Boston After School & Beyond

OST Fact Sheet*

*National data, except where noted

Nationally, in 60% of married-couple families with children under the age of 18, both parents work outside the home.
In single-parent families, the custodial parent works outside the home in 72% of female-headed families and 83% of male-headed families. As a consequence, an estimated four million school-age children (those between the ages of 5-12) regularly spend time without adult supervision.

73% of Boston Public Schools' students are eligible to receive free meals in school.
Hispanic and African American youth comprise 70% of all Boston Public Schools' dropouts.
Youth from low-income families comprise 55% of all dropouts in Boston.
Males are 30% more likely to drop out than females.
According to Massachusetts Department Of Education, 32% of students in the class of 2007 will drop out between 9th grade and graduation.

In New England, only 14% of school age children participate in after-school programs, and 22% are alone and unsupervised during the hours after school.
51% (approximately 48,000) of Boston children (ages 6-18) participate in after-school programs.
Parents in Boston report that their children (ages 6-14) participate 3-4 days per week, higher than average participation in other urban centers.
Nationally, only about 35% of children who need after school care are enrolled in programs.
30% of children not in after-school would likely participate if an after-school program were available in the community, regardless of their current care arrangement.
85% of students say that kids who participate in organized activities during the after school hours are better off than those who do not.
Even as opportunities for after-school program participation have increased in Boston, the overall demand by parents has risen from 75% in ’98 to 81% in ’03.
Hispanic children in Boston have the lowest rate of participation in after-school programs, yet have the highest unmet need.

54% of parents feel that children need a break from academics during the after-school hours.
38% of parents feel that children need after-school programs that focus on academic skills.
In Boston, lower-income parents are more likely to want after-school programs to include academically-oriented activities.
Surveyed youth reported they would be interested in attending programs that provided activities in arts, spending more time with mentors, and learning about careers and sports.
95% of Boston parents cited opportunity to interact and socialize as an important reason to enroll their children in an after-school program.
79% cited participation in organized games and sports as important.

Teens unsupervised during after-school hours are 35% more likely to become teen parents.
After-school programs can have a strong positive effect on a child’s academic, social and emotional lives, particularly children who are low-achieving or at-risk.

There remains a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skill they need in typical 21st century work environment.
Students need to learn academic content through real-world examples, applications and experiences both inside and outside of school.
After-school programs can serve as an entry point for many children and youth to develop 21st century skills and expand their exposure to and increase their ability to navigate new forms of technology.