Household Survey: Participation in Afterschool Increases, But Unmet Demand for Afterschool Programs Persists in Iowa

Washington, DC ? Rising participation among students and high satisfaction with afterschool programs among parents is driving progress in meeting the need for afterschool programs in Iowa, according to a new household survey commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance. But the 2014 edition of America After 3PM also shows that demand for afterschool programs in Iowa still far exceeds supply, and the number of children who would participate if an afterschool program were available exceeds the number of children currently enrolled in afterschool programs in the state.

The America After 3PM survey included 30,000 American households and 208 in-depth interviews in Iowa. It found that 14 percent of Iowa students, 68,516 children in all, are enrolled in afterschool programs, up from 11 percent in 2009, when the survey was last conducted. But 114,865 Iowa students are still without adult supervision in the afternoons. The parents of 145,383 Iowa children not already in an afterschool program say they would enroll their child if a program were available.

"Iowans have made progress creating afterschool opportunities for their children, and can be proud of what the state has accomplished," 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. Quality afterschool programs keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families. Every Iowa family that needs an afterschool program should have access to one."

"It's great that we've made progress on afterschool, but we've still got a long way to go," said Michelle Rich, Network Coordinator of the Iowa Afterschool Alliance. "The unfortunate reality is that afterschool programs in Iowa reach only a fraction of the children and families who need them. We can fix that, if we're willing to commit the resources necessary to grow afterschool programs and create the opportunities all of our children need."

In important respects, Iowa results mirror the national survey findings, which include :

• Participation in afterschool programs is up nationally, with 18 percent of the nation's schoolchildren in programs (10.2 million children), up from 15 percent in 2009 (8.4 million children) and 11 percent in 2004 (6.5 million children).
• At the same time, unmet demand has increased. The parents of nearly 20 million children (19.4 million) say they would enroll their child in an afterschool program if a program were available to them. That means that the existing supply of afterschool programs is meeting barely one-third of demand.
• Demand is greatest among African American, Hispanic and low-income families. Both participation in afterschool and unmet demand for afterschool are much higher among children from low-income households than higher-income households, and higher among African American and Hispanic children than white children. The parents of 60 percent of the nation's African American children would enroll their child in a program if one were available, as would the parents of 57 percent of Latino children. The same is true of 35 percent of white children.
• Despite increased participation in afterschool, the number of children unsupervised in the hours after school remains high. Across the nation, more than 800,000 elementary students, and 2.2 million middle school students spend time alone and unsupervised during the after school hours. In all, 11.3 million children ? one in five ? are unsupervised in the afternoons.
• Parental satisfaction with afterschool remains high. Nine in ten parents (89 percent) say they are satisfied with their child's afterschool program.
• Support for public funding of afterschool programs remains strong. More than four in five parents (84 percent) report that they favor public funding for afterschool opportunities in communities that have few opportunities for children and youth. Support is bipartisan, as well, with 91 percent of parents who identify as Democrats, 86 percent Independents and 80 percent of Republicans favoring public funding for programs. Parents across all geographic regions support public funding for afterschool programs.

The national and Iowa America After 3PM reports, and accompanying data, are available at www.afterschoolalliance.org. A snapshot of national participation and demand for summer learning programs is also available online.

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.

Findings from America After 3PM are based on in-depth interviews with 13,709 U.S. households with children, completed by way of an online survey using a blend of national consumer panels. Shugoll Research collected and analyzed the data for America After 3PM.  The goal of at least 200 completed interviews was reached in every state and the District of Columbia. In states where this goal could not be reached using online panels, random-digit dialing was used to complete supplementary telephone interviews. In order to participate, respondents had to live in the United States and be the guardians of a school-age child living in their household. All interviews were completed between February 28 and April 17, 2014.

America After 3PM is funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Wallace Foundation, the Ford Foundation and the Noyce Foundation, with additional support from the Heinz Endowments, The Robert Bowne Foundation and the Samueli Foundation.

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DECORAH, Iowa - Luther College has been awarded a $100,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to fund a series of academic offerings that will provide students and faculty with greater opportunities for collaborative research in the humanities and a deeper understanding of the liberal arts curriculum.

"Receiving a grant from the Mellon Foundation is a significant honor for Luther College," said President Paula Carlson. "This project will further enhance opportunities for Luther students to develop the close intellectual relationships with faculty central to a residential liberal arts college and gain deeper appreciation for the meaning and value of liberal arts study."

The proposed project focuses on preserving the liberal arts through collaborative research, multidisciplinary dialogue and enhanced writing. Specifically, the grant will fund:

• Competitive summer research grants to support collaborative projects initiated by student/faculty teams
• Development of new interdisciplinary January Term directed-studies courses
• Faculty development workshops exploring models of collaborative research and multi-disciplinary inquiry
• Dissemination of the results from these collaborative research projects to demonstrate the importance of academic rigor and help the larger college community better understand the meaning, value and possibilities of a liberal arts education

Implementation of the grant will begin in 2015.

"Liberal arts is central to the mission of Luther College, and we continue to strive for new ways to help students, faculty and staff better understand and articulate the meaning and value of a liberal arts education," said Terry Sparkes, Luther associate dean and co-director of the Mellon grant. "At its best, the liberal arts brings disciplines together in dialogue, exploring the intersections among the humanities, social sciences and sciences to develop new and deeper insights into the world around us."

According to Jeff Wilkerson, Luther associate dean and Mellon grant co-director, "Part of this work includes an effort to help both students and faculty envision something they might have seen as primarily disciplinary?collaborative research?as part of the fabric of the liberal arts."

Thanks to the Mellon grant, the college will increase summer research opportunities for students in the humanities, help current and incoming students better understand the importance of a liberal arts education and assist students in developing the skills necessary to publish written work.

A national liberal arts college with an enrollment of 2,400, Luther offers an academic curriculum that leads to the bachelor of arts degree in 60 majors and preprofessional programs. For more information about Luther visit the college's website: www.luther.edu.