Missouri parents need after-school programs. Kansas City has a model | Opinion

After-school programs are a lifeline for children and families, but there aren’t nearly enough in our community or our state — and that’s harming students, families, businesses and Missouri’s economy.

I’ve been serving students and families across the Kansas City metropolitan area for more than six years as CEO of Camp Fire Heartland. We provide quality before and after-school programming to more than 700 kindergarten through eighth grade students, from the time they get out of school until 6 p.m. every weekday. That allows parents to work without the worry that their kids are unsupervised or engaging in risking behaviors. And it means our young people get homework help, a snack, a hot dinner, and the chance to learn while playing games, engaging in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities, going outdoors and much more — all under the supervision of caring adults.

Just as I see up close how after-school programs help students thrive and boost working families, I also see how families struggle without them. And a new study from the Afterschool Alliance is a jarring wake-up call about how many Missouri families are missing out. Based on a survey that included in-depth interviews with 1,292 parents of school-age children in Missouri, the study finds that the parents of 474,869 Missouri children want after-school programs, but just 92,251 Missouri children are enrolled. It is alarming that more than 380,000 Missouri children whose parents want them to be in after-school programs are not.

Put another way, 4 in 5 Missouri parents who want after-school programs for their children are unable to enroll them. That’s a catastrophe in slow motion. When there are no after-school programs, parents face impossible choices between caring for their children or earning a paycheck. More kids are unsupervised in the afternoons, on screens and getting into trouble — without the educational, engaging activities that can help them find their spark and succeed in school. Parents can’t work. Businesses can’t find the employees they need. More families live on the edge financially.

Local funders and legislators have done a wonderful job supporting early education child care. New Missouri legislation allows for a tri-share payment model to make child care more affordable for families. Here in Kansas City, Mayor Quinton Lucas and the City Council have worked to address the child care issue by passing an ordinance piloting a child care tri-share program for our local first responders. However, the Missouri statewide program allows the funding to be used for children only 5 and under during the school year. We still have a gap for families of school-age children.

Funding after-school programs is a good investment. Research spanning several states shows that every $1 invested in these endeavors saves at least $3 by improving students’ performance at school, reducing crime and juvenile delinquency, and increasing their earning potential when they become adults. Parents know that too. The Afterschool Alliance’s study finds that 4 in 5 Missouri parents with a child in an after-school program rate it as excellent or very good, and large majorities of our state’s parents agree these programs keep kids safe and out of trouble, engage them in real life off screens, build their social skills and responsible decision-making, and help parents keep their jobs and boost their productivity at work.

Beyond what we can do locally, support is now critical for increasing federal dollars for 21st Century Community Learning Centers — the chief federal funding stream for after school and summer learning programs — in the 2026 budget Congress is considering.

Every child deserves access to a quality after-school program, but we’re far from reaching that goal. Now is the time for our local funders and state legislators to include school-age children’s after-school programs as a priority to keep our communities and children safe, and our parents working.

Erin Balleine is founding president and CEO of Camp Fire Heartland, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving the Kansas City area through after-school care, summer camps and family engagement opportunities.