OST Resources
America After 3PM
The Afterschool Alliance’s fifth edition of America After 3PM provides new insights about children and families during the hours of 3 to 6 p.m., when schools let out and many parents are working.
Lost Opportunity: Afterschool in Demand, But Out of Reach for Many
Since 2004, the America After 3PM study has provided an essential view into how children and young people spend the hours between 3 and 6 p.m. The 2025 results from this nationwide survey make one thing clear: families across the country—regardless of whether they live in rural, suburban, or urban communities, in a coastal state, or in the middle of the country—continue to want afterschool programs for their children. Yet much of that demand remains unmet: more than 3 in 4 children whose parents want them in an afterschool program are missing out.
Pennsylvania Data
In Pennsylvania, the demand for afterschool programs is incredibly high. Parents value the benefits afterschool programs provide for young people—keeping them safe, helping build life skills, and getting them excited about learning—and say afterschool programs help them keep their jobs and provide peace of mind. Still, just a fraction of Pennsylvania families who want afterschool programs have them.
National Data
Conducted by Edge Research and made possible through Afterschool Alliance’s partnership with the New York Life Foundation, "Lost Opportunity: Afterschool in Demand, But Out of Reach for Many" provides a comprehensive exploration into afterschool program demand and barriers to participation, parental perceptions of afterschool programs, and parents’ views on afterschool programs. Important findings from the report include:
Demand for afterschool programs is enormous.
Parents recognize the benefits for kids—safety, skills, and school engagement—plus peace of mind for working parents.
Program affordability, accessibility, and availability limit participation in afterschool.
Low- and middle-income families struggle the most.
89% of parents support public funding for afterschool programs.
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