In the space of an afternoon, an afterschool worker may perform many roles--homework tutor, mentor, athletic director, games master, role model, reading coach, top chef, bridge to parents, and, above all, an adult who develops positive relationships that can change children's lives. Program staff is a critical ingredient of the quality of afterschool programs, which are increasingly seen as means to support youth development and school success. But what qualifications--education, training, and experience--should staff members possess? Building the workforce to help children and youth in afterschool programs reach their potential is a task that the field itself should undertake, together with the policymakers who regulate, fund, and oversee programs. With the reauthorizations of both the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and the Child Care and Development Block Grant long overdue, the role of afterschool in achieving national education goals by supporting the development of well-rounded children and youth must come into sharper focus. The National AfterSchool Association developed a baseline look at how states are approaching staff qualifications and training in two federal funding streams for afterschool programs: (1) Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), the umbrella term for all federal childcare funding, discretionary and mandatory, governed by the provisions of the Child Care and Development Block Grant; and (2) 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC). This article describes the results of the study that looked at states' basic floors for qualifications and professional development for staff in center-based afterschool programs. The study also examined approaches to improving quality. The article concludes with some recommendations. (Contains 5 tables and 1 figure.)