The quality, continuity, and stability of out-of-school time programs depend in part, on the presence of a well-trained and fairly compensated staff. Without a skilled and stable workforce, programs cannot focus on providing high-quality, developmentally appropriate programs for school-age children. In this paper we touch briefly upon the unique characteristics of the out-of-school time workforce that contribute to inadequate compensation and we explore workforce compensation more deeply from the perspective of economics. We also profile promising compensation strategies and initiatives with an aim to provide practical examples of how in the absence of a national system, compensation is being tackled on the state and local levels.