Estimating Supply and Demand for Afterschool Programs:
A Tool for State and Local Policymakers
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Child Care Bureau
ESTIMATING SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS
October 2004
The Afterschool Investments Project
The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides federal resources for child care that support both direct services and quality enhancements. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Child Care Bureau awards CCDF grants to states, territories, and Indian tribes. With nearly half of the children receiving services being of school or kindergarten age, CCDF provides significant funding for afterschool care in a variety of settings. The majority of CCDF dollars are used to provide subsidies to eligible low-income children under age 13. A portion of CCDF funding is also used for quality improvement initiatives such as professional development and technical assistance with the goal of building the capacity of states to deliver quality services including programs before and afterschool, during summers, and on school holidays.
To support state efforts to provide quality afterschool opportunities, the Child Care Bureau awarded a technical assistance contract on out-of-school time to The Finance Project and their partner, The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. The Afterschool Investments project provides technical assistance to Child Care and Development Fund grantees and other state and local leaders supporting afterschool efforts. The goals of the project include:
q Identifying ways that states and communities are using Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidy and quality dollars to support out-of-school time programs, and sharing these practices and approaches with other states;
q Identifying administrative and implementation issues related to CCDF investments in out-of-school time programs, and providing information and context (about barriers, problems, opportunities) as well as practical tools that will help CCDF administrators make decisions; and
q Identifying other major programs and sectors that are potential partners for CCDF in supporting out-of-school time programs, and providing models, strategies, and tools for coordination with other programs and sectors.
To meet these goals, the Afterschool Investments project:
q Develops state profiles of afterschool resources, policies, and issues;
q Creates tools and materials to support the development and sustainability of afterschool efforts; and
q Provides technical assistance at meetings and conferences around building state collaborations for afterschool.
For more information about the project or to submit a request for technical assistance or information, contact The Finance Project at (202) 587-1000 or by email at afterschool@financeproject.org, or visit http://www.nccic.org/afterschool.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Administration for Children and Families
Child Care Bureau
Executive Summary
Many states and communities struggle to quantify and describe the need for and availability of afterschool programs that provide enriching activities to children and keep them safe and engaged during nonschool hours. This tool provides a framework—from basic steps to an in-depth process—for estimating afterschool program supply and demand by summarizing and highlighting experiences in a number of states and communities. The process includes the following steps:
· Determining a process that meets specific, expressed needs;
· Convening a planning group;
· Utilizing existing state and local data;
· Collecting new data through use of a variety of survey tools; and
· Analyzing and applying gathered information.
The tool also includes lessons learned from pioneers in the field, including the following advice to state and community leaders:
· Have a solid plan for applying the data;
· Involve a range of partners;
· Share the data widely; and
· Remember that collecting supply and demand information is one of many steps in building a system of afterschool programs.
Introduction
In communities all over the country, afterschool programs play an important role in keeping children and youth safe, providing them with important learning opportunities, and helping them become successful adults. Federal, state, local, and private investments in afterschool programs have grown in recent years due both to widespread public support and a better understanding of the crucial role such programs play in serving children and youth and the communities in which they live.1 Afterschool programs come in many different shapes and sizes, from tutoring to drop-in sports leagues to more comprehensive programs that provide an array of activities for children as well as their families. Positive youth development, prevention, child care, education, skills development, mentoring—whatever the program approach, a growing body of evidence points to the important role quality afterschool programs play in helping children succeed both academically and socially.2
Despite the growth in attention and funding for afterschool programs, many questions remain about availability and accessibility. As policymakers consider funding for afterschool programs, they often want to know more about the current need for these services—especially among low-income families. Among the questions policymakers ask are: What programs are currently out there? How many
children are being served? How many children would like to be in afterschool programs but for one reason or another are not? What resources currently support existing programs, and are they sufficient?
The answers to these questions can enable state and local leaders to identify gaps between the supply and demand for care and assist policymakers in considering where and how to best target scarce resources. Several states and communities have already begun to collect and analyze this information. This tool draws upon those experiences to outline concrete steps in the process of estimating supply and demand. It provides examples of states and communities that have undertaken this task, outlines a five-step process for planning and collecting data, and offers guidance and lessons learned from the field.
1 For polling information, see Afterschool Alert Poll Report.Washington, DC: Afterschool Alliance, 2003.
Available http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/poll_2003_oct.cfm. Also see What PTA Members Think about
Afterschool Programs. Chicago, IL: National PTA. Available http://www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/
afterschool/think.asp. School Board Presidents’ Views of Afterschool Programs in American Schools.
Washington, DC: National School Board Association. Available at
http://www.nsba.org/site/docs/11800/11768.pdf.
2 See, for example, Miller, B. Critical Hours: Afterschool Programs and Educational Success. Quincy, MA:
Nellie Mae Education Foundation. Available http://www.nmefdn.org/CriticalHours.htm.
Estimating Supply and Demand for Afterschool Programs:
Purpose and Use in States and Communities
A growing number of states and communities are developing estimates of supply and demand for afterschool programs—often as part of a larger effort to create systems of afterschool care. As the following examples show, the methods and approaches differ according to identified needs and available resources.
· In 2000, Alabama’s governor asked the Program for Rural Services and Research (PRSR) at the University of Alabama to gather information on the supply of afterschool programs across the state. County-by-county information was collected by survey and presented in an online format to assist parents in finding available programs in their communities. Visit http://afterschool.state.al.us/index.html for more information.
· In the spring of 2001, the Illinois General Assembly passed a resolution establishing the Illinois After-School Initiative Task Force, convened and co-chaired by the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois Department of Human Services. The task force was charged with developing recommendations for enhancing and expanding out-of-school time services across the state. To inform their recommendations, the 60-member task force set out to understand the availability and conditions of afterschool programs. The project’s data working group counted school-age children in working parent families and collected information on program funding, program characteristics and activities, and family and youth perspectives on afterschool services. The final report was presented to the legislature in 2002. View the report at http://www.isbe.net/pdf/afterschool.pdf.
· The Montana Child Care Resource and Referral Network, as part of its state School-Age Care Task Force, gathered supply and demand information in order to 1) create a detailed description of programs across the state, and 2) inform and improve afterschool policies. The Network used the data to generate county-by-county supply and demand maps that show where programs are available and what percentage of school-age children with working parents are served. For more information, visit http://www.montanachildcare.com.
· In South Carolina, several agencies led by the Department of Social Services came together in 2001 to identify existing afterschool resources. The process was one of the catalyzing forces behind the formalization of the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance, a network composed of these agencies and many others, to support afterschool programs across the state. Existing afterschool programs, statewide achievement test scores, and poverty levels are being mapped for each of the state’s regions. The information has been used to create a program database and to identify training and technical assistance needs.
· In 1999, the Boston-based Parents United for Childcare launched the Out-of-School Time Financing Initiative to consider options for funding a statewide system of out-of- school time care in Massachusetts. A working group composed of parents, public school educators, out-of-school time providers, and representatives from state and local health care, juvenile justice, business, child welfare, and mental health agencies set out to 1) assess supply and demand, 2) analyze existing funding, 3) develop a system for estimating annual cost per child, and 4) research financing strategies based on collected information. The work was compiled into a report, Meeting the Challenge: Financing Out-of-School Time Programming in Boston and Massachusetts, complete with recommended action steps.
· In New York City, The After-School Corporation (TASC) surveyed Brooklyn parents to better understand supply and demand in one community school district with the intention of using the information to develop larger-scale surveys in the future. The survey gauged demand for afterschool programs and the extent to which parents knew about and utilized existing ones.
· In 2002, the Missouri legislature adopted a resolution creating the Joint Interim Committee on Afterschool Programs to review afterschool programs in the state. The resolution called on the committee to 1) analyze the quantity and quality of Missouri afterschool programs, through solicitation of appropriate state agencies, public schools, youth development organizations, law enforcement agencies and juvenile officers, youth development and education experts, and the public (including youth) and 2) recommend a plan to provide and sustain afterschool programs to school-age children in Missouri (For more information, see “Informing State Policymakers: State Legislation and Afterschool Programs” on pg. 9.)
Getting Started and Collecting Information
Assessing supply and demand can be accomplished in a variety of ways, all of which require gathering and analyzing data to develop well-informed estimates. As with all estimation processes, the more resources available to the process, the more precise the estimates will be. But even the simplest estimates require sufficient resources and staff time to produce information that is logical, defensible, and as accurate as possible. In some instances, you may choose to refer to available data, perhaps from resource and referral agencies or census collections. Even in the best case,
it is likely that some new data will have to be gathered. The amount and quality of the data and the processes needed to collect it will drive the timeline, cost, and precision of the estimates.
Step 1: Determine A Process That Will Meet
Your Needs
Before beginning the process of collecting and analyzing supply and demand data, you should be very clear about exactly what data you need and how you will use it. The following questions can help clarify this process:
· What is the driving purpose?
· What is the scope?
· What resources, including time, are available?
What is the driving purpose?
Supply and demand information may be used for one or more of the following purposes:
· Identifying gaps in available afterschool services (for all children or for certain populations, such as low-income youth).
· Supplying information to policymakers that will inform decisions.
· Mapping the variety and amount of federal, state, and local funding that supports afterschool programming across the state.
· Providing information to parents and youth to help them identify programs in their communities.
· Engaging business leaders in public-private partnerships.
· dentifying common technical assistance needs for afterschool programs.
The type of information that will be collected and presented is determined in large part by the driving force behind the survey—is this a grassroots effort, a legislative mandate, or an executive order? Answering this question will help you remain focused on needs and goals.
Informing State Policymakers:
State Legislation and Afterschool Programs
Increasingly, state legislatures and other policymakers are calling for estimates of the supply and demand for afterschool programming. Most commonly, a state-level task force or other working group is established and charged with providing needed data.
In 2002, the Missouri legislature adopted a resolution creating the Joint Interim Committee on Afterschool Programs to review the afterschool programs in the state. The resolution called on the committee to:
· Analyze the quantity and quality of Missouri afterschool programs, through solicitation of appropriate state agencies, public schools, youth development organizations, law enforcement agencies and juvenile officers, youth development and education experts, and the public (including youth); and
· Recommend, in consultation with the Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education and Social Services, a plan to “provide the opportunity for every Missouri school-age child to access quality afterschool programs and design a system to train, mentor, and support afterschool programs, and thereby guarantee their sustainability.”
View the Missouri resolution at http://www.house.state.mo.us/bills02/bills02/sc073.htm.
In 2001, the Illinois General Assembly passed HR0063 directing the State Board of Education and the Department of Human Services to convene and co-chair the Illinois After-School Initiative Task Force. The legislation called on the Illinois After-School Initiative Task Force, comprised of other related state agencies and private organizations, to assess the state of afterschool services in Illinois, including identification of the:
· Number of children and youth served in afterschool programs statewide;
· Number and location of children and youth in need of programs; and
· Various funding streams supporting afterschool programs.
Finally, the bill called upon the initiative to develop “a plan for coordinating afterschool services and for achieving a goal of providing afterschool services for every school age child,” including state strategies to promote best practices for programs as well as to “promote coordination and collaboration of afterschool services at the local level.”
View Illinois HR0063 at http://www.legis.state.il.us/legislation/legisnet92/status/920HR0063.html.
(For more information on the work of the Illinois After-School Initiative Task Force, see “Estimating Supply and Demand for Afterschool: Purpose and Use in States and Communities” on p.6.) For additional information on other state legislation, visit the National Conference of State Legislatures searchable database at http://www.ncsl.org/public/leglinks.cfm.
What is the scope of work?
Determining the scope of work will influence the way supply and demand information is gathered and documented. The scope of work ultimately depends on three factors: the stated purpose of the effort, the kinds of information partners want to collect (supply, demand, or both), and the available resources (see below). In all likelihood, state leaders will be seeking to collect broad information on both the supply and demand for afterschool programming in order to get a fuller picture of the afterschool landscape. However, there may be cases where it is necessary or desirable to collect only some portion of this information. For example, in some communities there may exist a strong recognition that demand for services is high but that information about available programs is scant. In this case, survey administrators may determine that resources be targeted largely to assess the supply of afterschool programs. In a similar way, survey administrators must decide which types of programs will be included in the supply and demand analysis. If the decision is to look broadly at all available services, the resulting information will give a fuller picture of the afterschool landscape. On one hand, collecting and analyzing information from a broad range of programs is costly and complicated. On the other hand, restricting the analysis to a subset of programs (e.g., school-based) will simplify the collection and analysis of data and keep costs down, but will produce a more limited view of afterschool programs. Being clear about the ultimate uses of the data can help guide decisions about investing scarce resources.
What resources, including time, are available?
In addition to the purpose and scope, the available resources and timeline are critical determinants of the process. In general, the tighter the timeline and fewer the resources, the more you will need to use available data. The following considerations can help to determine the type of process necessary to develop supply and demand estimates:
· Will this analysis result in a one-time snapshot of supply and demand for afterschool or will information be updated on a regular basis? The resources needed to update and track information over time are very different from those needed for a one-time collection.
· Is this effort designed to address the quality of care that is currently available (such as optimal staff-child ratios or the number of programs that are licensed or accredited)?
· How frequently will these estimates be updated? If supply and demand data are to be updated regularly, survey administrators will have to determine who will be the keeper and manager of the data and where the resources will come from to support ongoing work.
· Can new partners be engaged in this effort? The call to collect information on the supply of, and demand for, afterschool programs provides an opportunity to draw in new partners (such as resource and referral agencies or state agencies) that have been thinking about adding this type of collection to their own ongoing efforts.
· How much new information needs to be collected? Surveys of parents and providers take time and resources to develop, administer, process, and analyze.
· What geographic area will the estimates cover? Consider the size, geography, and diversity of your state and localities when developing resource estimates. Larger states and cities, rural areas, and those with diverse populations (perhaps requiring language translation) will take longer to survey.
· Even under the best of circumstances, data collection and analysis may take longer than originally planned. Be sure to build a time cushion into efforts with a tight or definite timeline.
“Developing maps of Montana’s school-age care
supply and demand by county is our most labor intensive,
time-consuming task each year! But it gives
us a tool to illustrate the lack of services statewide,
especially in rural counties. And local programs use
our maps to demonstrate need when they apply for
new funding.”
Janet Bush, Executive Director, Montana Child Care
Resource and Referral Network
What Do You Mean by “Afterschool”?
“Afterschool” means different things to different people and can be used to describe such activities as academic enrichment and tutoring, school-age care, youth development, mentoring, arts and music, technology, conflict resolution, community service, recreation/sports, substance abuse prevention, and literacy. “Afterschool” may encompass formal school-sponsored clubs and groups, such as team practices or music rehearsals; it can also include programs that occur before as well as after school, on weekends, holidays, and during summer months. Every state, city, or locality has to begin the process of assessing supply and demand by adopting a clear definition of “afterschool.”
Step 2: Put Together a Team
Those experienced in collecting and analyzing supply and demand data for afterschool programs all agree that the success of this exercise depends on the efforts of many people. To this end, they unanimously suggest convening a planning group early in the process.
Convene a Planning Group
Sometimes the decision to gauge supply and demand comes out of the work of a state task force or other collaborative body where partners are already around the table. Whether or not a planning entity exists or a new one must be convened, it is important to take a step back and be sure that the group comprises all stakeholders needed to reach the full range of afterschool providers, including school-based programs, family child care homes, licensed child care centers, community-based providers, and any other providers within your definition of “afterschool.” State or local agency officials, representatives from networks of afterschool providers, school officials, researchers, foundation partners, and business leaders are all good choices for the membership of an effective planning group. The planning partners can help refine the early thinking about the process and will likely have resources to share—both technical and financial—to help get the work done.
Who Will Bring the Pieces Together?
States have utilized the resources of different partners—from public agencies to universities to community-based organizations—to collect data on the supply of and demand for afterschool programs.
· In Illinois, the After-School Initiative Task Force designated a data working group, led by the Center for Prevention Research and Development at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, that developed the survey instrument and managed the survey process. In addition to collecting new data, the working group gathered available data from state and local human services agencies; previous studies of the University of Illinois Center for Prevention Research and Development; and participation figures from federal, state, and public school programs.3
3 The Illinois After-School Initiative 2002 Task Force Report, Illinois Center for Violence Prevention on behalf of the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois State Board of Education, 2002. Available at
http://www.isbe.net/pdf/afterschool.pdf.
· The Montana Child Care Resource and Referral Network gathered data on the supply of programs across the state as part of its School-Age Care Task Force.
· The South Carolina Department of Social Services took the lead in developing and distributing a survey instrument for South Carolina’s statewide afterschool network.
· Parents United for Child Care devised supply and demand estimates for afterschool programs in Boston and throughout Massachusetts using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services, the Massachusetts Department of Education, and parent surveys.4
“The process of determining existing afterschool services in South Carolina brought together a range of state agency supporters, provider groups, and other stakeholders. Their initial work solidified the need for a statewide network that could gather and communicate information on an ongoing basis about the wide variety of afterschool programs and available resources across the state. The resulting network, the South Carolina Afterschool Alliance,continues to build upon the important work begun by the Department of Social Services and their partners.”
Zelda Quiller Waymer, Executive Director, South Carolina
Afterschool Alliance
When engaging others in the planning process and identifying available resources, be sure to clarify the roles and responsibilities of each planning partner. Leaders and stakeholders need to decide who is responsible for each aspect of information gathering. What are the specific roles and responsibilities of each partner? For example, the state child care office and education agency might coordinate the process and send out provider surveys, with community stakeholders encouraging community-based organizations to respond.
Step 3: Identify Available Data
Data on supply and demand exist in a variety of places. Don’t reinvent the wheel; start with any work that has been conducted by other state groups and systems. For example, state child care offices or child care resource and referral agencies usually have data on licensed child care centers that serve school-age children. Keep in mind that Federal Child Care and Development Fund regulations (45 CFR 98.43) require states to conduct a local market rate survey on the cost of child care at least every two years. Some states use these required surveys to collect more comprehensive information (about providers, technical assistance needs, and so on) in addition to information about payment rates (see Data Resources text box below).5 This data may be a good starting point for additional collection.
4 Meeting the Challenge: Financing Out-of-School Time Programming in Boston and Massachusetts, Parents
United for Childcare, March 2001, pages 18-19.
5 For an overview of market rate surveys, see Conducting Market Rate Surveys and Establishing Rate Policies,
July 2001 produced by the National Childcare Information Center. Available www.nccic.org.
State education agencies and local school districts may be another source of data,
especially for school-sponsored programs. Cities and county agencies may also have data to share. Finally, state or local intermediary organizations or coalitions, such as a state affiliate of the National AfterSchool Association (www.nsaca.org), may have lists of afterschool programs to contribute.
Connecting State and
Local Data Collection Efforts
Many communities are already beginning the process of collecting supply and demand data with the collaboration of state entities. State agencies or state networks can help communities collect and analyze information. Doing so will enhance a community’s ability to document state trends, differences within and between communities, and differences within and across the state. Such cooperation will also allow state and local leaders to more clearly identify best practices.
Data Resources
Many federal agencies and community organizations have collected information that may be useful in identifying supply and demand for afterschool.
· Information on federally mandated child care market rate surveys for many states can be accessed at http://www.nccic.org/poptopics/mrsmethods.html.
· The U.S. Department of Agriculture Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Map Machine (http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/sfsp) is an Internet-based mapping utility that profiles SFSP sites by detailing characteristics both of the census tract in which they exist and of neighboring schools.
· In conjunction with the Food Research and Action Center (www.frac.org), the Fair Data 2000 project has developed a resource center for mapping Census 2000 data for the Summer Food Service Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). This interactive mapping center was developed for local groups who need highly detailed (street-level) census information and lack access to desktop mapping software. The maps can be used to identify neighborhoods and communities needing these nutrition programs. Visit http://www.fairdata2000.com/CACFP for CACFP sites and http://www.fairdata2000.com/SummerFood/index.html for Summer Food Service Program information.
· The U.S. Census Bureau makes state-specific data available at http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd. Information is available for each state as well as individual counties covering such demographic information as population, educational attainment, median monthly income, race/ethnicity, and homeownership rates.
· “America After 3 PM”, a report from the Afterschool Alliance, used parent surveys from all 50 states, finding that parents of over 15.3 million children say their children would participate in afterschool programs if such opportunities were available. Additional information on national and statespecific demand for availability of afterschool programs is available at http://www.afterschool alliance.org/ america_3pm.cfm.
When compiling available data from a range of sources, keep in mind that your definition of afterschool will affect your data needs (see “What Do You Mean by ‘Afterschool’?” on pg. 11). For example, information is often more difficult to capture on informal care settings, informal school clubs or groups that do not meet regularly, and faith- and community-based programs. Using available administrative data from state agencies, while a good place to start, may not provide a complete picture of afterschool programs if your definition is more inclusive of different care settings.
Step 4: Collect New Data
Most of the time, estimating the supply and demand for afterschool programs will require collecting at least some new data. Sometimes, it may be necessary to collect only the supply or demand data. This section provides guidance and concrete tips for gathering new information. In cases where both types of data are needed, it is strongly suggested that data collection tools and methodologies for gathering both supply and demand data be developed simultaneously to avoid any duplication of effort.
Tips for Collecting Supply Data
In almost all instances, surveying afterschool program providers is the best way to collect information about the supply of care. If information about funding, technical assistance activities, or other relevant activities is desired, it may also be necessary to survey other state or community leaders.
