Cost of Quality Out-of-School-Time Programs

I just came across this excellent new research report and online tool by the good folks at the Finance Project and Public/Private Ventures.

The Cost of Quality Out-of-School-Time Programs is a report synthesizing detailed cost data from 111 out-of-school-time programs. From the executive summary:

"The report demonstrates that the cost of quality varies depending on a range of factors including program goals, times of operation and ages served. Programs for teenagers, for example, face different sets of likely costs from programs for elementary school students. The same is true for school-year as opposed to summer programs, and programs that focus on academics as opposed to those offering multiple activities.

"This report is also one of the few to look at the full costs of quality programs, that is, the programs’ cash outlays plus the value of the non-monetary contributions, such as physical space or volunteer time, that so many OST programs rely on. Such inkind donations, in fact, make up on average nearly one fifth of the total cost of quality OST programming, and in presenting that fact, this report gives planners a keener understanding of the true costs of quality."

The best part is the OST Cost Calculator, which lets programs (especially start-up ones) estimate projected costs based on a range of factors. This can be a really valuable tool for anyone looking to get a ballpark figure on potential costs.

Links:

Executive summary

Full report

OST Cost Calculator