Quality out-of-school is healthy out-of-school—and the NAA HEPA Standards are a critical tool in making healthier programming a reality for young people everywhere.

Studies show that healthy, active children learn better, perform better academically and experience fewer behavioral problems.

Studies show that healthy, active children learn better, perform better academically and experience fewer behavioral problems.

... It's a Professional Association and a Community

What happens when a student eats fresh fruit in their school cafeteria—and then learns about the importance of consuming produce through nutrition education in their afterschool program?

The inaugural National AfterSchool Association's Most Influential in Health and Wellness selections and honorable mentions are distinguished for their strong advocacy for and support of health and wellness in afterschool.

The National Institute on Out-of-School Time and RTI International recently released "Monitoring the Uptake of National AfterSchool Association Physical Activity Standards."

Out-of-school time (OST) programs serve more than 10 million young people per year, which provides a significant opportunity to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Until fairly recently, however, the field has lacked a comprehensive set of operationalizable standards for healthy eating and physical activity (Childhood Obesity 2012).

Did you know that in addition to improved health, physical activity actually supports better learning in school? When kids are physically active, they perform better academically, have better attendance, and their behavior improves. Awesome, right?