In their new strategic plan, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and State Board of Education call for North Carolina public schools to be the best in the nation by 2030. Given more than 80 percent of our students’ time is spent learning outside of school, we simply can’t be the best in the nation without strong afterschool and summer learning programs.
North Carolina parents know this is true. They say afterschool programs keep their children safe and off screens between the end of the school day and the end of their work day. Plus, more than 8 in 10 North Carolina parents say afterschool programs help their child become excited about learning, provide opportunities for reading or writing and provide learning activities not offered during the school day.
Afterschool benefits go beyond supporting children. Strong afterschool programs also support working families and our state’s economy. More than 8 in 10 North Carolina parents say having their child enrolled in an afterschool program allows them to keep their job or work more hours.
But right now, over 664,000 children in North Carolina and their families who want an afterschool program can’t afford one or access one. Parents say the biggest barriers are cost, lack of safe transportation and availability of programs in their area.
By failing to meet afterschool demand, we’re forcing families across the state into impossible choices. Do parents who can’t afford an afterschool program leave work early to pick up their child from school, risking their job? Or do they send their child to a cheaper program without transportation, then ask their child to walk down a busy road every day to get there? Do they allow their children to ride the bus home and spend their afterschool hours unsupervised or on screens? These are questions real families across North Carolina are facing right now.
The good news is that we can make afterschool more affordable and accessible to all families.
North Carolina is one of only 23 states that does not have dedicated state funding for this essential infrastructure. Yet, parents across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support public funding for afterschool.
As a state, we must decide that afterschool programs are not optional. They are the key to enhanced learning and safety for NC’s children, as well as job security for their parents.
I encourage all of us to stay engaged and demand public support for afterschool programs. I believe our children, our families and our state deserve to see a clear, dedicated commitment to children both during and after school.
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