Press Release
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 – 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
