What to Look For in an After-School Program
By Wendy Schwartz, Reading Rockets
Use this checklist to help you decide whether to enroll your children in an after-school program. It is best to visit programs when they are in operation so you can see firsthand what the staff is doing and whether the children seem happy.
• Does the staff consist of responsible and caring adults who really like children and who can provide support and guidance? Is supervision adequate?
• Is the program in a safe and clean environment? Is there enough space for activities and quiet time? Are the rest rooms adequate? Is the space decorated in an inviting way?
• Are nutritional snacks or meals provided?
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San Francisco Afterschool for All 
The San Francisco Afterschool for All Initiative (AFA) is a citywide collaboration that supports the city’s diverse afterschool community to offer safe, quality programs for all children in which activities and events are tailored to the interests of local neighborhoods. This effort is a partnership of the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, several other city departments, the San Francisco Unified School District, community-based organizations, and foundations. The AFA goal is to provide a diversity of quality afterschool programs for all elementary and middle school children by 2010. To do this, the initiative will expand services, improve the quality of programs and explore system-building issues, such as technical assistance, field capacity building, workforce development, and quality academic and enrichment activities.
ExCEL
The AFA initiative also works very closely with the SFUSD School Health Program Department Expanded Collaboratives for Excellence in Learning (ExCel). The mission of the SHPD is to ensure the academic, physical, and emotional growth of San Francisco’s children and youth by assisting school sites in building their capacity to meet the needs of the whole child.
Eight Beacon Centers are operated by community-based non-profits and housed in public schools across the city and provide youth development opportunities before and after school, on weekends, and in the summer. The centers now serve over 6,000 youth and adults every year. The Beacon Initiative is a broad-based partnership that includes the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families, the San Francisco Unified School District, community organizations, and local foundations, led by the Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. The Centers offer young people a vibrant array of programs focused on five different areas that are important to their future: education, career development, arts and recreation, leadership, and health.