Episode 262: North Carolina After 3 PM

In this episode, we’re exploring the Afterschool Alliance’s 2025 America After 3 PM report. According to the findings, North Carolina parents and families overwhelmingly agree that afterschool programs keep their children safe, off screens and learning, but over 600,000 families in our state who want to enroll their child in afterschool are not able to. To help us understand what the findings mean for students and families in North Carolina, we’re joined today by afterschool and education experts.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:13

Welcome to Education Matters, presented by the Public School Forum of North Carolina. I'm your host, Amos Fodchuck. Today we're exploring the Afterschool Alliance's 2025 America After 3 p.m. report. According to the findings, North Carolina parents and families overwhelmingly agree that after school programs keep their children safe, off-screens, and learning. But over 600,000 families in our state who want to enroll their child in after school are not able to. To help us delve further into the report and what its findings mean for students and families in North Carolina, we're joined by Elizabeth Anderson, Director of the North Carolina Center for After School Programs. Dr. Erica Williams, Vice President of Education for the Dogwood Health Trust, and Jeff Coltrane, Senior Director of Government Affairs and Strategy for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Thank you all for joining us. Thanks for having us. Our first question is yours, Elizabeth. What do we need to know about the role after school programs play in educating our students? And what do these new data show about the state of after school in North Carolina?

SPEAKER_00 1:26

Thanks for the question, Amos, and thanks for having us here today. I want to talk first about the role that afterschool programs play both in education and in family life. So in the America After 3 p.m. report that's put out by the After School Alliance, in the new data from this year, parents are overwhelmingly saying that after school programs are not just keeping their children safe, they're also enhancing their students' learning experience. So more than eight in 10 North Carolina parents say that after school programs are keeping their kids safe and off-screens. And 96% agree that they feel less stressed knowing that their child is safe and safe and supervised. But on top of that, 74% of parents agree that after school programs are helping their children to become more excited about learning. And it's improving their school day attendance and engagement. Beyond the benefits for their children, parents are seeing benefits of their own when it comes to their ability to stay in the workforce and to support their family. So 92% of parents that responded to this survey say that having their child in an afterschool program helped them keep their job or work more hours. So this is this means that after school programs are supporting kids at school. And they're also supporting families and families employment. And because more families can stay in the workforce, that also means after school programs are supporting the North Carolina economy. And I want to talk a little bit too now about the state of afterschool programs in North Carolina. So what we know about participation in after-school programs in North Carolina is that it's holding steady. North Carolina currently is serving just over 188,000 children, which is about the same number of children that we were serving pre-pandemic in 2020, which was the last time that the after-school alliance released this America after 3 p.m. report. But we also know that four in five families who want to enroll their child in an after-school program in North Carolina can't afford one or they can't find one near their home, according to the survey. So that is 664,000 plus North Carolina children who are waiting for a safe place to learn and grow outside of school. And most parents are saying that the lack of access is because programs are too expensive, that the programs are not in convenience in convenient locations or in their area where they live, and that kids just don't have a safe way to get to and from local programs. Four in 10 parents say that there are just no afterschool programs available in their community.

SPEAKER_03 4:05

And I'd love to welcome you, Dr. Williams, into the conversation. Dogwood Health Trust has been supporting after school programs in Western North Carolina for some time. Can you tell us about the work Dogwood is funding and why are you prioritizing that work? Also, what do these new data reveal to you about the changes that are needed in Western North Carolina and across our state?

SPEAKER_02 4:27

Thank you. And thank you, Amos, and everyone, for having us here today. You know, the leadership at Dogwood understands that child care challenges for working families don't end once individual kids begin kindergarten. And we also know that a strong economy relies on a child care ecosystem that includes after school and summer programming for K-12 youth. We also know, and we're clear, that research shows that these programs do exactly what Elizabeth just said. They keep kids safe. They help them build life skills and help working parents keep their jobs. So we see them as a lifeline for families across Western North Carolina. In the last five years, Dogwood has invested more than $38 million into Western North Carolina's early care and education system ecosystem to support children, to support families, and ultimately support our economy. That includes $15 million invested in 47 community partners in our region providing after school and summer programs for working parents who need care for their kids. Through our work, we want to increase the number of high-quality after-school programs for young people in rural communities. 78 of North Carolina's 100 counties are rural. And it's absolutely essential that we make sure there's a system in place to support those parents, those families, and those communities. Our grants focus on developing the leaders and teachers at after school and summer programs so they can evolve and grow and expand expand to serve more children, families, and employers. To inform our funding, we collected data and conducted a regional listening survey. Overwhelmingly, we heard that working parents need support and programs need resources to meet this demand. Some of our goals were to strengthen after school in our region. And we learned that regional after-school collaboratives make a difference, that these programs need flexible multi-year funding opportunities, that professional learning and capacity building for program development, youth mental health, and social emotional learning are critical. And we know that it also works to support the workforce and keep it stable. But we also know that transportation and program accessibility, as the data in the study raised, are critical. We also have found that our after-school providers grow and are engaged in statewide and regional efforts. We believe that we align with other funders who collaboratively invest in strategies and solutions that can be replicated across the state, and we're committed to making meaningful investments that build high-quality, accessible programs for children, working families, and local economies.

SPEAKER_03 7:29

Impressive, Erica. Thank you so much for that, share. Jeff, you've been working on the superintendent's plan for our state's local public schools, achieving educational excellence. I'd be interested to get your take on these data, particularly what parents say about how after school helps their children improve school attendance and get excited about learning. How does this fit into the goals DPI has for our public schools?

SPEAKER_01 7:52

Thank you so much, Amos, for having me on today. And it's great to see you all. As you did mention, the superintendent and the State Board of Education have adopted a joint strategic plan called Achieving Educational Excellence. This plan was adopted in August, and we're in the process of rolling out the actions and beginning the work that's laid out the plan. This is the first time in many years that the state board and the superintendent have adopted a joint strategic plan. So we're really excited about the collaboration and the commitment there that both the state board and the superintendent are making. The vision for the plan, achieving educational excellence, has three parts. The first is academic achievement for all students. The second is character development for our children. And then the third is to make North Carolina's public schools the best in the nation by 2030. And as the superintendent regularly says when he's out talking about the plan, this plan is not just the superintendent of state board's plan. It's our plan. It's everybody's plan. It's our educators, it's our students, it's our parents, it's our community members. And I think that's really where the connection comes in with after school and some of the data we're talking about today. The plan has eight pillars of activity. And I see really connections with three, at least three of those key pillars. The first pillar is preparing each student for their next phase of life. And as both Dr. Williams and Ms. Anderson said earlier, this is a key thing that our after-school programs do. They provide academic supports to students after school, helping them with their homework, providing enrichment activities for them to learn and grow beyond the school day, providing opportunities for career-connected learning where they can experience what different jobs are like or learn about careers that might be available in their area. And so our afterschool programs really are going to be a pivotal part of making sure that we're helping to prepare all students for their next phase of life. After school really helps to accelerate learning and sort of boost success for our students. The third pillar is around enhancing parent, caregiver, and community support. And again, here's another key intersection where after school helps to support our students by providing those safe learning environments for children after school, but also providing opportunities for parents to work and to make sure that they're helping to support their families. And so students in after school are really getting that key support from their communities. And then the third, the fourth pillar, the third area is around safe and healthy learning environments. And again, another space where after school programs play a critical part in supporting our students. It's a great place for them to go where after school their learning is nurtured, their health is nurtured. Parents know that they're in a safe space and that they're getting the care that they need so that they can continue with their day. I've always said that after school is like a trifecta in not only supporting the student, it's also supporting the parent with being able to stay in their job, and it's supporting our local economy. So making sure that those parents are part of the workforce and they're there to help with the businesses and their local communities. So really see a lot of intersections between after school programs across our state and the strategic plan that the board and the superintendent have adopted.

SPEAKER_03 11:22

After the break, we'll continue our exploration of the 2025 America After 3 p.m. report. Dr. Williams and Elizabeth, part of this data speaks to the connections and partnerships that are built through after school. I know that part of the work you do together is a learning community among afterschool providers in Western North Carolina. How are they collaborating to better support kids?

SPEAKER_02 12:13

You know, it has been an absolute gift to have the North Carolina Center for After School Programs move into the West. What they've brought to our communities, to the afterschool leaders across the region has simply been a standard. We see opportunities for these types of collaboratives making an impact across the state. When Elizabeth's team came and launched that first cohort meeting, and we were in the library at Transylvania with all of those leaders, we had about a hundred leaders because we're talking 47 partners that could bring two to three two to three leaders from their orgs. What struck me about that day was the energy and the momentum. But when Elizabeth's team went around the room and asked those folks, some of whom have been serving in the afterschool space for decades, how many times they had been in the room with each other or with other after-school leaders from across the region, from two counties over, et cetera, many of them had not had opportunities to connect, to come up from the day-to-day heavy lifting they do for communities and families to connect and build relationships. Collaboratively, we had, I think, a couple of hundred years of deep expertise in that room when they went around and put their numbers of years of service to families, communities, economies on that list. It was absolutely a game changer for us. And it reinforced where Dogwood has moved with this emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and connectedness. These collaboratives across our communities in Western North Carolina have absolutely mirrored where our strategic focus is and where it is heading, making sure that leaders who are serving in an infrastructure way in our communities are connected, are building capacity, and are collaborating in ways that are needed and meaningful.

SPEAKER_03 14:15

Dr. Williams, I find that fascinating. And I hope that more uh citizens across North Carolina and beyond see how powerful after-school programming and the providers who are local and know the community better than anyone who might come in the short term for support can mobilize. Jeff, I'd I love your take on um on everything that's been shared so far. With the state-focused data and knowing that DPI created the strategic plan for public education after talking with leaders, students, parents, and community members across the state, what connections do you see that parents value in after-school programs and in public education?

SPEAKER_01 15:00

Thanks, Amos. And you're right, as part of the development of the strategic plan, Superintendent Green hosted a Mo Wants to Know tour where he traveled around the state to all eight regions, heard from more than 5,000 educators, parents, students, community members, hosted 16 sessions, 30 virtual sessions, where he heard from folks. And one of the things that he heard regularly, and I think echoes in uh the America After 3 p.m. report as well, is um parents are satisfied. Parents like their public schools. And I think the data shows here that parents really like the after-school programs that their kids have and access to those. We need a lot more to make sure that all children are getting it, but that there's satisfaction. Um, around 84% of our state's uh school-aged children attend a public school, uh, and parents are overwhelmingly satisfied. Um, and so I think that shines through uh in this as well. The the other sort of factor that was interesting in this data that I think hits on some of what Dr. Williams was sharing is there was a statistic that said that um among the parents in North Carolina that responded to the survey, 81% said the after-school program that their child attends is on a public school campus. And that was interesting to me because we know that public schools provide after school care, but so do boys and girls clubs and YMCAs and church groups and all kinds of other community organizations. But clearly there's collaboration happening at the local level to meet the needs of the kids where they are. And so if a public school is collaborating to provide that kind of support with a community partner else, then they're making sure that kids don't have to worry about getting transported to another site. That continuity is sort of seamless. I think it also shows that collaboration that Dr. Williams said during Halene is that these or community organizations and public schools know each other and they're really there to support each other, like the Boys and Girls Club and in Hendersonville that went in and supported uh public school students and provided a place for students to learn for two months while their school building was getting repaired. Um, that sense of collaboration, that sense of community, I think really shines through both in our after-school programs. And I think this data just shows we need a lot more of that because it works and kids like it and parents like it, and it's really meeting a need.

SPEAKER_03 17:15

Jeff, I feel like you and Dr. Williams and Elizabeth have have described a conclusive and powerful case for after school programming across North Carolina. Elizabeth, if you could share a little bit about the afterschool programs behind the data in North Carolina, what's happening in these programs that's getting young people excited about learning?

SPEAKER_00 17:36

One of my favorite things about after school, and I think one of the best things about after school programs is that local programs, as Jeff said, are so good at understanding their students and understanding their families and what they need to learn and grow. And so I like to tell people, you know, if you've seen one afterschool program, you've seen one after school program. They offer different things that are responsive to the needs of their school communities and to the kids and families that um rely on them. So um, and we know what's right and a perfect fit for one student may not be a perfect fit for another. So it's what's great about after school is that kids and families can choose a program that that feels right for them.

SPEAKER_03 18:15

Thank you, Elizabeth. So we have one final question, and I'm going to encourage us to adopt a lightning round mindset. Here it is. The next America after 3 p.m. survey about after school in our state will happen in five years. What change would you like most to see by then? And what's one thing you can do to help us get there?

SPEAKER_02 18:38

You know, one thing I'd like to really see is a stronger after school system across Western North Carolina and all across our state. And I'll say that here at Dogwood, we're very intentional about making space for these providers to talk to each other and address challenges they're collectively experiencing.

SPEAKER_01 18:59

I am hoping to see that more students are getting served in after school and there's more opportunities available, I think, to Elizabeth's point earlier. The fact that we didn't lose ground during the pandemic, I think is important. But I think now we've got to make up uh ground and be serving more students. And I think to piggyback on what Dr. Williams said, I think it's that collaboration that's going to be key. How can our public schools and community partners really work together to provide these kinds of opportunities? And we're going to need lots of resources and support. Um, and I think that's where the Center for After School Programs and us at DPI can help to try and provide that support.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

Well, and I'll I'll add on to what Jeff, what Jeff has just said. Um, I think we do need support to make this happen. And so what I would like to see is for our state level leaders to step up and create some dedicated uh public funding for after school in North Carolina. Um, right now we are one of 23 states in the nation that does not have a dedicated pot of funding for after school. Um we have federal funding through the North Carolina or through the uh 21st Century Community Learning Center grants, um, but we don't have a state line item. Um but we know that North Carolina parents obviously see the benefit of after school. Um, and across the political spectrum, about five and six parents are in favor of public funding for after school opportunities. And that's across all parties. Um I think what I would like to see is for our state to our state leaders to begin to recognize that um after school is really not optional. Um, and I think at NCCAP we're committed to uh working with leaders, working with partners, and working with our coalition of afterschool providers across the state to help folks uh see how important it is that we uh support these opportunities.

SPEAKER_03 20:50

Well, thank you. Good people. You've heard it here first. After school programs matter, and there's an incredible history and momentum behind these initiatives in virtually every community across North Carolina. We can do so much more at a greater scale if we prioritize these programs in our state. Elizabeth Anderson, Dr. Erica Williams, Jeff Coltrane, thank you so much for joining us today.

SPEAKER_02 21:19

Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 21:21

After the break, this week's final word.

SPEAKER_00 21:49

Given that more than 80% of our students' time is spent learning outside of school, we simply cannot be the best in the nation without strong after school and summer learning programs. North Carolina parents know this is true. They say that after school programs keep their children safe and off-screens between the end of the school day and the end of their workday. Plus, more than eight in ten North Carolina parents say that after school programs help their children become excited about learning, provide opportunities for reading or writing, and provide learning activities that are not offered during the school day. We talked about today how after school benefits go beyond supporting children. Strong after school programs also support working families in our state's economy. More than eight in 10 North Carolina parents say that having their child enrolled in after school allows them to keep their job and to work more hours. But right now, over 664,000 children in North Carolina and their families who want an afterschool program can't afford or access one. Parents say their biggest barriers are cost, lack of safe transportation, and availability of programs in the area. By failing to meet the demand for after school programs in our state, we're forcing families across North Carolina into impossible choices. Do parents who can't afford an afterschool program leave work early to pick up their child from school, risking losing their job? Or do they send a child to a cheaper or less quality program without transportation and 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 real questions that North Carolina families are facing right now. The good news is that we can make after school more affordable and more 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 funding for after school. As a state, we have to decide that after school programs are not optional. They're actually the key to enhanced learning and safety for North Carolina's children and job security for their parents. I encourage all of us to stay engaged and demand public support for after school programs. I believe our children, our families, and our state deserve to see a clear, dedicated commitment to children, both during and after school. Thank you for taking the time with us to learn and think about education. That's all for today, and we'll see you next week.