The Afterschool Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring children have access to quality afterschool programs, has released a new report, “America After 3pm for Black Families,” analyzing Black parents’ interest in sending their children to afterschool activities and the barriers preventing their children from accessing those programs.
According to a 2025 survey of Black American households, parents of some 5.7 million Black children want to enroll them in afterschool activities, yet only 1.3 million Black children currently attend such programs. This means three out of four Black children whose parents want an afterschool program for them are missing out. This is the highest unmet demand among Black families since the study’s first edition in 2004.
Nearly all Black parents whose children attend an afterschool activity are satisfied with the program, with 85 percent rating its quality as excellent or very good. The vast majority of Black parents agree that afterschool programs allow their kids to develop social skills and the ability to make responsible decisions, as well as form positive relationships with other students and caring staff members. Additionally, 81 percent of Black parents agree that afterschool programs provide their children with more time for fun and educational activities, resulting in less time spent on their phones or other screens.
Black parents are also very likely to say that afterschool program participation helps children become more excited about learning and develop interests and skills in STEM fields. Furthermore, 79 percent of Black parents say their children’s afterschool programs reduce the likelihood they will engage in risky behaviors and that they keep them safe and out of trouble. Even more Black parents agree afterschool activities improve their children’s mental health.
Although 83 percent of Black households say afterschool programs help working parents keep their jobs, many Black families face several barriers to afterschool activity enrollment, preventing both parents and children from benefiting from these programs’ opportunities. These barriers include high costs, a lack of safe transportation to and from programs, inconvenient locations and hours, long waiting lists, and a lack of programs in their communities.
Like families of other races, Black families with higher incomes are more likely to enroll their children in afterschool programs than Black families with lower incomes. The average cost for Black parents to send their children to an afterschool program is $120.30 per week. Almost all Black parents want more public funding for afterschool programs.
“These findings are profoundly disturbing. We are missing a vitally important opportunity to keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and giving working parents peace of mind that their children are safe, supervised, and learning after the school day ends,” said Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance. “We can overcome these barriers with greater investments in afterschool programs from federal, state, and local governments, businesses and philanthropy – and we must. Our country will be stronger and more successful when all children can take advantage of the many supports afterschool programs offer. Every child deserves access to a quality afterschool program.”
