The demand for after-school and summer learning programs far outstrips their availability in rural America, according to a new report from the Afterschool Alliance. Such programs can provide a safe space for children, allowing parents better access to work (lack of access to child care is a major reason parents stop working or reduce work hours). Here are some of the report's top findings:

  • 11% of rural children participate in an after-school program; for every child in such a program, an average of four more children are waiting to get in.
  • 4.5 million rural children are not in an after-school program but would be if one were available—a 43% increase from 2014.
  • 2.9 million rural children would have been enrolled in a summer program in 2019 if one had been available.
  • For every rural child in a summer program in 2019, two more were waiting to get in.
  • Unmet demand for after-school programs reached 47% in 2020, up from 39% in 2014 and 2009.
  • 54% of rural families in 2019 said they wanted their child in a summer program but were unable to access one. That's up from 39% of rural families in 2008.

Read the full article about rural summer learning programs by Heather Chapman at The Rural Blog.