially those in underserved communities—to access high-quality out-of-school time programs and activities.

• Promoting a balanced approach to learning
  NIOST promotes a balanced approach to programming and curriculum development that takes into account children’s cognitive, social, creative, and physical development during the hours they are not in school.

• Integrating the fields of education, youth development, and child care
  NIOST works to increase the coherence and integration of the out-of-school time field, building on the foundations that exist in the fields of education, youth development, and school-age care.

Additionally, NIOST maintains the Clearinghouse on the Out-of-School Time Workforce, which provides information on how local, statewide and national workforce development initiatives are building training systems, offering school-age and youth development credentials and certificate programs, developing core competencies, and much more.

For questions or comments, contact mosaic@edc.org.

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