Washington, D.C. –Too many Missouri parents who want their children in a structured summer program are unable to enroll them, according to a household survey released today. The Summer Struggle for Missouri Families finds that while 217,367 Missouri children are enrolled, another 187,759 are not able to get into a summer program. The barriers pushing programs out of reach for Missouri families are cost, cited by 31 percent of survey respondents; program location or transportation challenges, cited by 19 percent ; and programs being unavailable, cited by 15 percent .
An overwhelming majority of Missouri parents who have been able to enroll their children in a summer program give them high marks, with 95 percent reporting satisfaction with the program their child attends. And a large majority of parents in the state (88 percent ) support public funding for summer programs, including 93 percent of Democrats, 86 percent of Independents, and 86 percent of Republicans.
A structured summer program is defined in The Summer Struggle as an enrichment or sports program, summer camp or school, or a job or internship. It is part of the America After 3PM series of household surveys, conducted by Edge Research for the Afterschool Alliance. The new survey includes 30,515 U.S. parents of school-age children who live in their households, including 1,292 in Missouri. Parents here say the factors they look for most in summer programs are a safe environment, knowledgeable and caring staff, and support of their child’s mental health and well-being.
“In Missouri and across the country, summer programs give children a safe place to go, provide alternatives to screen time, keep them physically active, reduce isolation, support learning, and give working parents peace of mind that their children are safe and constructively engaged while they are at work,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “But finding summer programs they can afford is a real struggle for many Missouri families. Every child deserves access to a quality summer program but sadly, we are far from reaching that goal. We need greater support from federal, state, and local governments, philanthropy, and businesses to change that.”
“The Summer Struggle for Missouri Families is a sobering reminder that too many working families scramble to find summer programs for their children,” said Terri Foulkes, Executive Director of the Missouri AfterSchool Network. “It shouldn’t be this difficult for families to access summer programs that will help their children engage, be active, and learn over the summer. We will work with local and state lawmakers and all our community partners to tackle this problem. Every Missouri family deserves summer options they can afford.”
Nationally, the new study finds that the parents of 24.6 million U.S. children want a structured summer experience for their child but just 12 million of those children (49 percent ) are enrolled.
Findings from all 50 states are here.
In most respects, Missouri results mirror national findings, which include:
Affordability is the most common barrier faced by families unable to enroll their child.
38 percent of these families cite cost as a factor contributing to their inability to enroll their child in a summer program.
18 percent cite program’s location or transportation as a reason.
13 percent report having difficulty finding a program, say summer programs are not available in their community, or the program’s hours do not meet their needs.
10 percent say programs had no open slots.
Parents with a child enrolled give summer programs high marks.
96 percent of these parents report being satisfied with the summer program their child attends, with 63 percent reporting extreme satisfaction.
Half of parents with a child in a summer program (50 percent ) say they are extremely confident their child will be well prepared for the coming school year, compared to 43 percent of parents whose child is not in a summer program.
Parents’ support for public funding for summer programs is strong and growing.
Nine in ten parents (89 percent ) favor public funding for summer learning opportunities, up from 83 percent in 2009, 85 percent in 2014, and 88 percent in 2020.
In the current study, 94 percent of Democrats, 89 percent of Independents, and 87 percent of Republican parents support public funding.
93 percent of parents in urban communities, 89 percent of those in suburban communities, and 87 percent of parents in rural communities support public funding.
Across demographic lines, parents want summer opportunities for all children.
87 percent of parents agree that all young people deserve access to quality afterschool and summer programs.
92 percent of parents who are Democrats and 85 percent of those who are Independents or Republicans agree.
88 percent of parents in suburban and urban communities, and 85 percent of those in rural communities agree. Support is overwhelming in every region of the country.
At least 86 percent of parents of every race/ethnicity agree.
The national and Missouri America After 3PM 2025 summer findings and accompanying data are available at https://aa3pm.co/. This fifth edition of America After 3PM is based on a survey conducted in English and Spanish using a mixed-mode methodology to reach as many households as possible. Data were collected between January 31 and April 21, 2025. The margin of error for the child- and household-level data is +/- < 1 percent. Previous America After 3PM surveys were conducted in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2020.
The America After 3PM summer findings are based on research funded by The Wallace Foundation.
The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs. More information is available at www.afterschoolalliance.org.
About The Wallace Foundation
Wallace is an independent, nonpartisan research foundation, with a mission to help all communities build a more vibrant and just future by fostering advances in the arts, education leadership, and youth development. We collaborate with grantees and research partners to design and test innovative approaches to address pressing problems in the fields we serve. The evidence-based insights we share—searchable online and free of charge—support policymakers and practitioners in their efforts to improve outcomes, enhance community vitality, and help all people reach their full potential.