ENHANCED OUT-OF-SCHOOL ENHANCED OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME ACTIVITIES FOR MIDDLE TIME ACTIVITIES FOR MIDDLE

SCHOOL STUDENTS IN SCHOOL STUDENTS IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLANDPROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND

Presented by Julie Pokela, Ph.D.

Market Street Research, Inc.

April, 2004

Objectives

The objectives were to determine for middle school The objectives were to determine for middle school students and their parents:students and their parents:

Decision-making about OST activitiesDecision-making about OST activities

Current participation in and satisfaction with OST Current participation in and satisfaction with OST activitiesactivities

Barriers to participation in OST activitiesBarriers to participation in OST activities

Interest in specific types of organized activitiesInterest in specific types of organized activities

Preferences for OST program structurePreferences for OST program structure

Likely attendance of OST programLikely attendance of OST program

Sources of information about OST activities Sources of information about OST activities

Methodology

Phase One: Focus GroupsPhase One: Focus Groups

Date and Time Location Number of

Participants Characteristics of

Participants

Middle School Students December 17, 2003,

4:00 p.m. Accurate Focus, Providence, RI

7 Sixth and seventh

graders December 18, 2003,

4:00 p.m. Accurate Focus, Providence, RI

8 Seventh and eighth

graders December 17, 2003,

6:00 p.m. Accurate Focus, Providence, RI

8 Ninth graders

Parents December 17, 2003,

6:00 p.m. Mendez Travel, Providence, RI

10 Spanish-speaking

parents December 17, 2003,

8:00 p.m. Accurate Focus, Providence, RI

5 English-speaking

parents December 18, 2003,

6:00 p.m. Accurate Focus, Providence, RI

8 English-speaking

parents

Methodology (cont.)

Phase Two: Survey of Students and ParentsPhase Two: Survey of Students and ParentsTelephone survey of 200 middle school students Telephone survey of 200 middle school students and 200 parents of middle school studentsand 200 parents of middle school studentsStudents were interviewed in-person at schoolStudents were interviewed in-person at schoolPhone numbers for the parent survey were Phone numbers for the parent survey were obtained from middle school students in the obtained from middle school students in the Providence school systemProvidence school systemParents were interviewed by telephoneParents were interviewed by telephoneInterviews with students were conducted Interviews with students were conducted between January 6 and January 15, 2004between January 6 and January 15, 2004Interviews with parents were conducted between Interviews with parents were conducted between January 8 and January 25, 2004January 8 and January 25, 2004The response rate for the parent survey was The response rate for the parent survey was 80.2%80.2%

Methodology (cont.)

Phase Two: Survey of Students and Parents (cont.)Phase Two: Survey of Students and Parents (cont.)We weighted the total results based on the actual We weighted the total results based on the actual population distribution of middle school students population distribution of middle school students within the Providence school system, in terms of within the Providence school system, in terms of grade, gender and ethnicitygrade, gender and ethnicityThe intercept interviews with middle school students The intercept interviews with middle school students and the method used to generate phone numbers for and the method used to generate phone numbers for parents results in a convenience or non-random parents results in a convenience or non-random samplesampleFor the purpose of analysis, we have treated these For the purpose of analysis, we have treated these results as if they were from a scientific sample, and results as if they were from a scientific sample, and have calculated an error rate under these assumptionshave calculated an error rate under these assumptionsThe margin of error for this study is plus or minus The margin of error for this study is plus or minus 2.9 to 4.8 percentage points2.9 to 4.8 percentage points

Race, Ethnicity and Primary Language

22.5%12.7%

6.9% 3.7% 1.3%

51.7%

37.7%

4.0% 3.4% 3.2%

52.9%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Hispanic,Latino

Black,African-

American

Otherwhite,

Caucasian

Asian,PacificIslander

Mixed Other MainlyEnglish

MainlySpanish

An Asianlanguage

Englishand

Spanishequally

Other

Race or Ethnicity: Language Spoken Most at Home:

Decision-Making About OST Activities59

.3% 61.7%

54.1%

61.9%

59.7%

58.8%

55.0%

85.3%

42.5%

37.3%

46.8%

43.6%

43.3%

41.7% 43.1% 46

.4%

7.8%

6.1%

7.2% 9.9

%

7.7%

7.8%

3.9%

0.0%

28.5%

25.7%

21.2%

38.4%

31.0%

25.8% 29

.0% 32.1%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Total Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Malestudent

Femalestudent

Hispanicstudents

Whitestudents

Parent: "Decision made jointly" Student: "Decision made jointly" Parent: "Student is primary decision-maker" Student: "Student is primary decision-maker"

Important Criteria in Selecting OST Activities: Parents

86.6% 85.5%77.5% 76.3%

69.0%

54.1%

94.2%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Safe Quality leaders Teachesstudents to get

along withothers

Fun Teaches newskills

Meeting newpeople

Student'sfriends attend

Important Criteria in Selecting OST Activities: Students

79.2% 78.8% 78.2% 77.1%

57.8% 55.5%

91.6%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Fun Student'sfriends attend

Safe Meeting newpeople

Teaches newskills

Quality leaders Teachesstudents to get

along withothers

Average Number of Weekdays Spent in Specific OST Activities

Number of school days per week

0.5

0.9

1.4

3.8

0 1 2 3 4 5

With friends (unsupervised)

At someoneelse's home

(adult present)

StructuredOST activities

At home

Number of school days per week

Structured OST Activities Middle School Students are Participating in

5.0%

2.5%

2.7%

4.2%

4.5%

5.5%

5.5%

7.3%

7.6%

20.2%

48.3%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

O ther programs

Community center

Programs in the community

Recreation center

Sports leagues

YMCA

Church

School teams or clubs

Boys & Girls Club

Programs at school

None

Satisfaction with Current OST Activities

50.0% 55.7%73.0%

23.7%31.1%

15.4%25.6%

13.2% 10.5%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Does not participatein structured OST

activities

Participates1 or 2 days a week

Participates3 or more days a week

A little or not at all

Some

A lot

Reasons for Dissatisfaction with Out-of-School Time*

69.0%

13.0%4.7% 3.7% 3.4% 3.2% 3.1%

14.4%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Need for more,higher-quality

activities

Dissatisfiedwith time

spent at home

Not enoughfocus on

homework

Concernsabout peer

group

Transportation Cost Other Nothing, don'tknow

*Among parents and students who do not like how time after school is spent “a lot” (N=174).

Lack of High-Quality Activities

Middle school students:Middle school students:

““I support after-school programs I support after-school programs completely, because you talk to completely, because you talk to your friends, and nobody wants your friends, and nobody wants to go home after school. to go home after school. Nobody.”Nobody.”

““I don’t like going home after I don’t like going home after schoolschool.”.”

““Me neither.”Me neither.”

““I just go because I have to. If I I just go because I have to. If I had somewhere else to go, I had somewhere else to go, I would go somewhere else.”would go somewhere else.”

Barriers to Participation in OST Activities

Students’ safetyStudents’ safetyThe quality of programs and activity leaders, The quality of programs and activity leaders, including the extent to which programs offer including the extent to which programs offer challenging, rewarding activities and are challenging, rewarding activities and are appropriately supervisedappropriately supervisedPossible adverse influences from other Possible adverse influences from other participantsparticipantsThe cost of participationThe cost of participationTransportation to activitiesTransportation to activities

How Much of a Problem is Having Other Kids in the Program Who Have Bad Attitudes, or Seem Threatening?

34.0%

57.2%

10.8%

30.0%

17.9%

42.1%

35.7%24.7%

46.6%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Total Parents Students

A big problem A small problem Not a problem

Safety Concerns: Parents

RespondentRespondent: : “My daughters, they are “My daughters, they are not allowed to go nowhere anyway, not allowed to go nowhere anyway, that’s just the way it is. . . . Sorry, they that’s just the way it is. . . . Sorry, they ain’t going nowhere. . . . ‘You’re not ain’t going nowhere. . . . ‘You’re not going nowhere. You stay home until I going nowhere. You stay home until I get home from work,’ that’s just the get home from work,’ that’s just the rule now. Basically, I know what they rule now. Basically, I know what they are doing because they are home.”are doing because they are home.”ModeratorModerator: : “Are you worried about “Are you worried about what your kids are doing after school?”what your kids are doing after school?”RespondentRespondent: : “Not too much. For the “Not too much. For the most part, they are always in the house. most part, they are always in the house. There are not a lot of after-school There are not a lot of after-school programs at the school they go to. programs at the school they go to. There’s a lot of money invested in the There’s a lot of money invested in the computer and a lot of money on the computer and a lot of money on the shelf in Play Station. But if that’s what shelf in Play Station. But if that’s what it takes to keep them in…”it takes to keep them in…”

Safety Concerns: Students

RespondentRespondent: : “[I would go to an after-“[I would go to an after-school program] if I know other people school program] if I know other people who are there. . . . ‘Cause you don’t who are there. . . . ‘Cause you don’t want to be hanging around there by want to be hanging around there by yourself like that.”yourself like that.”ModeratorModerator: : “What about if there “What about if there were other kids there, but you just were other kids there, but you just didn’t know them?”didn’t know them?”RespondentRespondent: : “The problem is there’s “The problem is there’s a lot of haters.”a lot of haters.”ModeratorModerator: : “Haters?” “Haters?”RespondentRespondent: : “There’s too much stuff “There’s too much stuff going on.”going on.” RespondentRespondent: : “Too much stuff. If I “Too much stuff. If I were to make like some beautiful stuff were to make like some beautiful stuff like that [through an after-school like that [through an after-school program], out on the street, I would program], out on the street, I would take no junk from nobody.”take no junk from nobody.”

Quality of Programs and Activity Leaders

Parent:Parent:““One year, this was a couple years ago, One year, this was a couple years ago, I tried to take them to an after school I tried to take them to an after school program. I said, ‘I’m going to give it a program. I said, ‘I’m going to give it a shot to see how it is.’ They went in shot to see how it is.’ They went in there, I kept them there for three weeks. there, I kept them there for three weeks. It was out of control, the kids were not It was out of control, the kids were not being watched. . . . My kids were getting being watched. . . . My kids were getting beat up. They were getting pushed in beat up. They were getting pushed in the bathrooms, punched, and all this the bathrooms, punched, and all this stuff. I was like, what is going on? And stuff. I was like, what is going on? And the people who are supposed to be the people who are supposed to be watching the kids, they not watching watching the kids, they not watching them. It was like, you go and leave the them. It was like, you go and leave the kids in there, and they go and chat and kids in there, and they go and chat and drink the coffee. The kids can kill each drink the coffee. The kids can kill each other there, they don’t care. . . . I felt I other there, they don’t care. . . . I felt I was just putting my kids in a dangerous was just putting my kids in a dangerous situation. . . . I was like putting them in situation. . . . I was like putting them in the lion’s den, and they were just the lion’s den, and they were just attacking them, you know. That’s how I attacking them, you know. That’s how I felt.”felt.”

Adverse Influences

ParentParent::““I’m not going to let my child into I’m not going to let my child into the after-school program when you the after-school program when you have all these different types of have all these different types of people, kids, children, who are people, kids, children, who are coming there and it’s not coming there and it’s not supervised. We don’t know what supervised. We don’t know what the moral content is with all the the moral content is with all the children. My kids go down to the children. My kids go down to the bus stop, and they are swearing—bus stop, and they are swearing—these are little kids! . . . There’s these are little kids! . . . There’s the price you are going to pay for the price you are going to pay for your child to be in an after-school your child to be in an after-school program: that [it] is just going to program: that [it] is just going to tear [down] everything that you tear [down] everything that you are trying to build up in them. It’s are trying to build up in them. It’s not worth it.”not worth it.”

How Much of a Problem is Transportation or Not Having a Good Way to Get to Activities?

26.8% 32.7%20.9%

28.9%25.8%

31.9%

43.2% 40.4% 46.0%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Total Parents Students

A big problem A small problem Not a problem

Interest in Specific Types of Organized Activities: Parents

83.1% 82.7% 79.9% 77.6% 76.9%

67.9% 67.3% 65.3%

48.9%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Arts andculture

Science andtechnology

Homeworkassistance

Sports Field trips Communityservice

Careerexploration

Talk aboutimportant

issues

Counseling

Interest in Specific Types of Organized Activities: Students

76.1% 74.0%65.9%

54.3%47.9%

42.4%35.4% 32.1% 30.2%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Field trips Sports Arts andculture

Science andtechnology

Homeworkassistance

Careerexploration

Communityservice

Talk aboutimportant

issues

Counseling

Interest in Specific Arts and Culture Activities: Parents*

21.9% 18.4% 16.5%5.8% 4.9%8.9%

12.4%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Art Dance Music Writing,poetry

Photography Theater Video, radioproduction

*Among parents interested in any arts or culture programs (N=193).

Interest in Specific Arts and Culture Activities: Students*

27.0%21.6%

15.4%

4.8% 3.3%

15.3%11.3%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Dance Music Video, radioproduction

Art Photography Theater Writing,poetry

*Among students interested in any arts or culture programs (N=178).

Preferences for OST Program Structure

73.2%

19.1%

40.4%

54.7%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Single locationoffering many

activities

Activities offeredthrough multiple

locations

Parents Students

Ideal Program Location

41.4

%

22.5

%

17.8

%

11.9

%

1.3%

29.6

%

11.8

%

33.3

%

3.1%

21.3

%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Near home At school Near school DowntownProvidence

Elsewhere in thecity

Parents Students

Preferences Relating to Days and Times

8.2%

39.6

%

47.4

%

11.6

%

16.6

%

69.9

%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Weekdays Both weekendsand weekdays

Weekends

Parents Students

Preferences for OST Times on Weekdays

11.2

%

20.5

%

62.6

%

6.9

%

27.1

%

62.9

%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Right after school(2:30 or 3:00)

Late afternoon(4:00 or 5:00)

Early evening(6:00 or 7:00)

Parents Students

Preferences Relating to Activity Variety

3.9%

91.1%

11.4%

85.9%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Choose from a varietyof activities

Same activity everyday

Parents Students

Preferences Relating to High School or College Student Activity Leaders

15.9

%

12.1

%

68.2

%

25.3

%

13.1

%

61.7

%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

More interested Less interested Makes nodifference

Parents Students

Likely Attendance of OST Activities: Average Number of Days

2.6

2.9

3.2

3.2

3.1

2.9

3.3

3.1

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.1

3.0

0 1 2 3 4 5

Mixed-otherethnic group

Asian

White

Hispanic

African-American

Female students

Male students

Eighth-graders

Seventh-graders

Sixth-graders

Parents

Students

Total

Number of school days per weekNumber of school days per week

Likely Attendance of Parent Night: Parents

0.7%

11.5%

8.2%

8.2%

68.3%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Never

One to twotimes per year

Between threeand six times a

year

More than sixtimes a year

Every month

Community Building

ParentParent::

““It is hard to meet the parents, It is hard to meet the parents, beyond the closest friends of my beyond the closest friends of my son and my daughter. But if we son and my daughter. But if we could—if parents of each class could—if parents of each class could have some sort of a program could have some sort of a program where they could meet, vent their where they could meet, vent their problems, and then assist each problems, and then assist each other, you know—if [her] daughter other, you know—if [her] daughter is having a problem, and I happen is having a problem, and I happen to know my son is in the same class to know my son is in the same class as her, and I know the problems as her, and I know the problems that she’s willing to trust to tell me, that she’s willing to trust to tell me, then probably I could be of some then probably I could be of some sort of resource for her.”sort of resource for her.”

Reactions to Program Prices*

20.2%35.3%

37.0%

33.2%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

$10 a day $5 a day

Very likely Somewhat likely

*Among parents (N=200).

Sources of Information About OST Activities*

61.9% 59.5%

21.4%15.9% 13.5% 12.8% 12.7%

7.0% 6.7% 3.1% 3.1%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Flyers, direct mail

Noticesfrom school

Televisionads

Internet Newspaperads

Articles inlocal

newspaper

Radio ads Communitycenter

Callparentsdirectly

Church Word ofmouth from

friends

*Among parents (N=200).