Minnesota Making Progress on Afterschool Programming

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rising participation among students and high satisfaction with afterschool programs among parents is driving progress in meeting the need for afterschool programs in Minnesota, according to a new household survey commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance. But the 2014 edition of America After 3PM also shows that demand for afterschool programs in Minnesota still far exceeds supply, and the number of children who would participate if an afterschool program were available exceeds the number of children currently enrolled in afterschool programs in the state.

The America After 3PM survey included 30,000 American households and 253 in-depth interviews in Minnesota. It found that 15 percent of Minnesota students, 136,041 children in all, are enrolled in afterschool programs, up from 12 percent in 2009, when the survey was last conducted. But 219,277 Minnesota students are still without adult supervision in the afternoons. The parents of 149,516 Minnesota children not already in an afterschool program say they would enroll their child if a program were available.

"Minnesota has made progress in creating afterschool opportunities for its young people, and can be proud of what they've accomplished," said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. "But there's no question that more work remains. There are still too many parents in the state who want their child in a program, but can't find one that works for them. Minnesota's families clearly understand the value of afterschool learning opportunities, and we need to make sure they have access to them."

"We should celebrate the gains Minnesota has made, but acknowledge that we still have important work to do," said Kari Denissen Cunnien, executive director of Ignite Afterschool.  "Nearly 150,000 young people in Minnesota want to enroll in an afterschool program, yet don't have one available to them.  At the same time, 25 percent of youth in our state are on their own after school. These young people can't wait. We need to step up our state's investment in afterschool programs that keep kids safe, help working families, inspire learning, and build skills that prepare them for life beyond the classroom."

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.

The national and Minnesota America After 3PM reports, and accompanying data, are available at www.afterschoolalliance.org. A snapshot of national participation and demand for summer learning programs is also available online.

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 15^th 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.

Findings from America After 3PM are based on in-depth interviews with 13,709 U.S. households with children, completed by way of an online survey using a blend of national consumer panels. Shugoll Research collected and analyzed the data for America After 3PM.  The goal of at least 200 completed interviews was reached in every state and the District of Columbia. In states where this goal could not be reached using online panels, random-digit dialing was used to complete supplementary telephone interviews. In order to participate, respondents had to live in the United States and be the guardians of a school-age child living in their household. All interviews were completed between February 28 and April 17, 2014. 

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.

SOURCE Afterschool Alliance

Related Links

http://www.afterschoolalliance.org

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