New briefs: America After 3PM for Black and Hispanic Families

The recently released fifth edition of America After 3PM, “Lost Opportunity: Afterschool in Demand, But Out of Reach for Many,” reveals that afterschool programs are in high demand nationwide–and this is especially true for Black and Hispanic households. Two new reports, “America After 3PM for Black Families” and “America After 3PM for Hispanic Families,” find that an overwhelming majority of Black and Hispanic parents, with and without a child in an afterschool program, recognize the valuable roles that programs play in the lives of both children in families. Despite the tremendous support, approximately 3 in 4 Black children and nearly 4 in 5 Hispanic children who want to participate are without access to programs, as barriers like cost, transportation, and lack of availability prevent parents from enrolling their children.

Additional takeaways from the briefs include:

1. Demand for afterschool programs is enormous among Black and Hispanic families. 65% of Black children and 60% of Hispanic children would be enrolled in an afterschool program if one were available to them. For both groups, unmet demand is at an all-time high, with the percentage of children likely to participate increasing by 7 percentage points for Black children and by 5 percentage points for Hispanic children since 2020.
    
2. Driving the demand, Black and Hispanic parents recognize the benefits of afterschool participation for both children and working parents. Large majorities of Black and Hispanic families say afterschool programs allow children to form positive connections with other students (85% and 84%) and staff (80% and 76%), learn life skills (87% and 86%), and reduce their screen time by engaging in fun activities after school (86% and 85%). Black and Hispanic households also recognize that parents benefit from afterschool programs, agreeing that programs provide working parents with peace of mind (84% and 83%) and help them keep their jobs (83% and 82%). Further, compared to parents overall, the intensity of agreement is stronger among Black and Hispanic families in several areas. For example, 58% of Black parents and 51% of Hispanic parents completely agree that programs help young people develop skills like teamwork, critical thinking, and leadership, compared to 47% of all parents.
    
3. Program affordability, accessibility, and availability limit participation for Black and Hispanic families. Like parents nationally, affordability is the top barrier to afterschool participation, with more than half of Black parents (54%) and nearly 6 in 10 Hispanic parents (59%) reporting that high program cost prevented them from enrolling their child in a program. However, issues related to accessibility and availability hold greater weight among Black and Hispanic families compared to parents overall. For instance, Black and Hispanic parents are much more likely to report that their child does not have a safe way to and from programs than parents overall (54% and 58% vs. 49%) and that program hours do not meet their needs (51% and 51% vs. 45%). Black and Hispanic parents are also more likely to say that lack of available spaces or long waiting lists were deterrents to enrollment, compared to all parents (41% and 42% vs 35%). For Hispanic families, most barriers continue to grow, after a dramatic increase from 2014 to 2020.
    
4. Black and Hispanic parents with a child in an afterschool program report an array of supports, and are satisfied with most aspects of their child’s afterschool program. Similar to parents overall, safety, caring staff, and support of their child’s mental health and well-being are the top criteria factoring into Black and Hispanic parents’ program selection. For Black parents specifically, support of their child’s mental health, as well as academic considerations, such as reading and writing opportunities, homework help, and tutoring, were much more likely to factor into their decision-making than parents overall. Additionally, a vast majority of Black and Hispanic parents are satisfied with their top criteria, such as safety of environment (91% and 89%) and knowledgeable and caring staff (92% and 93%).
    
5. Black and Hispanic parents overwhelmingly support public funding for afterschool programs. 92% of Black families and 90% of Hispanic families are in favor of public funding for afterschool programs. What’s more, support is palpable across party lines, with a sweeping majority of Black and Hispanic Democrats, Independents, and Republicans supporting public funding.

To learn more, read the full America After 3PM briefs on Black and Hispanic families, and visit the America After 3PM data dashboard to explore over 100 data points on the demand, benefits, challenges, and support for afterschool programs among Black and Hispanic households.