Promising Practices in Citywide Afterschool Initiatives

This brief is the first in a series featuring promising practices in citywide afterschool initiatives with a focus at the infrastructure level. Infrastructure represents the underlying elements or framework that hold a system or initiative together. Infrastructure elements include all of the following: communication systems, public relations, leadership model, information collection activities, resource distribution, goal setting, sustainability planning, linkage to resources, etc. How well initiatives work and are successful is largely dependent on the strength of the infrastructure elements in place. Throughout this series of briefs NIOST will explore promising examples of infrastructure development that strengthen and support citywide afterschool initiatives.