🚸 Report: Afterschool benefits kids for life
Report: The findings are clear: kids who participate in afterschool are stronger learners, earners, and leaders.
By Maria Rizo
Posted: Mar 11, 2025
“Organized Afterschool Activities as a Developmental Context for Children and Adolescents,” a longitudinal study led by Dr. Deborah Vandell of the University of California, Irvine, finds that participating in afterschool programs benefits kids for life.
This study follows a large sample of young people over 26 years to understand how various environments—including families, early education, schools, neighborhoods, and afterschool programs—affect educational, health, and career outcomes. The new data shows, for the first time, outcomes for young adults, and affirms that benefits endure into adulthood. The findings are clear: kids who participate in afterschool are stronger learners, earners, and leaders.
As adults, those who participated in afterschool programs were more likely to graduate and pursue higher education, earned higher incomes and secured better jobs, and were more likely to be engaged in their communities. .
The data complements decades of research documenting the positive impact of afterschool participation at the elementary, middle school and high school ages.
To learn more about Dr. Vandell’s study and the long-term impact of afterschool on young people, explore the Afterschool Outcomes Research Library.
