Survey finds that programs open this summer will reach the highest levels in three years

Thanks to the more than 1,100 program providers who responded to Afterschool Alliance’s spring survey to better understand the current state of the field, we are able to share some insights into what providers anticipate for this summer. This summer, program providers are much more certain about being open; however, students’ mental health and well-being and the ability to hire the staff necessary to support programming are concerns for a majority of providers. Below are five key takeaways from Afterschool Alliance’s most recent survey, conducted between April 20 and May 20, 2023, about what providers’ expectations are for this summer.

1. Most programs’ doors are open to students this summer: Fully 96 percent of program providers surveyed who typically offer summer programming report that they will be open this summer, the highest level since the survey asked this question in the spring of 2021. The largest jump was seen between 2021 and 2022, increasing 11 percentage points, from 79 percent to 90 percent. Additionally, 95 percent of program providers who will be open this summer plan to serve students in person. Approximately one-third of providers who plan to be open (32 percent) say they are expanding their program to serve more children, and 13 percent will offer their summer program at more sites than in the past. 
2. Students’ mental health and well-being is a major concern among summer providers: Nearly 3 out of 4 summer providers (72 percent) say that they are concerned about their program’s ability to adequately support young people’s mental health and well-being. Programs in urban areas (46 percent) and programs where more than 75 percent of their student population qualifies for the free or reduced-price lunch program (44 percent) are more likely to say that they are extremely or very concerned than programs located in rural and suburban areas (34 percent and 32 percent, respectively), as well as programs where less than 50 percent of their student population qualifies for the free or reduced-price lunch program (34 percent). This concern may help to account for the 32 percent of program providers who report that they are going to focus more intentionally on students’ holistic needs and support students’ overall well-being this summer.
3. Summer programs anticipate staffing programs to be a challenge: Nearly 7 in 10 summer program providers (68 percent) are concerned about their ability to hire enough staff, including a quarter of providers who are extremely concerned. Concerns about staffing is highest among suburban program providers (75 percent), in the West (74 percent), and in the Northeast (72 percent). Programs running multiple sites are also more likely to be concerned. For example, 84 percent of program providers operating 10 to 19 sites say that they are concerned about hiring enough staff, compared to 61 percent of providers operating a single site.
4. While a majority of summer providers report involvement in school district conversations regarding how best to support students’ learning over the summer, this number is down from previous surveys: A majority of summer program providers (53 percent) say that they are involved in conversations organized by their school district or local schools about how best to support students’ learning during the upcoming summer. However, the percentage of summer providers reporting involvement has seen a small but steady decline through the waves of the survey—from 58 percent in the spring of 2021, to 56 percent in the spring of 2022, to 53 percent today. Summer programs with 21st Century Community Learning Centers funding, programs operating multiple sites, and programs run by public schools are most likely to say that they have been in conversations about supporting students’ learning during the summer months.
5. COVID-relief funding is helping increase summer program availability for young people: Program providers who received COVID-relief funding report that the funds will help their summer program serve more students (42 percent), hire more staff (39 percent), and expand summer program offerings (38 percent) and hours (12 percent). Nearly 1 in 5 summer programs with COVID-relief funds (18 percent) say that they will be able to offer a new summer program with the money. However, only 17 percent of summer programs surveyed report that they have COVID-relief funding.

Looking toward the future, summer program providers have an overall positive outlook, with 78 percent saying that they are strongly or somewhat optimistic about the future of their program and more than 3 in 4 believing that the worst is over (67 percent). The summer findings are a first peek into results from the ninth wave of the final Afterschool in the Time of COVID-19 survey series. Stay tuned for further survey analysis, tracking what has changed for the afterschool field since the first data collection in the spring of 2020.