But as a new study from the Cato Institute shows, this is hardly a problem that demands federal attention. Only 2 percent of American children in the critical ages of 5 through 12 are left unsupervised after school, and those who are spend no more than six hours a week alone, writes Cato Director of Education and Child Policy Darcy Olsen. What's more, the average enrollment at existing afterschool programs stands at just 59 percent of capacity, with low-income Americans relying on such programs at about the same rate as other families. The federal government already has more than 100 grant and loan programs for underused afterschool care, administered through seven federal departments or agencies, Olsen says. In fact, increased state and federal spending on afterschool programs has lifted the proportion of schools with extended-day programs from 13 percent in 1988 to 63 percent by 1998.
Proponents claim that, if nothing else, afterschool programs can help boost academic achievement.
But, according to Olsen, the research on that question is at best divided. Nor are afterschool programs proven to be effective at curbing juvenile crime. Part of the problem, Olsen says, is that those adolescents most likely to commit crimes are least likely to attend afterschool programs. Olsen agrees with Vice President Gore that many parents would benefit from flexible educational arrangements that provide supervision for children during afterschool hours.