In the spring of 2015, forty committed stakeholders including program providers, public and charter educators and advocates, Newark Public Schools, the City of Newark, expanded learning funders, and higher education institutions convened to undergo a year-long planning process to create an Out-of-School Time (OST) network.

The primary goal of this steering committee was to design an infrastructure to:

• Connect public and private program providers.
• Leverage knowledge base to increase resource advocacy.
• Collect and share data.
• Increase program viability and visibility.

The steering committee drew from out-of-school networks in cities across the country while considering the landscape in Newark and its student’s unique needs in and outside of the classroom. A year later, a strategic plan for out-of-school time was adopted and Newark Thrives! was born.

To improve access to and participation in high-quality out of school time opportunities for Newark youth by leveraging resources,
convening stakeholders, and empowering young people, families, and educators.

To engage every child in Newark in high-quality experiences outside of school time so that they will grow, develop, and thrive.

Newark Thrives! envisions citywide OST access to:

• Safe and healthy learning environments,
• Positive relationships with peers and adults,
• A wide variety of opportunities to explore and develop
• Twenty-first century skill sets