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How well are afterschool programs serving children with special needs or disabilities?

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How well are afterschool programs serving children with special needs or disabilities?

In afterschool programs, children of all abilities can take part in hands-on learning experiences, have time to collaborate with peers, snack on healthy eats, and are able to be active and outdoors in the care of knowledgeable and supportive staff. The flexible and responsive nature of afterschool programs create the foundation for an inclusive learning environment, where children with special needs or disabilities can learn, play, and grow alongside their peers. A new brief, “America After 3PM for Children with Special Needs or Disabilities,” examines the afterschool experience as reported by parents with a child with special needs or disabilities and finds that 9 in 10 parents (91 percent) are happy with their child’s afterschool program overall. More than 3 in 4 parents say that they are satisfied that the program is addressing the special needs of their child (77 percent).

The brief also includes information on the opportunities available to children with special needs or disabilities in afterschool programs, qualities their parents care most about when looking for an afterschool program, and areas of growth for the afterschool field to better reach young people of all abilities. A few key highlights from the brief include:

  • Children with special needs or disabilities have access to a wide range of activities and supports in their afterschool program. An overwhelming majority of parents of children with special needs or disabilities report that their child’s afterschool program provides opportunities for physical activity (82 percent), STEM learning (79 percent), and homework or academic help (76 percent).
  • Afterschool programs are helping young people with special needs or disabilities build peer connections and increase their confidence. Most parents of children with special needs or disabilities say that their child has opportunities to interact with their peers and develop social skills (87 percent) and is building confidence (81 percent) and life skills (75 percent) in their afterschool program.
  • Parents of children with special needs or disabilities also benefit from afterschool programs. Nearly 3 in 4 parents with a child with special needs or disabilities (73 percent) say that their child’s afterschool program helps them build skills through classes or workshops and 2 in 3 report that their program connects them to community resources. Moreover, 77 percent of parents with a child with special needs or disabilities in an afterschool program agree that programs help to foster connections to their child’s school day education, 13 percentage points higher than parents overall (64 percent).
  • Finding an appropriate program and the cost of programs are challenges parents of children with special needs or disabilities face when looking for afterschool programs. Parents of children with special needs or disabilities are more likely than parents overall to agree that it was difficult to find an appropriate afterschool program for their child (56 percent vs. 47 percent), as well as more likely to agree that it is difficult to afford afterschool programs (64 percent vs. 58 percent).

The full set of findings from the America After 3PM national household survey related to children with special needs or disabilities are available in the brief, along with a list of resources that include links to an inclusion toolkit for afterschool programs and a guidebook for parents and guardians on what to look for in an afterschool program that meets the needs of their child. To learn more about the America After 3PM survey, visit the America After 3PM home page, where you can find additional reports on summer learning and STEM, an interactive data dashboard, and infographics that provide information on the demand, need, and support for afterschool and summer programs.

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