Research shows that afterschool programs not only help keep kids safe, but also help them succeed in school and life. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough such programs in the country today, experts say.
While participation in afterschool programs has increased to 10.2 million students nationwide, for every child in an afterschool program, two more are waiting to get in, according to “America After 3PM,” a household survey commissioned by the Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization.
“At this time when afterschool programming needs more funding, federal investments are under threat,” says Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance. “And any cuts would mean that more children are unsupervised in the afternoons and more working parents are left without the assurance that their children are safe until they return home from their jobs.”
