In Southeast Michigan, only a fraction of families who want after-school programs for their kids have access to them, a nonprofit that studies the issue said Monday.
A report by the national nonprofit Afterschool Alliance found that more than 4 out of 5 kids in the area are missing out.
Nikki Yamashiro is the vice president of research at the Afterschool Alliance. She said demand for after-school programs is high–but the need isn't being met.
According to the Michigan Afterschool Partnership, close to 500,000 parents across Southeast Michigan want access to programs, but only about 90,000 children are enrolled. Statewide, the group said, about 680,000 young people who want access to after-school programs don’t have it, meaning 5 in 6 young people in Michigan are missing out.
Yamashiro said a lack of affordability, accessibility, and availability of programs in the area prevent more kids from participating.
“Parents are reporting that they are facing challenges affording after-school programs,” she said. “They're saying that there isn't a safe way for their child to get to or come home from after-school programs or that program locations aren't convenient for them.”
The report found after-school programs have many benefits, including keeping kids safe, improving school attendance, and giving kids the opportunity to form meaningful relationships with peers and teachers.
Yamashiro said after-school programs can help improve reading, writing, and teamwork skills, and offer opportunities to be physically active.
“It's this incredibly rich environment that allows young people to explore and be curious and really be unafraid of needing to have that right answer,” she said.
Yamashiro said after-school programs are varied, with some focusing on STEM and others centering on the arts, dance, and theater.
She added that Southeast Michigan parents report after-school programs help them keep their jobs and reduce stress, and parents are overwhelmingly in favor of public funding for the programs.
“What we have seen is that there's just this clear need to boost public and private investments for after-school programming,” Yamashiro said.
In Detroit, that’s one of Mayor Mary Sheffield’s priorities. During her State of the City Address last month, Sheffield proposed increasing the city funding for after-school programming by $500,000 — close to 25%.
She said her goal is to have an after-school program in a 2-mile radius of every school in the city.
Yamashiro said that budget expansion fits with Michigan's statewide commitment to after-school programs, but the state is still falling short of what parents are looking for. “What is promising is that Michigan is a state that's investing in after-school programs. But we see that demand for after-school programs continues to outpace access,” she concluded.
