A HUB
for STEM in
Afterschool

The research is clear - young people who engage with STEM in afterschool are more interested and excited about STEM.

The Afterschool STEM Hub, a project of the Afterschool Alliance, is dedicated to ensuring that all young people have access to high-quality, meaningful, and youth-centered STEM learning experiences in their afterschool programs. We are a coalition of youth program leaders, researchers, and STEM education advocates working at the intersection of practice, research, and policy to advance investment in afterschool STEM programs.

We know that good advocates need to be knowledgeable about challenges on the ground, understand what research and evidence are telling us, and be well-informed about policy conversations so that we can offer expertise and ideas for how supportive policies can be best implemented. The Afterschool STEM Hub aims to be a resource to help you navigate this terrain, whether you are looking to impact policy on the local, state, or federal level.

Become well-informed about research you can use to make your case, learn more about our federal policy work, and check out our Advocacy Toolkit for resources and tools to help you and your team advocate for investments and collaborative efforts supporting afterschool STEM!

Whether you're talking with a policy maker, a funder, potential community or school partners, or parents, there are common framing strategies that can help make a powerful argument for why afterschool and summer STEM matters. And by using materials from the Afterschool STEM Hub, your local advocacy efforts will harmonize with the efforts of advocates across the nation. In speaking a common language, we can amplify our voices, assure greater attention to these issues, and expand children's access to effective afterschool and summer STEM learning.

Please visit our About Us page to learn more about who we are.

Questions? Email us at stemhub@afterschoolalliance.org

The STEM Talk

Join us on the first Thursday of each month in a 30-minute conversation to learn STEM policy updates, practical strategies, and actionable resources to help you navigate the ever-changing world of STEM education, workforce development, policy, and advocacy. Register for the webinar here!

STEM Advocacy

Afterschool STEM Hub members are collaborating to host a STEM Education Advocacy Experience as part of the STEM Learning Ecosystems Communities of Practice annual convening October 20-22, 2025 in Washington, DC. As part of the experience, we'll host afterschool STEM and youth voice advocacy sessions. Learn more about the STEM Advocacy Experience here!

Share Your Story!

Help us educate lawmakers and leaders about the impact currently on-going federal policy changes are having on your program and community. The Afterschool Alliance and the Afterschool STEM Hub have created a confidential form for you to share the impacts of the recent actions from the administration (such as executive orders, budget cuts and funding freezes, restrictions on populations served, etc.). Share your story with us here.