Afterschool centers are known for being flexible spaces where young people enjoy freedom of talk and movement, build long-term relationships with peers and staff, and engage in choice-based programming that supports them in exploring their interests and emerging identities. These conditions are ideal for connected forms of learning that differ from those promoted in traditional school environments (Ito et al., 2013). According to sociocultural theory, learning in socially and intellectually supportive spaces promotes socially situated identity development, which is essential for a sense of belonging to a community of learners (Gee, 2001; Lave & Wenger, 1991; Rogoff, 1994). Historically, afterschool programs have been purposely set apart from schools in terms of practice, pedagogy, and philosophy (Halpern, 2002; Heath & McLaughlin, 1994). However, the many factors that put extra pressures on children and staff can make it difficult to maintain these distinguishing features. Staff may fall back on school-like practices of behavior regulation that constrain the ability to design for freedom and belonging. This article examines efforts by an afterschool tinkering program to prioritize belonging and transformative inclusion which is defined as including each person in a space, accommodating that person's cultural practices and history, and making efforts to transform the norms of the space to better suit those practices and that history.