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SALT LAKE CITY -- Nine percent of Utah children now participate in something after school; that's up from 5 percent five years ago. The director of the National Afterschool Alliance, Jodi Grant, says 86 percent of Utah parents are satisfied with the programs.
She says, "I think that's because afterschool programs are getting better and better. There's more emphasis not just on having fun, but on having a creative learning experience."
But Grant says there's still work to be done. Nineteen percent of Utah children are in the care of a sibling after school; 28 percent are unsupervised.
She says, "That's higher than the national average."
Grant says they are not advocating for every child to be in an afterschool program, they just want the programs to be better, more affordable and more available to kids who may need them the most.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
