Afterschool/Out-of-School

Libraries and museums help our communities support children's learning and development.

MacArthur Foundation logoPartnership: Learning Labs
In support of President Obama's "Educate to Innovate" call to action, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services are working together to create 30 new youth learning labs in libraries and museums across the country.

Partnership: National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards
Formerly Coming Up Taller, these awards recognize outstanding community arts and humanities programs that celebrate the creativity of America’s young people by providing them with learning opportunities and chances to contribute to their communities.

Search the Awarded Grants database for grants to afterschool/out-of-school programs (issue areas have only been assigned to grants awarded since FY 2009)

Afterschool/out-of-school content on the IMLS Web site:
Students from the Borough of Manhattan Community College CLIP program at the Rubin Museum of Art in Manhattan
October 2012: Where to Learn English? A Museum Of Course


Art museums can be excellent English literacy classrooms. An innovative program that partners university and community college ESL programs with New York City art museums is finding that works of art generate excellent discussions for students of English. Read More

 
Children participating in a Learn and Play program learn their ABC’s.
September 2009: Bringing Books and Literacy to the People


Sometimes the parents and children who would most benefit from library services are the ones who haven’t established the habit of visiting libraries. That’s what the Henderson District Public Libraries in Henderson, Nevada, discovered when planning a comprehensive early literacy program involving the whole community. The solution? Bring books and classes to the people. Read More

 
Children participate in PlayWorks™ at the Children's Museum of Manhattan
January 2009: PlayWorks™ Provides Whole-family Learning In a Child-friendly Environment


Children feed alphabet letters to a talking baby dragon, drive a New York City fire truck, paint on a six-foot art wall, and crawl through a challenge course in PlayWorks™ at the Children's Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) in New York. Read More

 
Family partipating in Literacy Program of Project ExCELLS
December 2008: Soldiers’ Children Throng to Literacy Programs of Project ExCELLS


The nomadic lifestyle of military families can take a toll on children’s education. To boost the school performance of 1,499 elementary school students at Fort Belvoir Military Post in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, three libraries in Fairfax County launched Project ExCELLS. Read More

 
National Medal
October 2008: IMLS Honors 10 Museums and Libraries for Outstanding Community Service


Five museums and five libraries have won the 2008 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for institutions that make significant and exceptional contributions to their communities. Read More