This article challenges and explores an after-school literacy tutor program in a semi-urban midwestern state. As after-school programs continue to be widely used across the United States, there is also continued efforts to engage students in continued academic learning after school. Hynes and Sanders (2011) studied the experiences of various racial groups in after-school programs across the United States. They found that African American children were more likely to use after-school programs than White students, and most children participating in after-school programs lived in 'urban' (un-defined) areas. They also discovered more options for after-school programs in the Southern region of the United States, which has a larger portion of African American students (After School Alliance, 2009; Hynes and Sanders, 2011).