Not Enough Afterschool Programs Available

18 Million Children Need – But Don’t Have – Afterschool Programs, According to New “America After 3PM”

Study Shows Marked Increase in Demand for Afterschool and More Children Unsupervised in the Afternoons Now than in 2004

Despite an increase in the number of children attending afterschool programs over the last five years, today more than a quarter of the nation’s schoolchildren are on their own in the afternoons, and the parents of 18 million children say they would enroll their kids in afterschool programs if programs were available.

The data come from the landmark America After 3PM study, conducted for the Afterschool Alliance and sponsored by the JCPenney Afterschool Fund.

America After 3 PM is the most extensive research on how America’s children are spending their afternoons. It found that the number of children left alone after the school day ends has risen to 15.1 million children (26 percent of school-age children) – an increase of 800,000 children since the 2004 edition of the study. Thirty percent of middle schoolers (3.7 million kids) are on their own, as are four percent of elementary school children (1.1 million children). At the same time, Americans see afterschool programs as a solution: Nine in 10 adults surveyed agree that there should be “some type of organized activity or place for children and teens to go after school every day that provides opportunities to learn.”

Other key findings from America After 3 PM:

• Americans believe afterschool programs work and support them. The vast majority of parents of children in afterschool programs are satisfied with the programs their children attend, and overall public support for afterschool programs is similarly strong. Nine in 10 parents (89 percent) are satisfied with the afterschool programs their children attend. Eight in 10 parents support public funding for afterschool programs.

• The availability of afterschool programs has improved in the last five years, and families are taking good advantage. But availability is not keeping pace with rising need and demand. The number and percentage of children participating in afterschool programs has increased significantly in the last five years, with 8.4 million children (15 percent) now participating. That compares with 6.5 million children in 2004 (11 percent). But the parents of 18.5 million children (38 percent) not currently participating in an afterschool program would enroll their children in a program if one were available to them, a significant increase from the 15.3 million (30 percent) seen in 2004.

• While African American and Hispanic children are more likely than others to be in afterschool programs, millions are unsupervised each afternoon and the unmet need is tremendous. One in four African American and one in five Hispanic children attend afterschool programs, compared to 15 percent of all children in the United States. Yet 28 percent of African American and 21 percent of Hispanic children have no adult supervision after the school day ends. More Hispanic and African American parents say the economy is impacting their ability to pay for care for their children after school. Nearly two in five parents overall (38 percent) would enroll their children if afterschool programs were available, as would 47 percent of Hispanic parents and 61 percent of African American parents.

• The economy has taken a toll on participation in afterschool programs. Nearly one in three households (31 percent) report that their children are spending more time in the care of a parent after school now than a year ago. The primary reasons include changes in work status (fewer parents are employed) and availability and affordability of care (some afterschool programs are cutting hours or closing, and parents are less able to afford fees). Parents cite a number of barriers to enrolling their children in afterschool programs with more than half of parents (52 percent) citing cost and more than one in four reporting hours of operation (26 percent) and availability of programs (27 percent) as reasons for nonparticipation.

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