Something exciting is happening after the school day ends.
Across Michigan, young people are building, experimenting, coding, calculating and asking the wonderfully persistent question at the heart of STEM learning: “What happens if I try this?”
New America After 3PM data shows just how much Michigan’s afterschool programs have expanded these opportunities. Among parents with a child in an afterschool program, 93% say their child has access to science, technology, engineering or math.
In 2014, that number was 60%.
That is real progress, and it reflects the work of afterschool professionals across the state who create hands-on learning experiences for Michigan youth.
Michigan’s programs are not offering just one narrow slice of STEM, either. Parents report that their child’s program offers:
Math: 90%
Science: 85%
Engineering: 85%
Computer science: 82%
Technology: 81%
Nearly half of parents whose child has access to afterschool STEM say their child engages in it at least twice a week.
Those experiences matter. More than three in four Michigan parents say afterschool programs help young people develop STEM interests and skills. Afterschool gives young people space to experiment, make mistakes and discover what sparks their curiosity without every project ending in a test or a grade.
But the new data also tells a more difficult story.
Strong programs do not automatically mean broad access
Parents of 828,578 Michigan young people want afterschool programs, but 678,070 do not have access. That means approximately five in six young people across the state are missing out.
The gap is especially clear during the summer. Fifty-eight percent of Michigan parents say STEM learning opportunities are important when choosing a summer program. Yet only 14% of parents with a child in a summer program say their child participated in a summer STEM camp.
Families want these opportunities. Young people benefit from them. Programs know how to deliver them. What is missing is the capacity to reach everyone.
Michigan families support public investment
Expanding afterschool is not a partisan idea. It is something Michigan families broadly agree on.
Nearly nine in ten parents, 87%, believe every young person deserves access to quality afterschool and summer programs. Eighty-eight percent support public funding for afterschool opportunities.
That support remains strong across political affiliations:
92% of Democrats
90% of independents
87% of Republicans
That kind of agreement is increasingly rare. We should pay attention when we see it.
Parents understand that afterschool programs give young people more than somewhere to go when the school day ends. They offer trusted relationships, hands-on learning, opportunities to explore future careers and the freedom to discover new interests.
The next step is access
Michigan’s afterschool programs have shown what is possible. In just over a decade, access to STEM among participating young people has grown dramatically.
Now we need to make sure a family’s location, income or access to transportation does not determine whether a young person gets to participate.
That means sustained public investment. It means supporting the educators and youth development professionals already doing this work. It means expanding programs in communities where families are still waiting for an opportunity.
Afterschool STEM is taking off in Michigan. The next challenge is making sure every young person has a seat for the launch.
Learn more about the America After 3PM findings and recommendations for action at aa3pm.co.
