Participation in NC Afterschool Programs Holds Steady, But 4 in 5 NC Families Who Want Afterschool Still Can’t Access It

2025 America After 3 p.m. Report Shows NC Parents Support Public Funding to Help Meet Demand

RALEIGH, NC (October  20, 2025) –  Participation in afterschool programs in North Carolina is holding steady. But four in five families who want to enroll their child in an afterschool program in North Carolina can’t afford a program or find one near them, according to statewide results of a new national survey conducted by the Afterschool Alliance. 

On Monday, the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs (NC CAP), North Carolina’s Statewide Afterschool Network, shared the NC-specific data from the 2025 America After 3 p.m. report. The America After 3 p.m. report, released last Thursday, is conducted nationally by the Afterschool Alliance. It’s based on a survey of over 30,000 U.S. families, including 800 North Carolina families. 

Data from the report shows high unmet demand for afterschool programs across the state and widespread support for afterschool programs from parents, who say they see big benefits for both their children and their families. 

North Carolina afterschool programs currently serve just over 188,000 children — about the same number of children served in 2020, when the Afterschool Alliance last released an America After 3 p.m. report.

An additional 664,000 NC children and their families say they want to be in an afterschool program, but they can’t access one. Parents say their participation in afterschool is limited by:

• Cost: More than half of North Carolina parents surveyed say afterschool programs are too expensive for their family.
• Location or transportation: Nearly half (over 40 percent) of parents say afterschool programs in their area are in inconvenient locations, or their child does not have a safe way to get to and from local programs.
• Availability: Four in ten parents report that afterschool programs are simply unavailable in their community.

“In its new strategic plan, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction calls for North Carolina public schools to be the best in the nation by 2030,” said NC CAP Director Elizabeth Anderson. “Given more than 80 percent of North Carolina students’ time is spent learning outside of school, we can’t be the best in the nation without strong afterschool and summer learning programs.”

Afterschool Programs Are A Critical Support System for Students and Working Families
North Carolina parents who have children in afterschool programs say these programs keep them in the workforce and keep their children learning, safe and off screens.

• 92 percent of parents say having their child in an afterschool program helps them keep their job or work more hours.
• More than 8 in 10 parents appreciate that afterschool programs keep their kids safe and off screens, and 96 percent of parents agree they feel less stressed knowing their child is safe and supervised.
• 74 percent of parents agree that afterschool programs help their children become more excited about learning and improve their school attendance.

NC Parents Support Public Funding for Afterschool

North Carolina is one of only 23 states that does not have dedicated state funding for afterschool or summer learning programs.

NC parents across the political spectrum support dedicated public funding for afterschool programs, according to the report. Five in six parents surveyed — including 90 percent of Democrats and 83 percent of Republicans — say they support public funding for afterschool opportunities.

“Over 664,000 children in North Carolina are waiting for a safe place to learn and grow outside of school,” Anderson said. “It’s time for our state leaders to recognize high-quality afterschool as essential for our children, our families and our economy.”

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