During the past 20 years, afterschool programs have become an increasingly vital part of most American communities. Today, some 6.5 million children across the nation participate in these programs. Another 15 million children would participate if a program were available to them, according to their parents. These numbers tell at least two important things: (1) parents recognize that afterschool programs work, and they want their kids involved in them; and (2) many more children lack access to afterschool than have it. The Afterschool Alliance recently took on the task of constructing a "Roadmap to Afterschool for All." Led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, the "Roadmap" assesses for the first time the nation's current investment in afterschool programs from the public sector, parents, foundations, and businesses, and estimates the additional investment needed from each sector to provide quality afterschool programs for all children. It recommends a well-orchestrated partnership across sectors, reflecting a societal commitment to ensuring that all kids have access to quality afterschool programs. The foundation of the "Roadmap" is the nation's and, in particular, the federal government's commitment to ensuring that all children have access to a quality education. Making that commitment meaningful involves providing afterschool opportunities to all. The federal government must lead the way--and that it can do so by beginning to ramp up its investment with the FY2010 federal appropriations process now in progress. Significant increases to funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers and the Child Care Development Block Grant program will go a long way toward helping families quickly, while representing an important down payment on the significant long-term increase in federal funding that is so desperately needed.