Noting that the quality, continuity, and stability of out-of-school time programs depend, in part, on the presence of a well-trained and fairly compensated staff, this paper examines the unique characteristics of the out-of-school time workforce that contribute to inadequate compensation and explores workforce compensation from an economic perspective. Part 1 of the paper focuses on the need for qualified out-of-school time staff and the need to consider the following factors in workforce development: no unified worker identity, irregular hours, lack of professional recognition, and the need for diversity in leadership. Part 2 describes the compensation problem from a variety of economic perspectives and considers: (1) supply and demand; (2) quality of after-school child care; (3) labor supply; (4) altruism among providers; (5) return on investment in education; (6) pressure to increase productivity; (7) joining forces with a new social movement; (8) educating the consumer to stimulate demand; (9) marketing to diversity; (10) the "flexibility" factor; (11) "systems" thinking; (12) out-of-school time programs as a public good; and (13) finance reform. Part 3 profiles promising compensation strategies and initiatives from the out-of-school and early childhood education fields to provide practical examples of how, in the absence of a national system, compensation is being handled on the state and local levels. Six approaches are detailed: (1) career development; (2) greater investments per child in portable subsidies; (3) direct investments in programs, staff, and quality; (4) better information for consumers; (5) upgrading standards used in licensing and funding; and (6) organizing the workforce and/or the community. (Contains 53 references and 43 endnotes.) (KB)