For thousands of public school students, the final bell cries do not mark the end of their day.
Instead, they may shuffle to a cafeteria or computer lab for an after-school program. They are the place where teachers and tutors spend a few hours doing homework, interacting with friends, and doing arts and science projects.
Beyond academic help, after-school programs are an important source of free childcare for families, providing a safe environment for children until parents leave their jobs.
But after-school program providers are increasingly worried about whether they will clash with a combination of a district’s budget shortage, a dissipation of federal pandemic relief money, and a Trump administration’s cuts in education funding.
About 80% of managers of after-school programs are concerned about sustainability and future funding, according to the after-school alliance. Survey of over 1,200 after-school program providers Voting for the fall of 2024.
This is done after both organizational investigations Federal data Demand for after-school programs remains high, indicating that there is more than half of the reporting waiting list.
“For me, the research story is that the program is back to normality that was before the pre-patient level and provides a lot of valuable support to the children and families they serve,” said Nikki Yamashiro, Vice President of Research at Afthool Alliance. “But they really struggle to meet the demand and they face challenges like sustainability concerns, so they need to find more ways to provide the support they need.”
Will the funds continue?
Approximately four of the five after-school programs surveyed found concerns about long-term and future funding, with an Afthool Alliance report discovered, with an additional 63% saying they are concerned about losing existing funds.
The percentage of providers who were optimistic about the future fell 10 percentage points compared to 2023, at 62% now.
Part of the problem is that emergency funds issued to schools during the pandemic were removed and the district had to finalize plans in fall 2024 for its final funding.
The percentage of providers who have won emergency relief funds fell to 14% in the fall of 2024, from a 20% height in 2021, survey data shows.
Almost half of the survey participants said they used relief funds to recruit and hire staff. About a quarter of providers expect staff to be reduced as emergency funds are removed, with 28% saying they need to raise fees to their parents to make up for the funding gap.
Those operating at schools with a high proportion of low-income students and students of color report higher concerns about losing funds.
School districts and families across the country are feeling a bit in trouble.
Baltimore schools suddenly finished 25 individualized instruction 44 After School Program In early April, after the Trump administration announced it would not refund $48 million in pandemic emergency spending.
There is high demand
Five years after the pandemic has had a near-change in the way it operates, about a quarter of after-school programs are back to their pre-pandemic capabilities, according to survey data. Another 33% are serving more students than before 2020.
That doesn’t mean that every child who wants to participate in the after-school program will have a chance. A quarter of programs say their capabilities are lower than before the pandemic, and the number of programs with waiting lists (53%) has not changed substantially since 2021.
In some parts of the country, families feel pressured to reduce their after-school programs.
Parents of students in the Berkeley Unified School District in California Encourage the school board to roll back layoffs Staff on the after-school program staff say it will exacerbate existing waiting lists for programs for more than 200 families.
Northern Michigan is “After School Desert” One expert estimates that around 750,000 children, mostly from rural areas, want to participate in the after-school or summer program, but have little or no access.
So why don’t officials who control the strings of district, state and federal wallets cut off checks to create more space in their after-school programs?
“That’s a million dollar question,” Yamahashi says. “We know that programs are in high demand. Families want to increase access to these programs.”
Nine in ten registered voters said the after-school program was an “absolute necessity.” After School Alliance polls It was implemented in the fall, and 80% said they wanted to allocate more money to those programs to elected officials.
“There is general support to increase funding,” Yamahashi says. “Our hope is that our elected leaders are hearing it. Some states have given more money to after-school and summer programs, which is truly positive, but the program definitely needs more support to meet the high levels of demand they are facing right now.”
Mental health concerns
Beyond academic and child care needs where after-school programs are met, the majority of study participants reported providing activities that support student well-being. This includes everything from interacting with peers and mentors to activities like yoga and meditation.
More after-school providers worry that students have “unproductive screen time” and lack opportunities for connection. Programs that serve a larger population of low-income students are more likely to be “very” or “very worried” about their students’ mental health.
“Children experience more mental health, social/emotional needs than ever in the history of our program,” one provider wrote in a survey response. “I’m very concerned about the kids and don’t have enough staff and resources to help them properly.”
