Out-of-School-Time Programs Help Kids, Parents, Families and the Economy
Like many working parents, Henderson County resident Brittny Hobkirk’s day begins long before the sun comes up. She rises at 4:30 a.m. to squeeze in a workout before waking the kids for breakfast, packing lunches and backpacks, and dropping them off at the Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County — all to arrive at her job in Asheville by 8 a.m., sharp.
For Hobkirk and her husband, who are foster parents of a first grader and a third grader, summer and afterschool programs are a lifeline. Having access to support when schools are closed is critical for the delicate balancing act of being both full-time parents and full-time breadwinners. “Having a safe place for our kids to go while we’re working helps us both keep our jobs and continue to help children who need help,” Hobkirk said.
While early childcare often gets top billing as a necessity for working families, parents know all too well that childcare gaps and challenges don’t end once kindergarten begins. Families need a continuum of high-quality care that includes afterschool and summer programs that serve children in grades K-12 when school lets out.
For hundreds of local families, “the Club” engages their young learners in year-round enriching activities, helps them build life skills, offers physical activity each day, and provides healthy meals and snacks while parents are at work. Club demographics show that most members are being raised by working parents, and in a recent parent survey, 90% said that the Club helped them to keep their jobs.
Hobkirk discovered the Club when summer care unexpectedly fell through just as her foster daughter exited preschool. “We were panicking, wondering what to do,” she recalled. “I looked at daycares and either found there were no openings or that it was too late to enroll. It was so great when the Boys & Girls Club said, ‘Yes, we have space for her.’”
While the Club may have been a lifesaver for Hobkirk’s family, many families are not so fortunate. The Afterschool Alliance estimates that nearly 667,000 children in North Carolina are missing out – for every child enrolled in an afterschool program, three more are waiting to get in.
Today the Club is one of 47 peer organizations participating in the WNC After 3PM Collaborative, a $15 million investment in 2023 by Dogwood Health Trust. Dogwood grantees work through the collaborative to provide innovative, high-quality programs for young people during out-of-school-time (OST) hours, while also improving their programs, practices and outcomes for youth.
Research proves that kids of all ages benefit from high-quality OST programs. According to Dogwood’s 2022 commissioned study by the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs, students who participate are more likely to come to school, behave better at school, and improve their grades and test scores. Among older youth, afterschool even reduces drop-out rates and prevents drug use and other risky behaviors.
Working families and businesses benefit too. Strong programs for children from birth through graduation help parents provide for their children and save businesses money. A recent statewide report by the NC Chamber estimates that insufficient childcare for parents of children younger than age 6 costs North Carolina $5.65 billion in lost economic activity each year. Meanwhile, the Afterschool Alliance asserts that a lack of afterschool care costs U.S. businesses up to $300 billion annually.
“I get so many thank yous from parents throughout the day because of what we’re able to do to help them out,” remarked Carlos Vega, Club operations director, who noted that The Club’s programs are offered free-of-cost to registered members. “I think if we weren’t here, a lot of families wouldn’t be able to make ends meet simply because of the cost of living in our area.”
Vega added that the Club used its grant from Dogwood to support and develop its team members, including living wage compensation.
In addition to implementing their own projects, members of the WNC After 3 Collaborative work together, sharing best practices, finding new ways to join forces, and developing improvements and innovations in program quality. Vega is looking forward to hosting the Collaborative’s next upcoming meeting at the Boys & Girls Club of Henderson County for network-building, peer-learning, collaborative resource sharing, and regional strategy and planning.
“The Club allows parents to be at work, and it engages kids in real-world learning opportunities like team building, enriching academics, STEM and field trips. Our families really need us,” Vega said. “Being able to partner with other local OST programs and share resources and ideas has been huge for us.”
