Despite an increase in the status of child education in 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. These are among the findings from a new survey of nearly 30,000 households across the United States 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.”

“The bottom line is that more children need — and don’t have — afterschool programs today than five years ago,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “We have increased the number of children in afterschool programs over the last five years, but not enough to keep up with demand. Today in our country, too many parents are unable to enroll their kids in afterschool programs because they’re not available, transportation is unworkable, or they can’t afford the fees. As a nation, we need to increase our efforts to keep up with the rising demand and make sure that afterschool is available to all children who need it. Quality afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families.”

The results of the study were released at a Department of Education event featuring U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in Washington, DC yesterday. “Thinking creatively about non-school hours is important,” Secretary Duncan said to a packed auditorium. “Thank you for helping create the model of what schools should look like.”

Next week, on October 15, the Afterschool Alliance and the JCPenney Afterschool Fund will release survey data from all 50 states.

Source: Afterschool Alliance

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