WELCOME TO COA

Dear Colleague:

Welcome to our Community of Excellence which is comprised of more than 1,800 public and private organizations and programs throughout North America that serve some seven million children, youth, adults and families annually. For over 30 years, COA's mission has been to partner with programs and organizations such as yours to improve the lives of the children and families you serve.

Some time ago, we recognized the importance of expanding our participation in strengthening the after school field. We have always known that after school programs are a vital link between the classroom and the home and as such, they provide a unique opportunity to impact the social and educational growth of school age children.

With that in mind, we have developed three distinct, yet interrelated recognition opportunities for programs of every size and capacity: Accreditation, Certification and Registration. Through this approach, every after school program can participate in this initiative based on its individual characteristics and identity.

Successfully achieving COA After School Recognition will not be easy. While the process and the After School Standards have been streamlined to ensure that they are relevant and achievable by programs of different sizes and designations, they continue COA's unwavering commitment to excellence, best practices, client rights and essential life and safety standards.

COA Recognition is not an end --- it is a means to an end.

I think you will find that whether you choose to pursue Accreditation, Certification or Registration, your program will be transformed as each of these recognitions will enable your stakeholders - staff, children, youth, families and the communities in which your program is located - to continuously identify and measure your program's strengths and opportunities. And as a result achieve the ultimate goal: the improvement of after school programming.

Sincerely,

Richard Klarberg
President & CEO