The majority of after-school programs include STEM learning experiences, but millions of children are still unable to participate, causing them to miss out on opportunities to nurture their curiosity about the subjects, a new report concludes.
Ninety-two percent of parents with a child in an after-school program report that their provider offers opportunities for students to explore and learn about science, technology, engineering, or math, finds a nationally representative survey of 30,000 parents and guardians administered by the Afterschool Alliance between January and April.
That’s a significant increase from the other two times the advocacy organization asked the question: 69% of parents identified STEM opportunities in their child’s after-school program in 2014, and 73% in 2020.
“Access to these high-quality, joyful, opportunity-rich experiences are things that every community has to deliver If we’re going to have a robust and strong STEM talent ecosystem,” said Stephanie Rodriguez, director of the STEMM Opportunity Alliance at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. (The second M in the initiative’s name refers to medicine.)
In total, about about 6.4 million of the 7 million children in after-school programs have regular STEM opportunities, the survey found. But an additional 22.6 million children whose parents want to place them in after-school programs in general don’t have access because of barriers like cost and capacity.
Parents value STEM experiences in after-school programs
The growing emphasis on STEM learning comes as parents and schools search for experiences that help students explore the academic subjects through hands-on projects in hopes the experiences will help engage them in learning, improve academic performance, and consider careers in high-demand fields.
After-school providers have made those experiences a priority alongside efforts to help children develop skills like problem-solving and collaboration that are valued in the workplace, said Jodi Grant, the executive director of the Afterschool Alliance.
“If we want our kids to have more access to hands-on, engaging, exciting STEM learning opportunities, one of the best ways to do that is to have more after school programs to serve our kids,” she said.
The push for out-of-school STEM activities comes as many educators say that a focus on math and literacy instruction has crowded out time for science and social studies at the elementary level.
Sixty-five percent of parents with children in after-school programs said they valued STEM opportunities when selecting where to send their child. The survey distinguishes after-school programs from childcare or activities like sports, lessons, or clubs.
The survey asked parents about each subject separately: 87% said their child’s program offered math opportunities, 85% science, 81% engineering, 77% technology, and 77% computer science.
Using hands-on experiences to nurture curiosity
Stagnating national test scores in math and science have prompted concerns about how to get students more engaged in the subjects.
A 2023 report by the Walton Family Foundation found that less than a third of teens and young adults listed a role in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics fields as their first-choice career. But more hands-on experiences could help shift their interests, the report’s authors said.
For example, 3rd through 6th grade students in Prince George’s County, Md., used microscopes for the first time as part of a project-based microbiology experience offered by Better Than School Enterprises, an organization that provides after-school and summer programs for children from low-income families.
Students viewed microorganisms in everyday materials, like yogurt, yeast, and pond water, founder Cindy Martin said at the Tuesday launch event.
“Can you imagine when they saw the organisms moving?” Martin said. “The floodgates opened and they started asking questions: ‘How is it that these organisms are alive and we are eating them?’”
Guest speakers helped students conduct experiments, like determining which chemicals most effectively removed germs from a surface.
“The curiosity was already there,” Martin said. “We provided the opportunity for them to dig deeper.”
To expand such opportunities, funders and policymakers should expand funding for after-school programs, making efforts to target underserved and rural areas, the report recommends.
And legislation that promotes STEM education should include after-school programs in addition to schools, it says.
