Polling and Survey Data

Afterschool Programs Support Learning Recovery But Struggle with Staffing and Program Costs (April 2024)

A survey of 1,116 afterschool program providers, conducted between October 31 and December 5, 2023, finds that afterschool programs are keeping young people connected, engaged, and inspired, but also continue to face challenges largely due to staffing and program costs. For programs that have been able to obtain federal pandemic relief funds, these funds have helped them keep their doors open, take steps to enhance staff recruitment and retention efforts, serve more students, and expand programming. However, as the end of this federal funding approaches, providers are very concerned about their future sustainability.

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Afterschool Rising to Challenges Brought by the Pandemic - Waves 1-6 (February 2022)

Beginning in late spring 2020 and through late 2021, the six waves of Afterschool Alliance’s Afterschool in the Time of COVID-19 online survey, conducted by Edge Research, documents afterschool and summer programs’ operating status, services, and challenges throughout COVID-19. The series demonstrates that through the ups and downs of the pandemic, what has remained constant is the ability of the afterschool field to rise to moment and meet the needs of the children and families in their communities.

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Afterschool: A Bipartisan Solution to Help Young People Thrive (October 2022)

At a time of deep partisan divides, Afterschool Alliance surveys of parents of school-age children before and during the pandemic have found an area of consensus around support for afterschool and summer learning programs. Across the political spectrum, parents identifying as Democratic, Independent, and Republican strongly agree that afterschool and summer learning programs are keeping kids safe, inspiring learning, and providing peace of mind to working parents, with overwhelming majorities in favor of public funding for such programs.

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America for Afterschool (Oct 2018)

This 2018 national poll finds that there is strong public support for afterschool and summer learning programs. In this poll, designed by the bipartisan team of Lake Research Partners and the Tarrance Group and administered by Ipsos through an online omnibus survey, nearly 9 in 10 adults agree that afterschool programs are important to their community and 2 in 3 adults say that they want their federal, state, and local leaders to provide funding for afterschool and summer learning programs.

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An Ongoing Look at Afterschool in the Time of COVID-19 – Wave 4 (March 2021)

Roughly one year after the COVID-19 pandemic began, afterschool programs are continuing to help children, families, and their communities push through these difficult times. This dashboard includes findings from Wave 4 of the Afterschool in the Time of COVID-19 survey series, conducted Feb. 19-March 15, 2021, as well as comparisons to previous survey waves.

• Wave 4 Toplines
• Wave 4 Dashbaord
• Afterschool in the Time of COVID-19 survey page

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Back to School in the Time of COVID-19 – Wave 3 (November 2020)

Eight months into COVID-19, three key trends are shaping the landscape of afterschool programs across the nation. First, many more afterschool programs are operating now than were in the spring and summer. Second, programs are able to serve only about half as many students as they supported before the pandemic. Third, the children being left behind are disproportionately those from low-income families. These findings are documented in the brief, Back to School in the Time of COVID-19, based on the third in a series of surveys of afterschool program providers to monitor the state of the afterschool field. The Wave 3 provider survey of 1,445 program providers, was conducted between September 28 and October 27, and represents more than 7,300 program sites.

• Wave 3 Toplines
• Waves 1, 2, and 3 Comparison Toplines
• Afterschool in the Time of COVID-19 survey page

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Navigating Afterschool Challenges in 2022 - Wave 7 (July 2022)

This dashboard includes findings from the seventh wave of the Afterschool Alliance's Afterschool in the Time of COVID-19 series, conducted in spring 2022. Ninety-seven percent of providers across the country report that their programs were open in some capacity this year, but staffing remains a top concern, with almost 7 in 10 providers saying they are extremely or very concerned about finding staff to hire/staffing shortages, and 51 percent reporting waiting lists for their programs.

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Parents and Voters Support Afterschool and Summer for All (February 2023)

In a second brief highlighting results from an online poll of registered voters, conducted by Lake Research Partners November 9-14, 2022, this document includes both voter and parent opinions on afterschool and summer programs. It finds strong support for afterschool and summer programs, as well as high levels of agreement that programs are a valuable partner for schools.

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Preparing for Back to School and Navigating Summer in the Time of COVID-19 – Wave 2 (September 2020)

After six months in a COVID-19 world, with the continued uncertainty of when things will return to normal, this brief, Preparing for Back to School and Navigating Summer in the Time of COVID-19, combines findings from a survey of parents along with the second in a series of surveys of afterschool and summer providers to monitor the state of the afterschool field. The Wave 2 provider survey of 1,047 afterschool and summer program providers, conducted between July 20 and August 31, finds that providers are growing increasingly worried about their program’s long-term sustainability, but despite these struggles, programs continue to provide supports to the children and families in their communities, with strong majorities of parents believing in the value of afterschool and summer programs, as well as supporting public funding for these opportunities.

• Wave 2 Toplines
• Wave 1 and Wave 2 Comparison Toplines
• Parent Summer Survey Toplines
• Afterschool in the Time of COVID-19 survey page

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September 2000 Alliance Poll of California Voters

September 2000 Alliance Poll of California Voters

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