High-Risk Families Limit Participation in Out-of-School Activities

"As research mounts, it seems certain that participation in an out-of-school program is related to better outcomes for children. Nevertheless, research to date has examined family and neighborhood risks as if they operate separately. So, Child Trends conducted a study that combines the two by analyzing data for children ages 6 to 17 from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health. The study finds that the vast majority of children in low-risk families are involved in at least one activity with only 9 percent of children in low-risk neighborhoods not involved, compared with 10 percent in medium-risk and 18 percent in high-risk neighborhoods. By contrast, neighborhood quality does not seem to matter to children from high-risk families: nearly half are not involved in any activity regardless of neighborhood risk level. These findings suggest that active recruitment of children in high-risk families may be necessary if these children are to become involved in out-of-school activities."