NAA President and CEO Gina Warner accepted the award on behalf of NAA at the Alliance's 2016 Leaders Summit, held September 30 and October 1 in Washington, D.C.

In 2011, the NAA adopted the Standards for Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA), a set of national standards for healthy eating and physical activity in afterschool. The organization is determined to ensure all afterschool educators have the training necessary to provide children with nutritious food, engaging enrichment and fun physical activity.

NAA is a member of the National Healthy Out-of-School Time (HOST) Coalition leadership team, which works together to drive the healthy afterschool movement, and a member of the Voices for Healthy Kids OST Consortium. NAA also utilizes its annual conventions as a platform to educate professionals on best practices and to convene champions for healthy out-of-school time.

The most recent Afterschool Alliance report shared that 10.2 million children participate in afterschool programs nationwide. Over 70 percent of those children are from low-income households and face many challenges, including food insecurity.

"For us to support these children, we must all work together," Warner said in her speech. "It's critical that these children not only attend healthy schools, but healthy out-of school time programs embedded in healthy communities."