Staff Reports

California – Strong participation among students and high satisfaction with afterschool programs among parents have made California a “Top 10 State for Afterschool,” based on findings from a new household survey commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance. The 2014 edition of America After 3PM also shows that demand for afterschool programs still far exceeds supply and the number of children in California who would participate if an afterschool program were available surpasses the number of children in afterschool programs.

The America After 3PM survey included 30,000 American households and 854 in-depth interviews in California. It found that 25 percent of California students, 1,661,374 children in all, are enrolled in afterschool programs, up from 19 percent in 2009, when the survey was last conducted. But 1,247,699 California students are still without adult supervision in the afternoons. The parents of 2,435,254 California children not already in an afterschool program say they would enroll their child if a program were

available.

“California has made great progress creating afterschool opportunities for its children, and can be proud of that,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director, Jodi Grant. “But there’s no question that more work remains. Most parents in the state who want their child in a program can’t find one that works for them, and that needs to change. Every California family that needs an afterschool program should have access to one.”

The “Top 10 States for Afterschool,” from highest to lowest, are California, the District of Columbia, Florida, Vermont, Massachusetts, Arizona, Oregon, Nebraska, Tennessee and Hawaii.

“We have important building blocks for future progress already in place in California,” said Jeff Davis, Interim Director of the California AfterSchool Network. “The survey found that 90 percent of parents with children in afterschool programs are satisfied with the program their child attends. Also encouraging is the rock solid support for public funding of afterschool. Eighty-six percent of California parents in the survey said they support public funding for afterschool programs.”

To determine the state rankings, a composite score was calculated for all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, and indexed against the national average. Each state’s overall score is based on afterschool program participation, afterschool programs reaching children in need, and parents’ satisfaction with key features of their child’s afterschool program.

On October 23, more than 1 million people in communities across the nation and at U.S. military installations worldwide will join the only national rally for afterschool programs. Sponsored by the Afterschool Alliance and now in its 15^th

year, Lights On

Afterschool brings communities together for science fairs, fun runs, community service events, music and dance performances, open houses and other events at schools, community centers, malls, parks and recreation centers, science museums, state capitols, and other settings. Find a local Lights On Afterschool event at www.afterschoolalliance.org/LOA.cfm.