{"id":184766,"date":"2021-12-08T16:05:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-08T16:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/icrowdnewswire.com\/?p=2961611"},"modified":"2021-12-08T16:05:00","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T16:05:00","slug":"new-report-finds-unmet-demand-for-afterschool-programs-in-americas-rural-communities-rising-sharply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipsnews.net\/business\/2021\/12\/08\/new-report-finds-unmet-demand-for-afterschool-programs-in-americas-rural-communities-rising-sharply\/","title":{"rendered":"New Report Finds Unmet Demand for Afterschool Programs in America\u2019s Rural Communities Rising Sharply"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"4875<\/p>\n

Rural Students of Color and from Low-Income Families Most Likely to Miss Out<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

WASHINGTON, DC \u2014 Just 11% of America\u2019s rural children are enrolled in an afterschool program. For every rural child in an afterschool program, four more are waiting to get in. That\u2019s an even higher ratio than in the country overall, where for every child in an afterschool program, three more are waiting to get in. Spiking Demand, Growing Barriers: The Trends Shaping Afterschool and Summer Learning in Rural Communities<\/em><\/a>, released today, also finds that 92% of rural parents are satisfied with the afterschool program their child attends, up from 85% who were satisfied in 2014.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Some 4.5 million rural children who are not in an afterschool program would be enrolled if a program were available, their parents say. That is a 43% increase since the study was last conducted in 2014. Rural children of color and rural children from families with low incomes are most likely to be without the afterschool programs their parents want for them. The unmet need for summer learning programs has also surged in rural communities.<\/p>\n

Spiking Demand, Growing Barriers<\/em> is based on a household survey conducted by Edge Research for the Afterschool Alliance. It finds a drop in rural children enrolled in afterschool programs from 13%, or 1.19 million rural kids, enrolled in 2014 to just 11%, or 1.15 million kids, enrolled in 2020. The drop mirrors national trends on afterschool participation as public funding for afterschool programs has not kept up with demand. The new study finds that cost and transportation are significant barriers that prevent many rural parents from enrolling their child in an afterschool program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe inequities in terms of access to afterschool and summer learning programs are profoundly troubling,\u201d said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. \u201cMore than 46 million people in this country live in rural communities, where one in five residents are people of color and poverty is higher than in urban and suburban communities. Out-of-school-time programs boost children\u2019s chance to succeed in school and in life but too often rural students are shut out of the opportunities these essential programs provide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\u201cIncreasing access to both afterschool and summer learning programs must be an urgent priority for lawmakers and funders,\u201d Grant continued. \u201cWe need to invest many more resources so that all students, regardless of the size of their community or their family\u2019s race or income, can access this support. As we emerge from the pandemic, afterschool and summer learning programs will be even more critical in helping children learn, feel safe and cared for, and strengthen their social and emotional health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spiking Demand, Growing Barriers <\/em>is based on survey responses from more than 31,000 U.S. families, including 9,690 rural households. It includes national-level findings from smaller surveys of parents and program providers conducted in 2020 and 2021, also by Edge Research. Among the key results:<\/p>\n

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