Kids Upstate

What Kids Upstate does

Kids Upstate is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina, that operates school-based after-school and summer programs for 1st-5th grade children in the Upstate region. Founded in 1988 as Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Spartanburg, the organization merged with Boys & Girls Club of Cherokee County in 2006 and rebranded to Kids Upstate in 2016. It currently operates 11+ school-based Kids Clubs across two Spartanburg school districts and Cherokee County schools, serving over 1,000 children daily with a program built around the KIDS UP Youth Development Strategy and the L.E.A.F. (Leadership, Education, Arts, & Fitness) framework.

The organization runs an asset-light “NO BRICKS” delivery model, using existing partner school facilities rather than owned real estate, which keeps operating costs low and channels the majority of funds toward direct service. Program staffing is supported by the Teachers Up Apprenticeship, a US Department of Labor registered apprenticeship that recruits education majors as club leaders. The operating team consists of approximately 23 personnel — 11 club leaders and 12 administrative and leadership staff — with a leadership team whose combined experience exceeds 100 years in outcome-focused afterschool programming.

Kids Upstate does not charge families for its services; instead, it is funded through donations, grants, and community partnerships. The organization reports that families save $5 million annually versus market-rate afterschool fees, and outcome surveys indicate 92% of Kids Club parents are more involved in their child's education and 98% say the program enables them to hold a full-time job. Strategic direction is shaped by board representation from major Upstate employers (Contec, Truist, Converse University, Hamrick Mills) and a partnership with Help Up Works to disseminate Kids Upstate's operating playbook to other communities.

Name

Kids Upstate

Legal name

Kids Upstate

Website

https://kidsupstate.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kids Upstate is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates school-based after-school and summer programs for 1,000+ 1st-5th graders daily across 11+ clubs in Spartanburg and Cherokee County, South Carolina, funded through donations and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (624410), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDACAHAD

Community & Nonprofit Before/After Care Programs (Early Years)

Education/Early Childhood Education/Before & After School Care (Early Years)

Keywords

• After-school programs
• Youth development
• Child enrichment
• Nonprofit education
• Community youth services

Headquarters

HQ city

Spartanburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a nonprofit organization, Kids Upstate relies heavily on charitable donations from the community. The organization has a donation portal through harnessapp.com and encourages community giving through 'Give Now' and 'Give for Kids' campaigns.
2. Grants and Government Funding: Kids Upstate operates as a community nonprofit and likely receives grant funding. The organization has a Director of Grants & Community Partnerships position and has received recognition from the US Department of Education for their evidence-based approach.
3. Cost Savings to Families: Families save $5 million annually by not having to pay market-rate fees for after-school or summer programs. This indicates the organization provides services at reduced or no cost to families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kids Upstate is a nonprofit organization that provides after-school programs for children in Upstate South Carolina. The organization delivers supervised educational and enrichment activities during after-school hours, serving as a community-based youth development service provider.

Product overview

Kids Upstate operates a unified network of school-based Kids Clubs providing comprehensive after-school and summer programming. The organization offers school-based Kids Clubs (core program), the L.E.A.F. Program (Leadership, Education, Arts & Fitness framework), and the KIDS UP Youth Development Strategy as its primary programmatic offerings. Additionally, the Teachers Up Apprenticeship provides workforce development for staff. All programs are delivered through partnerships with local schools in Spartanburg and Cherokee County, South Carolina.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KIDS UP Youth Development Strategy: Youth development framework building belonging, competence, and purpose in kids
• L.E.A.F.
• Teachers Up Apprenticeship

Products and services

• After-School Programs Supervised, structured after-school programs for school-age children in Upstate South Carolina, providing educational and enrichment activities during after-school hours. Targeted at families and children in the local community.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% of Kids Club parents are more involved in their child's education as a result of the program
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Help Up WorkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHelp Up Works is Kids Upstate's key partner for sharing their know-how with others wanting to open or improve their own after-school programs. Kids Upstate collaborates with Help Up Works on the Teachers Up Apprenticeship program, a registered apprenticeship with the US Department of Labor.
• Spartanburg District 7coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst school district to welcome Clubs into their schools. Spartanburg District 7 was the initial partner that enabled the organization to begin operating youth programs in existing school facilities.
• Spartanburg School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKids Clubs operate in all seven Spartanburg Districts following the initial District 7 partnership. Currently operates in two Spartanburg Districts.
• Cherokee County SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFollowing the 2006 merger with Boys & Girls Club of Cherokee County, Kids Upstate operates Clubs in Cherokee County schools.
• United WaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKids Upstate's outcomes align with United Way's Impact Agenda, indicating partnership and alignment with United Way's community goals.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Broad incumbents

• YMCA of the USA: Largest provider of before/after-school programming in the US through local Y branches; offers school-age child care, youth sports, and academic enrichment overlapping directly with Kids Upstate's L.E.A.F. (Leadership, Education, Arts, Fitness) framework.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: National federation of youth development clubs; Kids Upstate itself was formerly a Boys & Girls Club affiliate, and the broader organization operates the same school- and community-based after-school and youth development model with comparable L.E.A.F.-style programming pillars.

Direct peers

• Communities In Schools: National nonprofit embedding staff inside K–12 schools to coordinate integrated student supports including after-school programming; same school-partnership GTM, same target demographics, and same evidence-based outcome framing.
• After-School All-Stars: National nonprofit providing comprehensive after-school programming to K–12 students in underserved communities, with a focus on academic support, enrichment, and family engagement — directly comparable in mission, evidence-based framing, and school partnership model.
• Police Athletic League (PAL): National youth-serving nonprofit offering after-school programming, mentoring, and enrichment for at-risk elementary and middle schoolers; comparable target population, school- and community-based delivery, and nonprofit/grant funding model.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of America: National youth mentoring nonprofit operating school- and community-based programs for elementary and middle school youth; comparable nonprofit/grant revenue model, comparable volunteer- and donor-driven GTM, and comparable parental-engagement outcomes.
• 4-H (National 4-H Council): USDA-coordinated youth development organization delivering after-school and in-school programming focused on leadership, civic engagement, and healthy living — closely aligned with KU's KIDS UP Youth Development Strategy and school-based delivery.

Regional players

• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands: Sister Boys & Girls Club affiliate serving the Columbia, SC Midlands region; near-clone operating model with school-based clubs and youth development programming, providing a useful regional benchmark for KU's scale and unit economics.
• Boys & Girls Club of the Coastal Plain: Regional BGC affiliate serving eastern North Carolina; comparable in scope, structure, and school-based after-school model to Kids Upstate, useful as a regional peer for fundraising capacity and program reach benchmarking.

Others

• National AfterSchool Association (NAA): Professional membership association for the after-school field; not a direct competitor but the primary industry body whose standards and accreditation frameworks inform KU's program design and grant eligibility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kidsupstate
• Instagraminstagram.com/kidsupstate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kids-upstate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kids Upstate