The Illinois AfterSchool Network is a group of concerned individuals who are striving to improve both providers and the youth they serve.

Our History

The Illinois AfterSchool Network began with a retreat for school-age providers in Illinois. The Dependent Care Planning Grant Coordinator for the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services organized a two day retreat held in Urbana, Illinois, for thirty-one people in July 1989.  The participants discussed forming a "School-Age Network" that would connect providers throughout the state and provide activities in the areas of training, advocacy, program standards and worthy wages.  Representatives from the Illinois Action for Children, Chicago Department of Human Resources, and the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service joined together to parent the new organization through its infancy.

After several months in the planning process, the parent organizations appointed thirty-one persons to serve as an Advisory Board.  It was decided that the Network would divide the state using the same twenty-one regions as outlined by the Child Care Resource and Referral System for representation and services.  By January, 1991, the Advisory Board was revised to consist of one board member per region who was elected by the membership in the region. Some of the Network's accomplishments during this time included a bi-monthly journal (School-Age Connections); two statewide school-age training conferences held each year; the purchase of resource materials that were housed at Child Care Resource & Referral agencies throughout the state for use by school-age providers; identification of colleges in Illinois offering coursework related to school-age child care; and an annotated bibliography of resources.

Today, the Illinois AfterSchool Network is an affiliate of the National AfterSchool Association (NAA) and is growing strong with over 200 members representing school districts, park districts, YMCA/YWCA, day care centers, and other youth serving organizations throughout Illinois.