Lesson 5: Organization and Staffing

by Jenny Parma
Tutorial provided by Patrick Duhon and Elizabeth Devaney

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Effectively running one or several community campuses (or AfterZones) relies on the support of a variety of people, including staff members of the intermediary body and program providers. Below is the organizational structure, including the roles and responsibilities of staff and governing bodies. Though this type of hierarchy took years and a lot of resources to establish, you can start small with just one AfterZone made up of a few volunteer-led after-school programs.

Download an organizational chart of the AfterZone system: A visual representation of how this after-school system works. (60KB)

Operations and Governing Bodies

Members of the community and programs play an important role in short-term and long-term planning and operations of AfterZones. Here's a list of cooperatives and how they function in overseeing the organization's goals:

• Community-Based Site-Management Agencies

  Site-management agencies are organizations in the area, such as the YMCA, that sponsor and oversee the day-to-day operations and logistics for each AfterZone. Providence After School Alliance employees might assist in the AfterZone operations, but the site-management agency is the core supervisor

  The agency usually has oversight of one school in the AfterZone. The AfterZone site coordinator is employed by the site-management agency to oversee the AfterZone with support and guidance from the AfterZone manager. These organizations should be well established with good sustainability prospects (for example, experience with child-care licensing and structure for billing to receive child-care subsidies). Site-management agencies receive substantial grants to support AfterZone operations, such as through funding from the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant.

• AfterZone Coordinating Councils

  AfterZone coordinating councils consist of representatives from key community partners (such as the school principal, a library representative, and a director from the site-management agency) in each AfterZone. Representatives from this governing body serve as fundamental decision makers for the AfterZone. Monthly coordinating council meetings are held to discuss program needs, budget, and staffing issues of each AfterZone, facilitated by the AfterZone manager.

  In the beginning, you might have just one AfterZone coordinating council, but as the number of AfterZones expands, so will the number of related councils. Key members from each AfterZone coordinating council serve as representatives for the overseeing body, the citywide coordinating council.

• Citywide Coordinating Council

  The citywide coordinating council is the top level of the AfterZone hierarchy. Ideally, the council should consist of two representatives from each AfterZone coordinating council. Members discuss big-picture issues across the city, such as the business plan, annual programming, and evaluation.

  As you begin developing your community's network of after-school programs, this committee might be rolled up into the AfterZone coordinating council. Key leaders who are dedicated to youth should be on this committee.

Staffing Structure

Download staff roles and responsibilities: An in-depth summary of the key players in the day-to-day AfterZone operation and how they interact (160KB)

The following list includes key day-to-day employees of PASA and the site-management agency:

• The AfterZone manager is an employee of PASA. This person is responsible for leading all AfterZone planning efforts, facilitating the AfterZone coordinating council, coordinating with off-site partners, and spearheading quality-improvement activities.


• The AfterZone site coordinator is a full-time employee of the site-management agency and is funded through the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant. This person is responsible for leading the day-to-day activities at the school site, including interacting with program providers, supervising AfterZone program staff and volunteers, and facilitating transitions and data input.


• The After-school liaison is a school-funded staff person. This is the key school contact responsible for day-to-day logistics and communication with the principal, the teachers, and other staff. For more details about the roles and responsibilities for these individuals, download the AfterZone Responsibilities Chart.

The following support staff are also involved in the AfterZone operations:

• Youth Engagement Specialists (YES workers) work with staff from the site-management agency and on-site PASA employees to help manage the day-to-day logistics of the individual AfterZone sites. YES workers hand out snacks, take attendance, serve as bus monitors, and lead or assist in program activities. YES workers are also critical in leading Club AfterZone activities, which are one-hour learning sessions held on site. During each session, YES workers lead programs or support other program providers to increase youth participation. (Club AfterZone is discussed in greater detail in Lesson 7.)

Download a YES-worker job description: When it's time for your program to start staffing, use this sample support-staff job posting as a guide. (92KB)

• AmeriCorps members help YES workers with day-to-day logistics like snacks and attendance, as well as support and lead Club AfterZone and other programs.


• College volunteers provide support during transition and snack times, assist program providers during programs, and lead homework help or other activities during Club AfterZone. Volunteers report to the AfterZone site coordinator.

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Lesson 4

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Lesson 6

This article originally published on 1/21/2009