The Future of Children, Princeton - Brookings: Providing research and analysis to promote effective policies and programs for children.

The transformation of American childhood coincides with an escalating concern on the part of adults about children's development, especially that of children ages 5 to 14. A national poll taken in 1996 by Public Agenda found that a majority of Americans believe youths are failing to learn moral values; public schools are not providing a high-quality, safe education; and today's children are exposed to negative influences (such as crime, gangs, drugs) at higher rates than previous generations.²⁹ When asked to explain these problems, nearly one-half of the adults who responded to the survey report that it is "very common" for teens to get into trouble because they have too much free time. Indeed, statistics collected by police and other authorities indicate that risky behaviors such as sexual activity, alcohol and drug use, and juvenile crime increase significantly from 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M.³⁰

Concern about children's use of free time raises new policy issues for a society that has long considered school to be the primary program that youngsters require. More of America's youngsters (ages 5 to 19) are enrolled in school now than ever before. School enrollment rates among that age group have risen from 51% at the turn of the century to 93% in 1990.³¹ Moreover, the number of days of school attended by the average student nearly doubled from 99 days per year in 1900 to 161 days per year in 1980, the last year for which such statistics are published.³² Even so, a great deal of free time remains for today's young people, who are less likely to be burdened with work or household chores than were children early in the century. Children attend school only six hours a day, five days a week, for approximately 180 days a year.³³ School is closed for one reason or another (teacher planning days, vacations, holidays, or weekends) fully 185 days each year. A recent national survey found that, in a given week, 12-year-olds averaged between 5 and 6 hours studying or reading for pleasure, compared with 15 hours spent watching television.³⁴ Not surprisingly, more time spent reading is associated with higher test scores, while more time watching television is accompanied by modestly lower scores. Against this backdrop, education experts argue that more of children's time should be devoted to learning.³³

The challenge of managing children's out-of-school time is also a practical concern for parents, as a number of recent surveys and polls have indicated. For instance, 72% of the parents in a national poll taken in 1996 commented that they would like schools to be kept open longer for classes, supervised homework, or extracurricular activities.³⁵ A 1995 poll of 600 parents in Minneapolis highlighted their desire to have more safe and stimulating places for young people to go when they are not in school, where they can engage in meaningful activities and where they can spend time with caring adults.³⁶ Parents and youths in Minneapolis noted that children's participation in out-of-school programs is limited by barriers, such as transportation problems, lack of time, poor quality and choice of programs, and unaffordable fees. Two 1998 surveys, one of more than 1,000 California adults³⁷ and one of a national sample of 800 voters,³⁸ found that close to 80% of those surveyed said they were willing to pay more taxes to support after-school mentoring, educational, and prevention programs for youths. This willingness reflects the wide-spread belief on the part of the public that after-school programs and activities may be an effective way to help young people stay on the right track.²⁹