ATTITUDES TOWARD AFTERZONE

1. ATTITUDES TOWARD AFTERZONE Presented by Dr. Julie Pokela February, 2010

2. Objectives • The objectives of this study were to determine: • Parental involvement in the program. • Use of and satisfaction with AfterZone communications. • Attitudes toward AfterZone. • The perceived impact of AfterZone on student success. • Enrollment, retention, and attendance at AfterZone. • The impact of potential future fees on enrollment.

3. Methodology • Market Street Research conducted a telephone survey of 237 respondents, including: • 100 middle-school students enrolled in the AfterZone program and 16 middle-school students who dropped out of the AfterZone program. • 102 parents of students enrolled in the AfterZone program and 19 parents of students who dropped out of the AfterZone program. • All interviews were conducted from 12/6-21/2009. • Of the 695 potential respondents that were contacted, 237 completed the survey, for a response rate of 34.1%. • The margin of error is ±3.3 to 5.5 percentage points.

4. Days a Week Participates in AfterZone Programs

5. COMMUNICATION WITH PARENTS AND STUDENTS

6. Use of and Satisfaction with AfterZone Registration Form ** Among parents (N=118).

7. Quality of Registration Form

8. How Well AfterZone Staff Communicates with Parents* ** Among parents (N=118).

9. Child Has Own Email Address

10. PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN AFTERZONE

11. Current Perceptions About Involvement in AfterZone ** Among parents (N=118).

12. Awareness of and Attendance at End-of-Session Events ** Among parents (N=118).** Among parents aware of sessions (N=56).

13. ATTITUDES TOWARD AFTERZONE

14. Overall Satisfaction With the AfterZone Programs Participated In

15. Likes Best About AfterZone Programs

16. Likes Best About AfterZone Programs (cont.)

17. Likes Least About AfterZone Programs

18. Restrict AfterZone Attendance as Punishment

19. Ratings of AfterZone on Key Criteria

20. Ratings of AfterZone on Safety

21. Ratings of AfterZone on Homework Criteria

22. Perceptions About AfterZone’s Hands-on Learning Experiences

23. PERCEIVED IMPACT OF AFTERZONE ON STUDENT SUCCESS

24. Impact of AfterZone On:

25. PROGRAM PREFERENCES

26. Importance of Transportation

27. Interest in Attending Parent Informational Sessions Regarding Adolescent Issues* ** Among parents (N=118).

28. Topics Parents Are Most Interested In* ** Among parents who are somewhat or very interested in attending (N=106).

29. BARRIERS TO RETENTION

30. Use of AfterZone Programs Enrolled In

31. Major Reasons Missed or Dropped Out of Some or All of Program* ** Among those who missed some days or dropped out of some or all of the program (N=237).

32. FUTURE ENROLLMENT

33. Likely Eighth Grade Enrollment in AfterZone* ** Among students or parents of students currently in seventh grade (N=77).

34. Likelihood of Enrolling at Three Cost Tiers* ** Among parents (N=118).

35. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

36. Summary • Respondents are satisfied with the communication they receive from AfterZone. • Most parents feel at least somewhat involved in their child’s after-school program and most are highly satisfied with their current level of involvement. • Parents tend to be more highly satisfied, the more involved they feel. • There is room to increase awareness of and interest in AfterZone’s end-of-session events. • Respondents are highly satisfied with the AfterZone programs. • Respondents have a highly positive perception about AfterZone’s hands-on learning experiences.

37. Summary (cont.) • The two biggest areas of perceived weakness are a desire for more engaging, fun program content, and changes to the AfterZone schedule. • There is room to enhance satisfaction with both the amount of time available for homework as well as the helpfulness of program leaders with homework. • Among students who stopped going to some or all programs, the primary reasons were that the programs were not engaging enough or they conflicted with other commitments.

38. Summary (cont.) • Respondents believe AfterZone has a positive impact on student success in every respect, including their: • Relationships with their parents and other kids. • Interest in school. • Confidence and self-esteem. • Physical fitness and health. • Attendance at school. • Overall attitude. • Parents are very interested in attending educational programs dealing with common adolescent issues. • This study finds that most current seventh-graders plan to enroll in AfterZone in eighth grade. • If PASA needs to charge a small fee for enrollment, parents are likely to pay the fee.

39. Summary (cont.) • There are several significant changes since 2006, including: • Respondents are more likely to cite specific strengths, including sports, variety, socialization, supervision, and educational activities. • Respondents are less likely to cite concerns about staff and more likely to express a desire for different program content. • Satisfaction has increased in terms of how fun and interesting the programs are, how safe respondents feel with other kids in the program, and having programs leaders that are good at maintaining discipline and controlling the kids in the program. • Parents feel less involved with their child’s after-school program.

40. Recommendations • Monitor satisfaction with homework component. • Develop strategies for increasing eighth-grade retention. • Develop initiatives to enhance parental involvement.