The Positive Changes Youth Experience When We Invest in Afterschool and Summer Learning Programs

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A mountain of evidence demonstrates how afterschool and summer learning programs funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program contribute to youth development. The program has had not only positive effects on students’ academic success and attendance but also has helped them feel more connected and supported, which in turn can support learning. Further, afterschool programs can serve as an entry point for other community-based social services, supports, and resources, acting as a powerful lever for community development and renewal.

Since 1998, the 21st CCLC program has provided students with access to tutoring and homework guidance, learning support in core subjects like reading and math, and other activities, including arts, music, technology education, and skill-building. The program aims to help young people develop an array of important skills that can lead to success in school, as well as the future job market.

While federal funding for the program was temporarily frozen in summer 2025, states now have access to such funds. States can use these funds in several different ways, including for academic supports and enrichment opportunities for students and helping adult family members be better equipped to support their child’s learning and development. 
 

Effects on Academic Success, Attendance, and More

Since 2011, AIR has completed a series of studies in several states to better understand how youth participation in 21st CCLC affects academic success, school attendance, and disciplinary incidents. Across Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, and Washington, study findings revealed encouraging results for students participating in the programs, including:

• Higher attendance: Youth participating in 21st CCLC programs had 5% to 70% fewer absences compared with similar students who didn’t participate in such programming. This outcome is notable given that many schools continue to experience high rates of chronic absenteeism.
• Lower disciplinary incidents: Students participating in 21st CCLC programming at higher levels (approximately 120 hours or more of participation in a programming period) had 2% to 73% fewer disciplinary incidents compared with students not participating in the programming.
• Stronger performance in math: While the positive effects on state assessments in mathematics are small, they are meaningful and consistent with expectations, given that students spend less time in these programs relative to the school-day. In Texas, attendance at 21st CCLC activities that had math as a focus area resulted in improved student achievement. Positive and significant effects on reading and English Language Arts outcomes are less common. Most analyses, however, examined students in Grades 4 to 8. More research is needed to examine how these programs support reading development in earlier grades.

Although AIR’s study findings constitute average program effects and do not take into consideration sustained participation in 21st CCLC programming several years or the level of program quality, other studies have demonstrated more substantive effects when taking these factors into account. A 2024 study presented by Deborah Vandell at a meeting of the Mott Afterschool State Networks, for example, found that both higher quality afterschool and summer programs and sustained participation in programming over time were associated with positive outcomes related to school attendance, grades, test scores, and educational attainment. 
 

Effects on Student Well-Being

Beyond contributing to academic success, research shows that 21st CCLC programs can lead to other benefits for young people, such as: 

• Positive mindsets, self-confidence, and self-efficacy. Having a sense of agency enables youth to use their emerging cognitive skills, such as higher order reasoning and greater executive control of their own thought processes, to more effectively solve problems and take the steps needed to achieve their goals.
• New opportunities and new interests, such as in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or civics. New and sustained interests are essential to youth development and have been linked to numerous motivational elements related to learning, including goal-directed behavior, self-efficacy, and self-regulation.
• A sense of belonging, particularly by developing through positive and supportive relationships with activity leaders and peers in the program. Youth who have positive relationships and meaningful friendships demonstrate better emotional well-being, prosocial behaviors, and better academic performance when compared to youth who lack such relationships.

These programs are formative experiences that contribute to students’ future success. For specific groups of young people—those who may not have access to such support otherwise, those who live in communities that experience high rates of poverty, or those who attend lower-performing schools—these programs can be invaluable. They offer young people access to key supports and opportunities that are critical to positive child and youth development and help influence the life trajectory of young people in ways that support a successful transition to thriving and productive adulthood.