Washington, D.C. – Too many Wisconsin parents who want their children in a structured summer program are unable to enroll them, according to a household survey released today. The Summer Struggle for Wisconsin Families finds that while 177,091 Wisconsin children are enrolled, another 177,088 are not able to get into a summer program. The barriers pushing programs out of reach for Wisconsin families are cost, cited by 27% of survey respondents; program location or transportation challenges, cited by 21%; and programs being unavailable, cited by 7%.  

An overwhelming majority of Wisconsin parents who have been able to enroll their children in a summer program give them high marks, with 95% reporting satisfaction with the program their child attends. And a large majority of parents in the state (86%) support public funding for summer programs, including 93% of Democrats, 87% of Independents, and 77% of Republicans.   

A structured summer program is defined in The Summer Struggle as an enrichment or sports program, summer camp or school, or a job or internship. It is part of the America After 3PM series of household surveys, conducted by Edge Research for the Afterschool Alliance. The new survey includes 30,515 U.S. parents of school-age children who live in their households, including 553 in Wisconsin. Parents here say the factors they look for most in summer programs are a safe environment, time for fun and educational activities and less screen time, and knowledgeable and caring staff.  

“In Wisconsin and across the country, summer programs give children a safe place to go, provide alternatives to screen time, keep them physically active, reduce isolation, support learning, and give working parents peace of mind that their children are safe and constructively engaged while they are at work,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “But finding summer programs they can afford is a real struggle for many Wisconsin families. Every child deserves access to a quality summer program but sadly, we are far from reaching that goal. We need greater support from federal, state, and local governments, philanthropy, and businesses to change that.” 

“The Summer Struggle for Wisconsin Families is a sobering reminder that too many working families scramble to find summer programs for their children,” said Randy Neve, Manager of the Wisconsin Out of School Time Alliance. “It shouldn’t be this difficult for families to access summer programs that will help their children engage, be active, and learn over the summer. We will work with local and state lawmakers and all our community partners to tackle this problem. Every Wisconsin family deserves summer options they can afford.”  

Nationally, the new study finds that the parents of 24.6 million U.S. children want a structured summer experience for their child but just 12 million of those children (49%) are enrolled.  

Findings from all 50 states are here.  

In most respects, Wisconsin results mirror national findings, which include: 

Affordability is the most common barrier faced by families unable to enroll their child. 

  • 38% of these families cite cost as a factor contributing to their inability to enroll their child in a summer program. 
  • 18% cite program’s location or transportation as a reason.
  • 13% report having difficulty finding a program, say summer programs are not available in their community, or the program’s hours do not meet their needs.
  • 10% say programs had no open slots. 

Parents with a child enrolled give summer programs high marks.

  • 96% of these parents report being satisfied with the summer program their child attends, with 63% reporting extreme satisfaction. 
  • Half of parents with a child in a summer program (50%) say they are extremely confident their child will be well prepared for the coming school year, compared to 43% of parents whose child is not in a summer program. 

Parents’ support for public funding for summer programs is strong and growing.

  • Nine in ten parents (89%) favor public funding for summer learning opportunities, up from 83% in 2009, 85% in 2014, and 88% in 2020. 
  • In the current study, 94% of Democrats, 89% of Independents, and 87% of Republican parents support public funding.
  • 93% of parents in urban communities, 89% of those in suburban communities, and 87% of parents in rural communities support public funding. 

Across demographic lines, parents want summer opportunities for all children.

  • 87% of parents agree that all young people deserve access to quality afterschool and summer programs.
  • 92% of parents who are Democrats and 85% of those who are Independents or Republicans agree.
  • 88% of parents in suburban and urban communities, and 85% of those in rural communities agree. Support is overwhelming in every region of the country.
  • At least 86% of parents of every race/ethnicity agree. 

The national and Wisconsin America After 3PM 2025 summer findings and accompanying data are available at https://aa3pm.co/. This fifth edition of America After 3PM is based on a survey conducted in English and Spanish using a mixed-mode methodology to reach as many households as possible. Data were collected between January 31 and April 21, 2025. The margin of error for the child- and household-level data is +/- < 1 percent. Previous America After 3PM surveys were conducted in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2020. 

The America After 3PM summer findings are based on research funded by The Wallace Foundation.