A new national survey says 4 in 5 Missouri parents who want afterschool programs for their children are unable to enroll in them. The America After 3 PM survey shows the lack of access is often due to affordability, availability, and accessibility.
Jen Rinehart, with the Washington, D.C.-based Afterschool Alliance, said the organization’s survey shows strong demand for afterschool programs in Missouri. According to the survey, in Missouri, parents of 474,869 children want afterschool programs but only 92,251 children are enrolled.
“The demand is highest among low- and middle-income families, and those are the families most likely to be missing out on programs, which really leads us to say that we do need greater public investment in these programs. So we really are seeing a situation where our higher income families have more access to programs than the average family can afford. We need to do better in helping make sure that all young people, no matter their income levels or zip codes are able to access quality afterschool opportunities,” Rinehart told Missourinet.
What’s the average cost of a Missouri afterschool program?
“Based on what the parents who responded to the survey told us, they said that the average weekly cost of their afterschool program was $91.50 and that is based on an average of kids being in programs for just over 5 hours per week,” said Rinehart.
She said 81% of Missouri parents with a child in an afterschool program like their program.
“Missouri parents really recognize a wide variety of benefits for children,” said Rinehart. “So, you know, things like safety and the development of foundational skills and getting more engaged with school and learning overall. And then afterschool programs help working parents keep their jobs. It also gives them more peace of mind about their kids while they’re still working in the afterschool hours.”
Rinehart said the lower stress level among parents leads to greater work productivity during the afterschool hours.
As far as availability goes, the 2025 survey says that 41% of Missouri parents who are not participating in a program say that the lack of a program was a factor – double the figure from the 2014 survey.
The survey includes 1,292 Missouri households in rural and urban parts of the state, across a variety of income levels, and racial backgrounds.
Overall, demand for afterschool programs is highest in the District of Columbia, followed by New York, Massachusetts, California, and Florida. Across the nation, the highest percentages of unmet demand for afterschool programs are in the District of Columbia (68%), Massachusetts (64%), New York (63%), Maine (58%), and Alaska (57%). Afterschool program participation is highest in the District of Columbia (38%), Hawaii (23%), California (19%), New York (19%), and Connecticut (18%).
This week, many Missouri communities are holding Lights On afterschool events, a national celebration of these programs and a call to increase government funding for access to the opportunities.
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