Overview

Ontario’s After School Program (ASP) helps kids be active and healthy after school by focusing on sport and physical activity, and including a healthy snack.

ASP is run by municipalities, not-for-profit organizations and First Nations with guidelines provided by the ministry. Organizations make their own decisions in terms of:

  • program activities
  • identifying participants
  • hiring staff

Our family is so thankful for the After School Program. They provide a safe environment for our children after school, while providing healthy snacks, homework help and fun activities.

ASP Parent

The After School Program was a blessing. For working parents who cannot afford daycare, it was nice to know our children were looked after and socializing with friends. Healthy snack options was a bonus!

ASP Parent

Quick Facts

ASP was launched in 2009 and it now benefits more than 13,000 children and youth in kindergarten to Grade 12.

13,000

participants with increased access to sport and recreation annually

110

organizations delivering Ontario’s After School program across Ontario

80

communities in Ontario served by the program

Goals and activities

Ontario’s After School Program focuses on sport and physical activity, and includes a healthy snack.

Sport

Ontario's After School Program helps students get exposed to structured sport activities at the local level, increasing their opportunity to become further involved in organized sport as participants and gain relevant skills.

Physical activity

The program gets students moving with at least 60 minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.

This includes participation in structured activities like basketball, hip-hop dancing or soccer, or simply through unstructured play time.

I appreciate how all the workers take time out of their day for events like the basketball tournament.

Participant

Healthy eating

Participants are given a healthy snack that includes:

  • one vegetable or fruit
  • one protein or whole grain food

Programs may also include other activities like:

  • healthy eating and nutrition education (for example, label reading, snack and meal preparation, local food produce choices)
  • wellness and personal health education (such as bullying and violence prevention, tobacco and substance abuse prevention, building self-esteem)
  • local needs (such as academic assistance, arts and cultural activities, activities promoting equity, diversity and inclusion)

Through attending the ASP program, I learned better time management skills, communication skills, cooking, house chores skills and… I wouldn't be exposed to situations that taught me these skills if I didn’t join the club.

Youth Participant

Program funding

The Ministry of Sport provides funding to non-profit organizations to run after school programs.

We invited non-profit organizations with a sport and recreation mandate to submit funding proposals.

We selected the organizations through a consultation process. The decisions were made along with community stakeholders, municipalities, other ministries and United Way Chapters.

Eligibility

To find out if your child is eligible to participate at an Ontario’s After School Program site, contact the organizations providing programming within your community.

Individual organizations can provide specific information about site locations, eligibility and requirements of their program.

Find an Ontario's After School Program location

Get in touch with an organization near you to find out what programming is available.

 

Contact us

If you have questions about the program, please email afterschool@ontario.ca.