1. Building successful after-school programs Thrive After 3

2. Plan after-school sessions You already have a storytime audience, keep them coming back once the children enter school. Plan 6-8 week sessions just like storytime: Fall session: Mid-September to mid-November Winter session: January-February Spring session: March-April This will give you May/June open to plan summer reading and get your school visits in.

3. When? It may take some time to figure out what days and times work for your patrons. Directly after-school? After dinner? Saturdays? Do an informal survey with regular patrons. Ask the school what days/times there are no school sports. The School Calendar is your friend. Plan programs on half- days, professional development, parent conferences.

4. Marketing Create flyers or brochures to pass out to the schools. Sometimes you need Superintendent/ Principal permission to distribute through the schools. Market to parents. They’re looking for activities to improve their child’s life. Give them a reason! Parents sign their child up for soccer to learn team work, they’ll sign up for your program if they know the benefits of reading. Market to both genders and all abilities.

5. How to build a successful program Read the books! Don’t assign homework. Kids have enough. Don’t make it a book club. Save that for the summer reading program. Mix it up with crafts, activities, games, competitions. Create a 45-minute program 15 mins of reading 30 mins of activity

6. Set-Up Just like storytime, have everything ready for the children. Put items on plates/cups, or bag everything up in sandwich baggies. This will alleviate fighting over colors and numbers of items.

7. Early Elementary(K-2 or K-3) After School Adventurers Super Sleuth Scholars Story Crafters Creative Characters Chapter Masters Genre Gobblers

8. Upper Elementary(3-5 or 4-6) Mystery Mavens Page Turners Thinking Cap Society Series Starters Nutmeg Novelists

9. Budget & Funding Start out using storytime supplies: photocopied paper, scissors, glue, crayons, markers, colored pencils. As attendance grows, request more funding. Apply for grants from Women’s Clubs, Veteran Clubs, Friends of the Library. Don’t waste money on snacks. If your program is right after school, encourage children to bring their own snack they can eat when you read aloud.

10. Let’s Play! Early Elementary BookPages to ReadActivity Fall Session Shark vs. Trainwhole bookstick puppets and voting Superhero ABCwhole bookmask Dark Day in the Deep Sea (Magic Tree House)chapter 7Jack & Annie with octopus Flat Stanleypicture bookFlat Self Mercy Watson Goes For a Ride24-41stick puppet race Stink and the Ultimate Thumb Wrestling Smackdown38-42thumb wrestling with tattoos Winter Session: Books and Snacks Mary Poppins seriespick any chaptersnack Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle seriespick any chaptersnack Pippi Longstocking seriespick any chaptersnack Stuart Littlepick any chaptersnack Ramona Quimby seriespick any chaptersnack Toys Go Out seriespick any chaptersnack Spring Session The Great Monster Huntwhole bookMonster Catcher Net Not So Jolly Roger (Time Warp Trio) Wanted Poster Let's Go For a Drive (Elephant and Piggie)whole bookLunch bag puppets Never Glue Your Friends to Chairschapter 7bee antennae Gingerbread Girlwhole bookGingerbread girl Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttonswhole bookPete with "buttons"

11. Let’s Play! Upper Elementary Fall Session The Name of This Book is Secret (Secret Series)40-48smell a thon If You're Reading This, It's Too Late (Secret Series)121-124sound prism Where the Mountain Meets the Moon12-25fortune cookies The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson)258-261Hold Up the Sky Relay Diary of a Wimpy Kid seriesany passageCheese Touch Game & Jeopardy The Puzzling World of Winston Breen1-9code breaker Winter Session using Legos 13 Wordswhole bookbuild one word My Heart is Like a Zoowhole bookbuild a shape Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurswhole booksomething from a fairy tale Duck or Rabbitwhole booksomething that could be 2 things Balloons Over Broadwaywhole booksomething from a parade Greenwhole booksomething monochromatic Spring Session Fairy Tale Detectives (Sisters Grimm)149-157Magic mirror craft Hugo Cabret (ch.2) Robot Dreams, Wimpy Kid (167-178)see handoutDesign Graphic Novel Sword Thief (39 Clues)106-111Notice the Difference Game Splendors and Gloom28-33Marionette Puppet Mysterious Benedict Society3-14puzzle contest Gollywhopper Games71-80board game

12. Ideas for Future Programming Read aloud winter program (Books & Chocolate) If you get extra funding, provide hot cocoa or smores (Honey maid graham and chocolate graham with fluff is a peanut-free snack). Run a 6-8 week program and provide a paperback copy of the book. Lego Programs This would be a one-time expense.

13. Additional Resources Connecticut State Standards: http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2618&q=322592 Common Core Standards: http://www.corestandards.org/ Lisa Shaia’s Series Programming for the School Aged Class offered by ALSC online: http://www.ala.org/alsc/edcareeers/prof development/alscweb Lisa’s blog: thriveafterthree.wordpress.com Lisa’s forthcoming book: After-School Clubs to Encourage Reading ALA, September 2013