The Afterschool Alliance works to expand support for quality afterschool programs across the nation, which can support holistic youth development via supportive relationships with peers and adults and access to engaging learning experiences—like out-of-school-time STEM—that promote critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving. The Alliance is also the facilitator of America After 3PM, the largest survey on afterschool education, supply, and demand.
Its America After 3PM Special Report, “STEM Learning in Afterschool on the Rise, But Barriers and Inequities Exist,” funded by Overdeck Family Foundation, found that afterschool programs are offering more STEM learning opportunities, but inequities exist and millions of children are missing out. Top takeaways from the report include:
- Opportunities for STEM learning in afterschool programs have increased. Seventy-three percent of parents report that their child’s afterschool program offers STEM learning opportunities, an increase of four percentage points from 2014.
- Parents value STEM learning in afterschool and summer programs. Seventy-six percent of parents agree that STEM learning in afterschool helps children gain interest and skills related to STEM, an increase of 11 percentage points since 2014.
- Too many children are missing out. For every child in an afterschool program, three are waiting to get in. Parents report that cost and access top the list of the biggest barriers to afterschool program participation.
- Parents support public funding for afterschool and summer programs. Eighty-seven percent of U.S. parents support public funding for afterschool programs, and 88 percent of parents support public funding for summer learning opportunities.
Overdeck Family Foundation’s grant supported the 2026 America After 3PM STEM special report, along with the Afterschool Alliance’s field-building and communications work on behalf of high-quality afterschool programs around the country. The organization is in touch with more than 25,000 afterschool program partners and more than 100,000 dedicated afterschool advocates.
