Voluntary Participation and Parents' Reasons for Enrollment in After-School Programs: Contributions of Race/Ethnicity, Program Quality, and Program Policies

Using data from the state evaluation of Michigan 21st Century Community Learning Centers, this study employed multilevel modeling to examine racial/ethnic and programmatic factors relevant to two aspects of after-school program participation: youths voluntary participation and parents reasons for enrollment. The samples consisted of 2,256 fourth- to twelfth-grade youth from 117 programs and 1,849 parents of kindergarten to twelfth-grade participants from 99 programs. Middle Eastern youth reported the lowest voluntary participation rates, while their parents were most likely to enroll them for academics. African-American parents were more concerned about enrolling for academics and childcare than were white parents. After controlling for program quality, the proportion of same-race peers, programs cultural responsiveness, and attendance policies were also factors in participation.