A new household survey commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance finds that the number of Latino children in afterschool programs has declined from 3.8 million in 2014 to less than 2.3 million today. The decline means more Hispanic students are without the critical supports that can help them succeed. The study is based on responses from more than 30,000 U.S. families, including 4,393 Hispanic respondents.
Building on household surveys conducted in 2004, 2009, and 2014, the survey offers a pre-pandemic snapshot of how children and youth spend their afternoons. It also includes a separate survey of parents conducted in the fall of 2020.
More than three in five Latinx parents (61%) report stress about providing learning support while their child’s school is operating virtually – a significantly higher percentage than parents overall (54%).
“In this survey, Latinx parents report that afterschool programs are doing stellar work in helping meet many of their children’s academic, social/emotional, and other needs. But investments in afterschool have not kept up with demand, and that puts millions of children and youth at risk. The pandemic, which is taking an especially high toll on communities of color, is exacerbating the harm,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant.
Other findings include:
• Eighty-three percent of Latinx parents say afterschool programs help young people build life skills, reduce unproductive screen time (85%), and help children gain interest and skills related to science, technology, engineering, and math (80%).
• More than four in five say afterschool programs help working parents keep their jobs (82%).
• Hispanic parents reporting that programs are too expensive increased from 46% in 2014 to 57% now, and reporting that their child does not have a safe way to get to and from programs increased from 46% to 60% over the same time frame.
• Hispanic families in the highest income bracket report spending 7.5 times more on out-of-school time activities than families in the lowest income bracket ($3,534 vs. $470).
• Eighty-five percent of Hispanic parents agree that all young people deserve access to quality afterschool and summer programs.
“Every parent should have access to an affordable, quality afterschool program that will keep their child safe, supervised, and learning,” Grant added. “This study paints a picture of unmet need, with the heaviest burdens falling on Latinx, Black, and low-income families. We must do better. Publicly funded afterschool programs have long been a lifeline for children. We need to bring more federal, state, local, business, and philanthropic support to meeting the needs of students and their families after school.”
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