New Kent County-specific data from America After 3PM shows that families across the county see tremendous value in afterschool programs, but most young people whose families want these opportunities are still unable to access them.
Parents of 70,911 Kent County young people want an afterschool program for their family. Only 12,545 are currently enrolled, leaving 58,366 young people who would participate if a program were available.
That means more than four out of every five Kent County young people whose parents want afterschool opportunities are missing out.
Kent County Families See the Benefits of Afterschool
Kent County parents overwhelmingly recognize the important role afterschool programs play in supporting young people’s safety, learning, development, and well-being.
Among Kent County parents surveyed:
88% said programs build social skills and responsible decision-making.
88% said programs encourage fun and learning while reducing screen time.
87% said programs strengthen teamwork, critical thinking, and leadership skills.
82% said programs support young people’s well-being.
79% said programs help keep young people safe.
77% said programs increase excitement about learning and improve school attendance.
The benefits also extend to parents and caregivers. Among Kent County parents with a young person enrolled in an afterschool program, 97% said they experienced less stress because they knew their young person was safe.
Another 87% said programs positively affected their overall well-being, while 84% said access helped them keep their job or work more hours. Eighty-two percent said afterschool programs improved their productivity at work.
Kent County families also gave their programs high marks. Ninety-four percent of parents rated their young person’s afterschool program as “excellent” or “very good,” resulting in an overall quality score of 4.38 out of 5.
Cost, Transportation, and Location Limit Access
Although families clearly value afterschool programs, affordability, transportation, location, and availability continue to create barriers.
Kent County parents identified several common challenges:
54% said programs were too expensive.
48% reported not having a safe way to travel to and from programs.
47% said programs were located in inconvenient locations.
38% said programs were unavailable in their community.
Among parents who pay for afterschool programs, the average weekly cost was $121. Young people enrolled in programs attended an average of 4.1 days per week for approximately 7.7 hours each week.
These findings show that the access gap is not caused by a lack of interest. Families want afterschool opportunities, but too often they cannot find programs that are affordable, nearby, available, or accessible through safe and reliable transportation.
Kent County Parents Support Public Investment
Kent County parents also expressed strong support for expanding access to afterschool and summer programs.
Nearly nine in 10 parents, or 87%, agreed that all young people deserve access to quality afterschool and summer opportunities. The same percentage supported public funding for afterschool programs.
Support remained strong across political affiliations:
94% of Democrats
81% of Independents
86% of Republicans
This broad support reflects a shared understanding that afterschool programs strengthen young people, families, workplaces, and communities.
Kent County Must Meet the Demand
The new America After 3PM findings present a clear call to action.
Kent County families want afterschool programs, value their impact, and support public investment to expand them. Yet more than 58,000 young people remain without access to a program their families would use.
Closing that gap will require sustained funding, expanded program capacity, affordable participation options, and stronger transportation solutions throughout the county.
High-quality out-of-school time programs give young people safe places to learn, build relationships, explore their interests, and feel connected to their communities. Kent County families have made the need clear. Now is the time to ensure those opportunities are within reach.
America After 3PM is a national survey of parents and guardians of school-aged young people conducted by Edge Research on behalf of the Afterschool Alliance. The Kent County findings are based on 279 households and 475 young people screened for the study. Child-level projections are based on the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 2022 five-year estimates.
