After-School All-Stars (ASAS) is a national non-profit organization that partners with schools across the United States to expand the learning day for low-income children. Its mission is to provide comprehensive after-school programs that keep children safe and help them achieve in school and in life. Currently, ASAS serves nearly 92,000 students on over 400 school sites in 14 regions across 10 states.

Students who want to be a part of ASAS do not have to pay any annual fees or any dues at all. ASAS focuses its effort on Title I schools. These are schools where "50% of students qualify for the Federal Free and Reduced Lunch Program". ASAS has about 367 chapters across the United States. Students never have to travel alone to a program and because programs are run as close to the schools as possible.

 

After-School All-Stars was founded with a focus on using health and fitness to help at-risk youth get back on track. ASAS history begins in Los Angeles, where, in 1991, ASAS founder Arnold Schwarzenegger was invited to serve as Executive Commissioner of the Inner City Games. Between 1992 and 2000, Inter City Games expanded to 15 additional cities across the country. Based on research, experience and dialogue with law-enforcement, it was clear that the after-school hours were when children needed ASAS most. Inter Center Games transformed its model to provide after-school programming that was offered every day of the school year, supplemented with additional summer programming. In 2003, ICGF was renamed After-School All-Stars to reflect the significant enhancement of programming to extended-day learning.

 

Today, they are comprehensive after-school providers focused on fueling their students’ passions by tying their interests to academic support, enrichment activities and healthy and fitness programs that instill the confidence and resilience they’ll need for success in school and life.

With generous seed funding from the New York Life Foundation, ASAS is able to launch programs in Newark, New Jersey this school year. New York Life’s investment will provide programming to 230 kids in need of enriching and engaging after-school experiences.

The after-school hours provide a uniquely creative and entrepreneurial time in the field of public education. By teaming up with principal and faculty at each site, they were able to identify each student’s specific needs and tailor programming to supplement the existing efforts at school.

 

Their Cornerstones lay the foundation for our unique, effective after-school programming.