Research shows that learning doesn’t start at the beginning of the school day nor end at its conclusion. But for many of our most vulnerable students, learning experiences during these times are out of reach.

Throughout the pandemic, afterschool and summer programs adapted and expanded services to meet the needs of children and families. They are vital partners today in supporting students’ well-being and academic growth. Yet, too many kids in Michigan are being left out. Prior to the pandemic, a survey of Michigan parents found that for every child in an afterschool program, 4 more would participate if a program were available.

These programs provide safe and supportive spaces to keep young people engaged in learning during a difficult and trying time. So it comes as no surprise that in a national fall 2020 survey, 75% of parents agreed that the experience of the pandemic made them appreciate teachers and afterschool providers more than ever before.

Celebrating Our Successes

Michigan’s investment in afterschool and summer opportunities is a huge win for our children’s future and our state.

Afterschool Helps Michigan Thrive

Afterschool, summer enrichment, and other out-of-school time (OST) programs are an essential part of Michigan’s education system and are critical for addressing priority issues in our state, including supporting kids and schools, prioritizing early learning and childcare, creating jobs and growing the economy, and keeping families and communities safe.

Lessons From the Sector: Successes, Challenges, and Opportunities for Michigan’s Out-of-School Time Programs

Beginning in fall 2022, the Michigan Afterschool Partnership (MASP) convened a series of listening sessions for out-of-school time (OST) providers and advocates. The purpose was for MASP to learn from these leaders about what’s working well, challenges, and opportunities for strengthening OST in their communities and across the state.

These shared perspectives will help inform our work going forward to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in OST statewide; provide professional development and other valuable resources to the sector; and champion policies and funding to build and sustain a strong, equitable OST system across Michigan.

 

Topline data from southeast Michigan shows extreme gaps in service, particularly for youth in grades 6–12.

Just 40.7% (48) of the afterschool providers we surveyed in 2022 say that they serve high-school-aged youth as compared to 68.6% for early elementary and 67% for upper elementary. Just 48.3% said they served middle-school-aged youth.

Most of these providers indicated that staffing (58.8%) and funding (64.9%) were their top concerns or barriers to providing services to their communities.

A report issued by MASP and Public Policy Associates in November 2022, Michigan’s community-based organizations (CBOs) funded through P.A. 87 are struggling to meet the demand that exists in their own communities.

There were several key takeaways from the survey responses.

  • Almost 25,000 youths were served by 56 CBOs, which provided OST programming at 155 unique sites.

  • Nearly 80% (77%) of the children served were in kindergarten through grade 5—with the remainder (23%) from grades six through eight.

  • Over half of the sites reported having a waitlist of youths that they were unable to serve. The combined total of these waitlists from the awardees was over 4,000 youths.

  • There is significant stability among these providers with almost 50% of the programs indicating that they have operated for more than 10 years.

Eighty-six percent of the programs provided services to youths who were academically at risk. Additionally, 71% of providers supported youths who qualified for special education services, possessed special or physical needs (73%), and/or were from low-income families (73%) separately.

A second PPA report, released in October 2021, shows how Michigan families are struggling to access afterschool and summer learning programs.

  • The statewide youth/provider ratio is 376:1, representing a staggering undersupply of programs to meet current demand. The problem is even more significant in southeast Michigan, where the ratio is a whopping 531:1.

  • Worst of all, the youth who miss out on these opportunities are too often Black, Indigenous, or people of color. Often, they’re struggling with low income at home—and that’s a cycle that is likely to continue without the infusion of strong OST supports.

Michigan’s inadequate and inequitable investments in expanded learning time—before and after the school day and during summer break—need to be dramatically improved over the long term. But to offset the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on learning and help all our students catch up, Michigan needs to make a significant investment immediately.

Unmet Demand for OST Reaches All-Time High.
For every child in an after school program in Michigan, four more are waiting to get in.

The America After 3PM report spotlights a decrease in afterschool participation in the past decade in spite of overwhelming broad-based support. Funding is needed to create more program opportunities for all children.

The America After 3PM report spotlights a decrease in afterschool participation in the past decade in spite of overwhelming broad-based support. Funding is needed to create more program opportunities for all children.

In Michigan, unmet demand for afterschool programs has reached an all-time high, with more than 751,464 children who would be enrolled in a program unable to access one, according to the newly released report by America After 3PM.

Demand for afterschool has surged as parents see key benefits from afterschool, including keeping kids safe, helping them learn and grow, and providing peace of mind for working families.

As families face barriers to participation, such as cost, accessibility and transportation, there is strong support behind public funding for afterschool programs in the state. A recent update suggests 86 percent of Michigan parents support a public funding model.

Additional Data Resources

In December 2021, Public Policy Associates issued its survey evaluation of programs funded by Public Act 3 of 2021 (P.A. 3), which provided federal funding for summer programming, credit recovery, and before- and after-school programming. Section 23e of P.A. 3 allocated $5 million statewide to nonprofit community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide out-of-school time programming (including before- and after- school and/or summer learning opportunities) to youth in kindergarten through grade 8. CBOs receiving funds provided in-person educational programming in core subject areas (e.g., mathematics, reading, and science). 

Also in December 2021, America After 3 PM updated its data on access to OST programs among rural communities in the U.S. Between 2014 and 2020, rural communities across the United States experienced a dramatic increase in the number of children who are not in an afterschool program, but would be enrolled in a program if one were available to them. This unmet demand grew from 39 percent of rural families in 2009 to 47 percent in 2020. In total, 4.5 million children in rural communities who are not in an afterschool program would be enrolled if a program were available.

In August 2021, America After 3 PM provided a 2021 STEM update that showed 168,171 Michigan children participate in an afterschool program and 130,523 children have opportunities to participate in STEM learning in those programs. Compared to the previous America After 3PM survey, the percentage of families reporting their child’s afterschool program offers STEM learning has increased. Even better, these programs are often connecting with populations who are traditionally underrepresented in STEM.

MSU’s University Outreach & Engagement team offers a series of research briefs and evaluation projects associated to Michigan’s 21st CCLC programs and OST. Rich in data and thoughtful in approach, these tools offer an incredible wealth of knowledge for any OST researcher.

Afterschool Alliance Issue Briefs: Learn more about the need for after-school, outcomes of after-school, the 21st CCLC program model, and related topics such as literacy, rural communities, youth with special needs, university partnerships and more.

2019 Michigan Afterschool Fact Sheet provides the Afterschool Alliance’s latest update in OST programs, with information about federal funding streams and the need for quality after school in Michigan.

The Michigan After-School Partnership Fact Sheet provides relevant data on after-school including information regarding how high-quality after-school programs improve student achievement, keep kids healthy and safe, and reduce the cost of child care, welfare, and crime.

Other research: