President Obama's vision to leverage the power of community colleges to build American workers' education and skills offers tremendous opportunities for the after school profession. National AfterSchool Association President and CEO Gina Warner issued this statement:

"If this proposal were to come to fruition it could result in the professionalism of the entire field of afterschool and youth development. Expansion of existing community college degree and credential programs will present credible and affordable career opportunities for the nearly 700,000 people who work in our field."

NAA has recently completed a series of focus briefs examining afterschool quality and advancements in the profession, including an examination of successful community college and afterschool collaborations. You can find the full set of briefs and more information at naaweb.org.