Membership Criteria
If you are interested in launching a new urban squash program, we hope these criteria serve as a helpful blueprint.
Programming
Enrollment – Enroll at least 20 children in year-round programming
Sessions – Run programming at least five days a week during the school year, with participating students attending academic and/or squash sessions at least three days a week
Academics and Squash – Provide participants with at least 100 hours of supervised academic support and 100 hours of squash instruction (approximately three hours a week of squash and academics per student) over the course of the school year
Weekends – Run practices or events on at least half of school-year weekends
Summers – Run at least 20 days of academic and squash programming during the summer
Community Service – Require students to fulfill at least 10 hours of community service a year
Population – Enroll students from schools that have a student body of which at least 70% is eligible for the federal government’s free lunch program (if required, other data may be used to demonstrate economic need)
Leadership and Administration
Staff – Employ at least one full-time staff member who has made a commitment to lead the organization for a minimum of two years
Board of Directors – Have a Board of Directors with 100% giving whose contributions account for at least one third of the program’s operating budget
Balance Sheet – Have at least two-thirds of the year’s operating budget in the bank in the two months leading up to and the two months following the application’s submission
Budgets – Possess projected budgets for two years of operation and track revenues and expenses
Insurance – Own directors and officers, liability and other appropriate insurance policies
Transportation – Possess a sound transportation plan
Partnerships – Demonstrate strong partnerships with parents, school(s), volunteers, and facility partners
Attendance and Retention – Record attendance daily and track student attrition