Rural communities are diverse areas united by common strengths and struggles. With the support of John Deere, an America After 3PM report, The Growing Importance of Afterschool in Rural Communities, delved into the state of afterschool in rural areas. This special report specifically looked at how the areas' oft-underserved children spend their afterschool hours and how afterschool programs are helping them thrive.

New research from the 2014 edition of "America After 3PM," the most comprehensive household survey of how students in America spend their afterschool hours, shows that summer learning programs are strongly supported by parents and that participation in summer learning programs is on the rise.