In important respects, Minnesota results mirror the national survey
findings, which include:
- Participation in afterschool programs is up nationally, with 18 percent of the nation’s schoolchildren in programs (10.2 million children), up from 15 percent in 2009 (8.4 million children) and 11 percent in 2004 (6.5 million children).
- At the same time, unmet demand has increased. The parents of nearly 20 million children (19.4 million) say they would enroll their child in an afterschool program if a program were available to them. That means that the existing supply of afterschool programs is meeting barely one-third of demand.
- Demand is greatest among African American, Hispanic and low-income families. Both participation in afterschool and unmet demand for afterschool are much higher among children from low-income households than higher-income households, and higher among African American and Hispanic children than white children. The parents of 60 percent of the nation’s African American children would enroll their child in a program if one were available, as would the parents of 57 percent of Latino children. The same is true of 35 percent of white children.
- Despite increased participation in afterschool, the number of children unsupervised in the hours after school remains high. Across the nation, more than 800,000 elementary students, and 2.2 million middle school students spend time alone and unsupervised during the after school hours. In all, 11.3 million children — one in five — are unsupervised in the afternoons.
- Parental satisfaction with afterschool remains high. Nine in ten parents (89 percent) say they are satisfied with their child’s afterschool program.
- Support for public funding of afterschool programs remains strong. More than four in five parents (84 percent) report that they favor public funding for afterschool opportunities in communities that have few opportunities for children and youth. Support is bipartisan, as well, with 91 percent of parents who identify as Democrats, 86 percent Independents and 80 percent of Republicans favoring public funding for programs. Parents across all geographic regions support public funding for afterschool programs.
On October 23, more than 1
million people in communities across the nation and at U.S. military
installations worldwide will join the only national rally for afterschool
programs. Sponsored by the Afterschool Alliance and now in its 15th
year, Lights On Afterschool brings
communities together for science fairs, fun runs, community service events,
music and dance performances, open houses and other events at schools, community
centers, malls, parks and recreation centers, science museums, state capitols,
and other settings. Find
a local Lights On Afterschool event
at www.afterschoolalliance.org/LOA.cfm.
America After
3PM is funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, the Ford Foundation and
the Noyce Foundation, with additional support from the Heinz Endowments, The
Robert Bowne Foundation and the Samueli Foundation.
The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness
and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have
access to quality afterschool programs. More information is available at
www.afterschoolalliance.org.
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