Voluntary participation and parents' reasons for enrollment in after-school programs: Contributions of race/ethnicity, program quality, and program policies

Using data from the state evaluation of Michigan 21^st Century Community Learning Centers, this study employed multilevel modeling to examine racial/ ethnic and programmatic factors relevant to two aspects of after-school program participation: youths' voluntary participation and parents' reasons for enrollment. The samples consisted of 2,256 fourth- to twelfth-grade youth from 117 programs and 1,849 parents of kindergarten to twelfth-grade participants from 99 programs. Middle Eastern youth reported the lowest voluntary participation rates, while their parents were most likely to enroll them for academics. African- American parents were more concerned about enrolling for academics and childcare than were white parents. After controlling for program quality, the proportion of same-race peers, programs' cultural responsiveness, and attendance policies were also factors in participation.