Parental and community level correlates of participation in out-of-school activities among children living in low income neighborhoods ☆ Claudia Coulton ⁎, Molly Irwin Center on Urban Poverty and Social Change, Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland OH 44106, United States abstract article info Available online xxxx Keywords: Neighborhoods Out-of-school time Hierarchical linear models Participation in organized activities outside of school can prevent poor outcomes in at-risk children and youth. In low income neighborhoods, though, there may be barriers to involving children and youth in these activities. This study examined the degree to which parental community involvement and neighborhood safety and disadvantage affected participation in out-of-school activities. Using data from probability samples drawn in 128 low income census tracts in 10 cities that were part of Annie E. Casey Foundation's Making Connections Initiative, hierarchical generalized linear models (HGLM) were estimated. Results show that children whose parents were involved in community volunteering and action were more likely to participate in out-of-school activities. Neighborhood safety ratings also had a positive effect on participation. Cross-level interactions showed that unsafe conditions were less of a barrier if parents volunteered in the community and that participation among African Americans and Hispanics was less inhibited by unsafe conditions than was participation for Whites and other ethnic groups. The implications are that out-of-school programs will have better attendance if they are part of a context in which adults involve themselves in the community and that programs should include provisions for keeping children safe in neighborhoods where safety is perceived as problematic. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Participation in organized activities outside of school can improve developmental outcomes among at-risk children and youth. Among other things, out-of-school activities foster children's relations with peers and adults, add to their knowledge and skills, and provide supervision for children when school is not in session (Bartko, 2005). Moreover, involvement in such activities may contribute to the formation of social and cultural capital for the family and community as social network connections are established. However, the degree to which out-of-school activities can have these positive effects depends on enough children taking part with sufficient regularity so that they and their communities can benefit(Borden, Perkins, Villarruel, & Stone, 2005). Indeed, a number of concerns have been raised about low levels of participation in programs that have been targeted to at- risk children (Lauver, Little, & Weiss, 2004). Especially in low income communities, there may be barriers to engaging at-risk children and youth in out-of-school programs at the requisite levels. Attraction into organized out-of-school activities may be influ- enced by whether parents and children generally feel comfortable involving themselves in the community in which they live. Whereas school attendance is required, participation in organized activities out-of-school is voluntary and typically requires that parents or children make some effort to seek out, enroll in, or otherwise engage with formal or informal networks or organizations. Parents that are socially connected within their communities may be more aware of community activities and may have developed greater trust in local organizations and groups than families that are socially isolated. The degree to which the neighborhood is viewed as a safe and orderly place may also affect attendance in out-of-school activities because individuals usually must leave their homes and walk, bike, or travel on public transit or a private automobile within or through their neighborhood. This is not to say that all out-of-school activities occur within the so called neighborhood, but unsafe conditions within the space surrounding the residence may discourage participation in any activities outside the home or make it more difficult to travel even if the activities are in another neighborhood. Although a number of studies have demonstrated that distressed neighborhoods can have a negative effect on children's health and academic achievement (Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2000; Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2004), little is known about how conditions in these neighborhoods may hinder participation in out-of-school activities. Nevertheless, correlations have been established between academic success and time spent in out-of-school activities (Eccles, Barber, Stone, & Hunt, 2003; Mahoney, 2000), suggesting that neighborhood factors affecting participation in out-of-school activities may have Children and Youth Services Review xxx (2008) xxx–xxx ☆ This analysis was carried out with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation as part of their Making Connections Initiative. ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: claudia.coulton@case.edu (C. Coulton). CYSR-01015; No of Pages 9 0190-7409/$ – see front matter © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.08.003 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Children and Youth Services Review journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth ARTICLE IN PRESS Please cite this article as: Coulton, C., & Irwin, M., Parental and community level correlates of participation in out-of-school activities among children living in low income neighborh...., Children and Youth Services Review (2008), doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2008.08.003