Bringing After School In House: A Financial & Operational Checklist
By Brad Lupien
Arc President & CEO
Each year, school leaders across California ask a reasonable question: “If we bring our after-school program in-house, could we preserve more of our grant funding?”
It’s a fair question and one that I appreciate as the provider of after school programs. The typical administrative percentage that is paid to a provider is around 15%. On paper, keeping that percentage for the school and running after school in house can look like savings.
But expanded learning is not a simple pass-through program. It is an operational system. Before making the decision to bring after-school in-house, here is a practical checklist to consider.
1. Recruiting & Hiring Infrastructure
Expanded learning staffing is uniquely complex.
- Site staff work part time mainly because they’re also going to school themselves
- The after school time of 2:30 to 6 is uniquely difficult to schedule for
- Part-timers tend to have variable availability
- Turnover among part time site staff is high industry-wide and requires a year round recruiting effort
At Arc, we maintain year-round recruiting pipelines. That includes:
- Dedicated recruitment staff
- Community-based hiring outreach
- Ongoing applicant screening
- Background checks and compliance processing
- Substitute pools to cover absences
Turnover in after-school programming is significantly higher than in traditional instructional roles. Managing that cycle requires infrastructure deliberately designed for it.
If you’re considering bringing after school in-house, ask yourself and your team:
- Who will recruit continuously? Can our current HR team handle the needs?
- Who will manage onboarding and HR compliance? Part timers have all the same compliance requirements as full timers (same background checks, same health testing, same mandated reporter training).
- Who will build a substitute bench? Not only will you need ready-to-go substitutes for last-minute callouts, you’ll need a system of contact and deployment for them.
Recruitment is not seasonal. It is ongoing.
2. Professional Development Systems
Over 25 years, we have built professional development specifically designed for expanded learning in Southern California.
Our training includes:
- Youth development best practices
- Classroom management in non-traditional settings
- Grant compliance protocols
- Safety procedures
- Cultural responsiveness
- Site-leadership coaching
We invest heavily in structured onboarding and recurring training because quality programming depends on prepared instructors.
If you bring programming in-house:
- What is your training model?
- Who designs it?
- Who delivers it?
- How often is it updated?
3. Curriculum & Program Design
High-engagement programming requires:
- Curated curriculum
- Hands-on materials
- Seasonal refresh cycles
- Alignment with funding expectations
- Grade-level differentiation
We maintain a library of programs refined over decades that has been tested in real sites across diverse communities.
4. Materials & Supply Procurement
Beyond staff, an after school provider supplies:
- STEM kits
- Culinary materials
- Sports equipment
- Art supplies
- Outdoor education logistics
- Transportation coordination
Procurement at scale allows for consistency and cost management.
In-house programs must:
- Source materials
- Manage storage
- Track inventory
- Replace equipment
- Budget for refresh cycles
These costs often sit outside the initial financial comparison.
5. Compliance & Financial Oversight
Expanded learning funding carries:
- Attendance thresholds with high records retention responsibilities
- Spending timelines
- Reporting documentation
- Audit readiness
Our budgeting process is fully transparent and cooperative. We are structured to align with grant parameters. We monitor compliance continuously to reduce risk. We are experts in multiple funding streams and the nuances of each.
If bringing programming in-house:
- Who tracks spending?
- Who prepares reporting documentation?
- Who ensures alignment with 21CCLC or ELOP guidelines?
6. Leadership Bandwidth
This is the line item that never appears on a spreadsheet. When programs are run in-house, the ultimate escalation point is school leadership.
Staffing gaps.
Parent concerns.
Safety issues.
Attendance dips.
Scheduling conflicts.
Compliance questions.
Before bringing after-school in-house, ask: Will this decision reduce total cost, or redistribute responsibility?
7. Community Hiring & Local Alignment
One of our commitments is hiring from the communities surrounding our schools. This strengthens relationships and increases retention. The connection that our staff feel to their school sites and their communities is a differentiator for our company.
Community-based hiring requires:
- Active outreach
- Local presence
- Relationship cultivation
It does not happen passively.
A Financial Reality
The 15% administrative investment often covers:
- Continuous recruitment infrastructure
- HR systems and compliance management
- Professional development for everyone from site staff to site leadership
- Curriculum design
- Materials procurement
- Substitute coverage
- Budget oversight and grant management
- Leadership coaching
- Risk mitigation
When evaluating cost, it’s important to compare systems, not just percentages.
A Balanced Perspective
There are schools that successfully operate internal expanded learning programs.
There are also schools that determine partnership with an after school provider ultimately allows them to:
- Stabilize staffing
- Protect leadership bandwidth
- Increase program quality
- Reduce compliance risk
- Focus on core instructional priorities
The most important question is not whether bringing after-school in-house saves 15%.
The question is: What operational structure best supports your students and your leadership team over time?
If you are evaluating your expanded learning structure, we are always open to a candid conversation about trade-offs, budgeting realities, and sustainability.