The presence of a skilled and stable workforce in out-of-school time programs for children and youth plays a significant role in the quality and continuity of these programs and consequently, the impact they have on young people. Yet the past 2 decades have consistently revealed many obstacles to the cultivation of such a workforce. The absence of national or statewide professional development systems is an obvious impediment; without a registry of practitioners, core competencies or centralized funding, it is difficult to design, offer, and fund training or professional development programs for staff. Staff whom do increase their knowledge base by attending training or working toward a credential or degree are rarely compensated for their efforts. Turnover appears to result from the lack of adequate compensation and options for upward mobility within the field. Interviews with state and local leaders have provided some evidence of progress in several states and cities towards building components of a professional development system, curbing turnover, increasing compensation and providing incentives for staff. However, there is little indication that the field as a whole is benefiting from these isolated efforts -most of which rely heavily on state and federal funding and are subject to the tides of budget cuts. [This report was produced by National Institute on Out-Of-School Time.]