Participation in Out-of-School Time Activities and Programs

Children and youth who participate in out-of-school-time (OST) programming are more likely than their non-participating peers to do well in school, get sufficient physical exercise, and avoid involvement in risky behaviors. However, there are concerns that there are inequities in access to OST programs, particularly for those from lower-income families. For this research brief, Child Trends drew on parent-reported data from the National Survey of American Families (NSAF), collected in 1997, 1999, and 2002, and data from the National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) collected in 2003, 2007 and 2011/12. We examined the rates of participation in OST activities by children 6 to 11 and 12 to 17 years of age, over time, within and across states, and across family income levels.