National AfterSchool Association

What National AfterSchool Association does

The National AfterSchool Association (NAA), founded in 1987 and headquartered in Washington D.C., is the leading U.S. professional membership association for individuals who work with and for youth during Out-of-School Time (OST). The association serves a community of more than 30,000 members and the broader field of roughly 850,000 OST professionals, supported by a nationwide network of 36 state affiliates and reaching an estimated 7.8-10 million young people annually through affiliated programs. NAA is governed by a Board of Directors and led by CEO Gina Warner and COO Heidi Ham.

NAA's product portfolio spans codified professional standards (Code of Ethics, Core Knowledge Skills and Competencies across 10 domains, OST Job Quality Standards with 4 Pillars and 67 Indicators), a competency-based credentialing system (NAAPCS with micro-credentials and digital badges), and the newly launched National Youth Development Foundational Practices Credential co-developed with the Forum for Youth Investment and PEAR under Wallace Foundation funding. Content is distributed through the AfterSchool Today bi-annual magazine, the peer-reviewed Journal of Youth Development, Focus Briefs, and an Afterschool Tech Toolkit, while recognition is delivered via the Next Generation of Afterschool Leaders Award and Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week. Underlying technology is largely commodity: the YourMembership.com SaaS platform powers membership, website, event registration, and communications, with Flipsnack used for digital publications.

The association's business model is a diversified nonprofit membership revenue stack: individual and organizational annual subscription dues, multi-year advertising and sponsorship contracts on owned digital properties, OST Marketplace vendor listings, and convention/event registration and sponsorships (NAA26 in Washington D.C. area; NAA27 scheduled March 14-17, 2027 in Denver). Distribution combines direct membership acquisition with a state-affiliate channel that channels free NAA membership through local conferences, and the field is anchored by strategic partnerships with the Afterschool Alliance, Johnson Foundation at Wingspread, Wallace Foundation, and Policy Studies Associates.

Name

National AfterSchool Association

Legal name

National AfterSchool Association

Website

https://naaweb.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The National AfterSchool Association is a U.S. professional membership association, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Washington D.C., serving more than 30,000 out-of-school time practitioners and the broader field of 850,000 professionals through credentials, standards, publications, conventions, and a 36-state affiliate network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Dues: Professional membership fees for individual OST professionals seeking networking, professional development, resources, and recognition.
2. Organizational/Program Membership: Organizational accounts providing multiple memberships for employees of programs and organizations.
3. Media and Advertising: Digital advertising opportunities on NAA website, weekly eNewsletter, AfterSchool Today magazine, and event materials targeting the 30,000+ NAA community.
4. Sponsorships: Sponsored content, webinars, contests, and special event sponsorships during conventions and programs.
5. OST Marketplace: Directory and commerce platform showcasing products and services for afterschool programs.
6. Convention and Events: Registration fees for annual NAA Convention, Leadership Summits, and other professional development events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NAA is the U.S. professional membership association for out-of-school time (OST) professionals, providing individual and organizational memberships that bundle access to competency-based credentialing (NAAPCS micro-credentials and the National Youth Development Foundational Practices Credential), the AfterSchool Today magazine and Afterschool Quality Briefs, the annual NAA Convention, professional standards (Job Quality Standards, Code of Ethics, CKSC framework), advocacy representation, and a 35-state affiliate network serving 30,000+ members.

Product overview

The National AfterSchool Association (NAA) is a professional membership association that operates a portfolio of products and services for the out-of-school time (OST) profession. The core offering is NAA Membership, which provides access to a comprehensive ecosystem that includes professional credentialing (NAAPCS with micro-credentials and the National Youth Development Foundational Practices Credential), publications (AfterSchool Today magazine and Afterschool Quality Briefs), professional standards (Code of Ethics and Core Knowledge, Skills & Competencies), workforce development frameworks (OST Job Quality Standards), and recognition programs (Next Generation of Afterschool Leaders Award and Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week). NAA also hosts the annual NAA Convention, maintains a State Affiliates Network of 36 affiliates across the U.S., operates an Afterschool Marketplace vendor directory, and offers media/advertising opportunities. The association does not offer a proprietary technology product but rather serves as a professional association providing standards, credentials, publications, and events for OST professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NAA Membership Professional membership association offering individual and organizational membership accounts providing access to resources, publications, professional development, networking, credentialing, and advocacy for out-of-school time professionals in the U.S.
• AfterSchool Today Magazine NAA's official bi-annual digital publication delivering content on topics relevant to the out-of-school time profession to NAA's member community.
• Afterschool Quality Briefs Series of focus briefs describing the State of Afterschool Quality, covering quality programs, advancing professionalism, funding quality initiatives, and policy recommendations for the OST field.
• National Youth Development Foundational Practices Credential First-of-its-kind national credential developed in partnership with the Forum for Youth Investment and PEAR, grounded in observable youth development practices and comprising four micro-credentials using trained observation as evidence of competency. Piloted with Wallace Foundation support through December 2027.
• NAA Professional Credentialing System (NAAPCS) Competency-based professional credentialing system that enables individuals to personalize and demonstrate their learning through evidence, including micro-credentials and digital badges, for OST professionals.
• NAA Convention Annual national convention bringing together thousands of afterschool and youth development professionals for learning, networking, professional development, and recognition. NAA27 scheduled March 14-17, 2027 in Denver, Colorado.
• OST Marketplace Online vendor directory and marketplace showcasing third-party products and services that support afterschool programs, including childcare management software, STEM curriculum providers, and professional development tools.
• Media and Advertising Advertising and sponsorship opportunities including digital advertising on NAA's website, weekly eNewsletter, AfterSchool Today magazine, sponsored content, webinars, and special events reaching 30,000+ community members.

Quantifiable outcome

• NAA serves over 850,000 afterschool professionals and programs reaching 7.8-10 million young people annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Johnson Foundation at WingspreadcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025NAA partnered with the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread in Racine, Wisconsin to host 'A Convening on Advancing System-Level Job Quality in Out-of-School Time.' The invitation-only event brought together 35 OST leaders from communities and states across the country to focus on strengthening the OST workforce through intentional, aligned approaches to job quality.
• Forum for Youth InvestmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024NAA partnered with the Forum for Youth Investment to develop the National Youth Development Foundational Practices Credential. The Forum provides Program Quality Assessments (PQAs) as part of the credential framework.
• PEAR (Partnerships in Education and Resilience)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024NAA partnered with PEAR to develop the National Youth Development Foundational Practices Credential. PEAR provides Dimensions of Learning (DoL) observation framework for assessing practitioner competency.
• Afterschool AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for advocacy, policy resources, and field collaboration. The Afterschool Alliance provides policy updates, advocacy resources, and research (including America After 3PM data) that NAA shares with its members. NAA collaborates with Alliance on workforce initiatives and the Afterschool for All Challenge.
• Policy Studies AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the National Youth Development Foundational Practices Credential development coalition supporting research and implementation.
• Search InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional development partner featured in NAA's OST Marketplace offering developmental assets and developmental relationships frameworks.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): NAEYC is the largest professional membership association for early childhood educators, with a comparable membership, accreditation, publications, and annual conference model. It is a broad incumbent peer — serving a different (younger) age segment than NAA's school-age OST focus, but operating the same kind of professional association playbook at much larger scale.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a national youth development organization operating after-school programming for millions of young people. It is a broad incumbent peer in the OST ecosystem — not a professional association, but a major employer of the OST workforce NAA serves and an influential buyer of OST-related products, training, and standards.
• American Camp Association: American Camp Association is a membership association that accredits camps and provides professional development for camp professionals. It is a broad incumbent peer to NAA — running a similar professional membership + accreditation + standards + annual conference model for an adjacent youth-development workforce.

Direct peers

• Forum for Youth Investment: Forum for Youth Investment is a nonprofit action tank that works to ensure all young people are ready for college, work, and life. It is a direct peer and partner to NAA — co-developing the National Youth Development Foundational Practices Credential and operating at the same intersection of youth development practice, quality standards, and system-level reform.
• Council for Professional Recognition: Council for Professional Recognition administers the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, the most widely recognized credential for early childhood educators. It is a direct peer to NAA in the youth-development credentialing space — operating a national, evidence-based credentialing system for a closely related workforce, with comparable micro-credential and digital badge infrastructure.
• Afterschool Alliance: Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring all children have access to quality afterschool programs. It is a direct peer to NAA, addressing the same OST constituency through policy and advocacy (America After 3PM, Afterschool for All Challenge) while NAA focuses on professional membership — together they form the two main national pillars of the OST field.
• National Summer Learning Association: National Summer Learning Association is a membership nonprofit focused exclusively on summer learning programs serving youth during out-of-school time. It is a direct peer to NAA in the OST professional association category, with a similar membership, advocacy, and convention model aimed at a closely adjacent (seasonal) segment of the same 850,000-professional workforce.

Emerging players

• School-Age NOTES: School-Age NOTES is a publisher and training provider focused on school-age child care and OST programming. It is an emerging peer to NAA — overlapping with NAA's resources, training, and publications business for the OST workforce, but operating as a for-profit training publisher rather than a broad professional association.
• Afterschool Tech Toolkit: Afterschool Tech Toolkit is a resource hub (linked from NAA's site) offering curated digital tools for OST programs. It is an emerging peer / ecosystem partner to NAA — addressing the same OST program-operator audience with a narrower technology-selection focus rather than the full professional association remit.

Regional players

• Association of Children's Museums: Association of Children's Museums is a professional membership association serving children's museums and informal learning institutions. It is a thematic peer to NAA — operating a similar small-staff membership association model for an adjacent youth-serving field, with comparable conference, advocacy, and credential-adjacent programming.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-afterschool-association
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalAfterSchoolAssociation
• Xx.com/NatlAfterSchool

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National AfterSchool Association