Study Says Parents Simply Want More Time to Spend with Children
Parents want community connections, but unsure how to find them
(Minneapolis, MN, November 15, 2004)—Simply being able to spend more time with their children would help African-American and Hispanic parents “a lot” with their parenting, according to Building Strong Families 2004, a national study conducted by YMCA of the USA and Search Institute.
Building Strong Families 2004 surveyed African-American and Latino parents by phone and in focus groups and learned that—though they feel they are doing a good job raising their children—challenges such as job loss, negative societal values, and difficulty making connections with others in their community, make it more problematic. Job loss in the community was cited as a top concern among 48 percent of African-American parents and 47 percent of Latino parents. Half of these parents said it’s challenging being a parent today, especially raising teens.
But none of these challenges were named as often as the challenge of having too little time to spend as a family. Seventy percent of African-American and 84 percent of Latino parents say spending more time with their kids would help them more than anything else they identified.
The study is being released in observance of National Family Week, Nov. 21–27, to affirm parents for their efforts, recognize the challenges they face, and connect families to the many programs local YMCAs provide to meet those challenges.
In fact, parents who receive support from community organizations like the YMCAs report positive experiences for their children, saying the programs enabled their children to engage with other kids, provided positive influence and offered role models. Unfortunately, many parents never make these connections. Among African American and Latino parents with children ages 11–17, only 24 percent report receiving support from community service organizations. The number is lower among African American and Latino parents with younger children, with only 19 percent of parents of 6- to 10-year-olds and 13 percent of parents of children 5 years old and younger receiving support.
“Building Strong Families 2004 gives us unprecedented insight into the changing needs of today’s parents and children, and how youth-serving organizations like the Ys can meet those needs,” said Kenneth L. Gladish, Ph.D., national executive director, YMCA of the USA. “Our programs help families in a number of ways, whether improving their health through exercise or providing support in a crisis. But one of the most basic, yet important things we do is helping families spend time together. One of our challenges is to convince time-strapped parents that participating in Y programs can result in stronger family and community relationships—something we all value.”
YMCAs across the country celebrate the diversity of America’s families and tailor programs to address a variety of needs. For example:
- In Visalia, Calif., the Y offers a program for non-custodial parents and their children to be together in a neutral and secure environment.
- In Milwaukee at the Schroeder YMCA, parents and children work out together at Family Fitness Nights.
- The Y in North Attleboro, Mass., offers a nutritious dinner, a craft project and games twice a week to help families find time to connect.
Often these programs provide important support for many parents, outside their immediate families. Twenty-nine percent of the African American and Latino respondents reported no parenting support from any other source or partner—not even extended family. Overall, nearly 60 percent of the parents surveyed have only one source of support other than their partner.
When parents do reach out for help, they seek it from friends and families, religious institutions and the government, rather than community service organizations, according to the Building Strong Families study. When facing financial challenges, only 7 percent of African American parents, 9 percent of Latino/Latina parents and 6 percent of Caucasian parents turn to community service organizations.
Parents offered a variety of reasons why they don’t use community service organizations: they don’t belong to the organization, they’re unaware of programs in their neighborhood, or they think their children are too young for the programs offered.
“Growing strong kids is a high priority for parents, and the Y can be a good partner and resource for parents,” said Gladish. “The Building Strong Families study shows that more than 7 out of 10 parents invest time in teaching their children values and how to deal with conflict, helping their children feel good at something and learning, and seeing that their children follow their expectations. These are all qualities inherent in any Y program.”
These positive behaviors are some of the ways parents can build Developmental Assets, a framework for healthy development created by Search Institute and embraced by the YMCA of the USA. It identifies the positive experiences, relationships, opportunities, and personal qualities that research shows help children and teenagers grow up healthy, caring, and responsible.
The Building Strong Families study was conducted by YMCA of the USA and Search Institute. It was initiated as part of the Abundant Assets Alliance between the YMCA of the USA, YMCA Canada and Search Institute. It builds on a similar study in 2002 that included a survey of more than 1,000 parents in the U.S. The 2002 study did not differentiate among ethnic groups, with the 2004 study focusing in on African-American and Latino parents. The study included national telephone surveys of 685 African American parents, 639 Latino/Latina parents, and, for some questions, 261 Caucasian parents, and focus groups with parents in New York City and Chicago.
“We know there are essential experiences that all young people need to grow up healthy, caring and responsible,” said Peter Benson, president of Search Institute. “By understanding the obstacles families face, YMCAs, and every organization that serves families, can find ways to help.”
YMCA of the USA is the national resource office for the nation’s 2,575 YMCAs, collectively the nation’s largest community service organization and largest providers of child care. YMCAs serve some 19 million people, including 9 million children through a broad range of programs. YMCAs are for people of all faiths, races, ages, abilities and incomes. Financial assistance is available. To learn more visit www.ymca.net.
Search Institute of Minneapolis is a national nonprofit organization that provides leadership, knowledge and resources to promote healthy children, youth and communities. It has been studying the development of healthy children, youth and families for more than 45 years and has developed the renowned research-based framework of 40 “Developmental Assets™” that children and adolescents need to thrive. Visit www.search-institute.org.
YMCA of the USA and Search Institute, along with YMCA Canada, collaborate in the Abundant Assets Alliance that seeks to strengthen the capacity of YMCAs and the communities they serve to provide young people with the support and experiences they need to become health, caring and competent adults. Visit also www.abundantassets.org.
