How to Add Schools to Your After-School Program (Ep. 10)

Episode 10 · May 7, 2026 · Guest: Darren Chase, Chase Youth Programs LLC

To add more schools to an after-school program, stay personally present with school directors and instructors, make your program the easiest one the school works with, keep a paid on-call sub cleared for each cluster of schools, and plan your cash for schools that pay after the program ends. Fund lower-income sites with a mix of private-pay schools, subsidies and grants won through nonprofit partners.

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This is my written companion to Episode 10 of The Youth Enrichment Leader, my conversation with Darren Chase. Darren is the founder of Chase Youth Programs, which runs sports and education programs in Atlanta-area schools. He added schools fast. What follows is my paraphrase of his lessons, plus my notes from Journey to STEAM.

How do I add schools without losing the relationships?

Show up in person for as long as you can, and show up to help. Darren credits his early growth to being personally involved. School directors knew his face. When he visits an instructor, he arrives before they do and sets up their equipment. He joins the drills, leaves the notebook at home, and rarely drops in unannounced.

I visit programs the same way. My job in that room is to lighten the instructor's load. Do that every time and instructors look forward to your visits. When you can't be everywhere, build the habit into whoever visits next.

His stance with schools comes from having worked inside a school's after-school office. He knows what wears a coordinator out, so his company asks nothing extra of the school. If they want help with carpool, his team helps with carpool. His view: the vendor works for the school. Here is what principals look for in an after-school vendor, from my years as one.

How do I cover classes when every school has its own background check?

Keep a paid on-call instructor who is cleared for a cluster of schools. Darren named background checks as the hard part nobody warns you about. Many private schools run their own check, and some limit how many of your people they will clear.

His fix is one person paid a smaller amount to be available and a premium when they teach, assigned to a set group of schools, with his directors and himself cleared as backup. At Journey to STEAM we pay instructors for the time clearances take, so more people are cleared at more sites. Build the rest with my sub plan.

Can high school students work in my program?

Yes, in the right roles. Darren has brought on high school students he had taught and trusted for admin and leadership projects, and he finds they work hard to prove themselves. Lead instructors at a school generally need to be adults. Students can assist.

This one changed my mind on air. I had avoided hiring young. A paid internship doing contained, behind-the-scenes work is also an instructor pipeline: the great ones can teach for you through college. Work rules for minors differ by state, so check with your state labor agency first.

How do I manage cash flow when schools pay after the program ends?

Know how many weeks of costs you are fronting before you say yes to the next school. Darren called this his biggest surprise. When the school is the payer, you cover instructors and materials up front and get paid at the end. Terms of net 30, 60 or 90 are common.

A made-up example. Three school-paid programs, 10 weeks each. Each costs you $60 a week in instructor pay plus $100 in materials, so 10 x $60 + $100 = $700 per program and 3 x $700 = $2,100 out the door. Invoice at the end on net 30 and the first dollars you spent stay out for about 14 weeks. Add three more schools and it doubles. When families pay at registration, the money arrives before the first class. Most of us need both kinds.

The book that helped me get ahead of this is Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. For the paperwork, read how to invoice a school.

How do I serve schools where families can't pay full price?

Blend your funding. Darren serves private schools and Title I schools, public schools that get federal funds because they serve many kids from low-income households. Private-pay sites keep the company healthy. At other sites he lowers the price, is building income-based pricing, or brings in a nonprofit partner and grant dollars.

My mom wouldn't have been able to afford any of these programs, so I always keep little me in mind. You can do well by doing good. Here is what we do:

1. Set the minimum enrollment that covers the class.
2. Once the class clears it, open scholarship spots with a very short request form.
3. Invite the PTO or the partner to subsidize everyone. Example: a PTO puts $1,000 into a 10 child class priced at $240. $1,000 / 10 = $100 off, and every family pays $140.

In enrops, a scholarship can be a discount code the family enters at checkout.

Can a kids program that is an LLC get grants?

Usually through a nonprofit partner. Most grants Darren sees are open to nonprofits only. So his company partners with education nonprofits: the nonprofit receives the grant and his team delivers the program. He often helps write the application.

His method is relationship first. About a month before a deadline he asks the funder for a call or a meeting, so there is a face and a story behind the application. He has been turned down too. His advice: a larger yes in a few months beats a small one today. My comparison of nonprofit, LLC and franchise structures covers who can receive what.

Who should listen to this episode?

Owners at three to ten schools who feel growth pulling them out of the classroom. Darren was honest that he misses coaching. He tried to do both, and it did not hold. For that handoff, read when to stop teaching every class.

Listen or watch: Spotify · YouTube · Apple Podcasts

Frequently asked questions

Should I grow now or wait until more cash comes in?

Count the weeks of costs the new school adds before its first payment arrives. If your reserve covers that, grow. If it does not, the answer is wait, or add a family-pay program first.

How do I get taken seriously as a young owner?

Let results speak, and serve your team. Darren treats his directors as the people he works for. I became a principal young, and I learned the same thing: nobody asks how long you have done the job when you do it well.

Who should I call when things get hard?

Someone who knows your day-to-day operations and will tell you when an idea does not fit reality. Darren leans on his operations lead for exactly that.

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Arielle Hammond, Ed.D. is the founder of enrops and host of The Youth Enrichment Leader, presented by enrops.