The Fall 2025 issue of AfterSchool Today shines a powerful spotlight on advocacy in all its forms, from elevating youth voice to advancing policy solutions and strengthening the OST workforce. This edition celebrates the people, stories, and strategies moving the afterschool field toward greater equity, opportunity and impact.
Prime Time's featured article The Ripple Effect of Mentorship in Out-of-School Time illustrates that supportive relationships are the "secret sauce" that fuels lasting change highlighting the powerful role of mentorship within Palm Beach County’s Quality Improvement System (PBC-QIS), which has supported afterschool programs for more than 25 years. Rather than focusing solely on youth, the system invests in the adults who work with them, pairing each site with a quality advisor who provides coaching and encouragement. This support helps practitioners strengthen their skills, build confidence, and create safe, engaging and nurturing environments.
Quality advisors act as mentors who guide staff through challenges, celebrate their growth, and tailor strategies to fit their needs. Practitioners credit these advisors with helping them improve program delivery and leadership. The result is a ripple effect: better-supported adults create more meaningful interactions and opportunities for youth, leading to improved confidence, resilience and leadership among youth.
The article emphasizes that lasting youth impact begins with empowered adults. By prioritizing professional development and strong relationships, Prime Time ensures that children across Palm Beach and Martin counties benefit from high-quality afterschool experiences that shape their futures. Read here:
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In Voices for Change: Advocacy in Action, the National AfterSchool Association and the Afterschool Alliance come together to explore how afterschool professionals and young people across the country are raising their voices, leading boldly, and shaping systems that better serve their communities. Through storytelling, data, research, and on-the-ground examples, this issue highlights the many ways that advocacy happens with youth, for youth and because of youth.
Inside this issue, you’ll find:
- A new look at America After 3PM data and what it reveals about impact, unmet demand, and the urgent need for continued investment.
- Innovative approaches to OST workforce development, including strategies that improve job quality and support long-term sustainability.
- A special feature on youth development and childcare as essential national priorities, unpacking why these services deserve shared responsibility and strong public support.
Stories of young advocates and adult allies using mentorship, civic engagement, organizing, and creative expression to drive community change.
Together, these pieces illustrate that advocacy isn’t a moment — it’s a movement. And the afterschool field is leading the way.
Whether you’re a program leader, front-line staff member, advocate, researcher, or partner organization, we hope this issue informs, inspires, and reinforces the truth at the heart of OST: every voice matters, and every action contributes to a brighter future for young people.
Read the Fall 2025 issue of AfterSchool Today:
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