You’re evaluating an after-school enrichment vendor. They have a nice website, a smooth sales rep, and a deck full of happy student photos.
Here are the questions that separate a strong partner from a vendor who looks good in a proposal and struggles in execution.
1. Can I see your written curriculum?
Not a description of what the program is. The actual week-by-week scope and sequence. What does week 3 of game design look like? What skill is being introduced in week 5 of Junior Shark Tank?
A provider without a written curriculum is running supervised activity time. That’s not enrichment. If they hesitate on this question, you have your answer.
2. What are your staff-to-student ratios — and what’s in the contract?
The number they quote verbally and the number in the contract are sometimes different. Get the ratio in writing. For active programs (STEM, cooking, engineering), 1:10 to 1:15 is reasonable. Higher than 1:20 and the program quality degrades quickly.
3. What happens when a staff member leaves mid-year?
This will happen. Staff turnover in after-school programming is high. The question is whether the provider has a system — a bench of trained staff, a substitute protocol, a program continuity plan — or whether your students lose weeks of programming while they scramble to find a replacement.
Ask for their average time-to-fill on a vacant site position. A good provider can answer this with a number. A bad one will give you reassurances.
4. Who handles compliance documentation?
ELOP, ASES, and 21st CCLC all have reporting requirements — attendance logs, outcome data, incident reports, student records. Find out exactly which of those responsibilities sit with the vendor and which sit with your school. Some providers handle everything. Others hand you a binder in October and tell you it’s your job.
If you’re paying for a program with grant funds, you need a provider who takes compliance seriously. Ask to see a sample of their reporting documentation from a current program.
5. Can I speak to three principals at Title I schools similar to mine?
Not the references they offer unprompted — those are screened. Ask to speak to three principals at Title I schools with similar demographics, similar enrollment size, similar neighborhood context.
A provider confident in their work will give you those names in 24 hours. A provider who needs a week to “check with their team” is cherry-picking.
6. What’s your student retention rate after week 4?
Enrollment numbers are easy to game. Every program fills in September. The real metric is how many students are still showing up in week 6 and week 8. Programs that students don’t want to attend will empty out by November.
Ask for retention data by site, not blended across their whole portfolio. A flagship school with 90% retention doesn’t tell you much about what to expect at your campus.
7. Can I observe a current program session?
This is the single most useful thing you can do. Thirty minutes watching a real session at a comparable school will tell you more than any proposal deck. Watch whether students are engaged or managed. Watch whether the instructor knows the curriculum or is winging it. Watch whether the room has energy or just compliance.
A provider who declines this request — for any reason — is telling you something important.
The Bottom Line
Good after-school enrichment vendors welcome hard questions. They have the data, the documentation, and the references because they’ve built programs worth defending.
If you’re evaluating enrichment providers for fall 2026, Kodely serves 500+ public schools in California and New York. We’ll answer every question on this list — including the observation request — before you sign anything.