FULL REPORT - MADE TO PLAY LA NEIGHBORHOOD PARENT ENGAGEMENT REPORT

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION

The value of sports for youth development is well-established, as is the gender equity gap in sports participation and retention, especially for girls of color. Various factors that influence the recruitment and retention of girls have been studied and explored in the youth sports literature, including girls’ own attitudes towards sports, the social influence of peers and families, the role of coaches, and access to female sports role models. Similarly, the unique and important role of parents (and benefits of engaging parents) in improving girls’ experiences and outcomes has also been studied in various contexts ranging from education to after-school programming. The missing piece amongst the existing literature is an ecological perspective of girls’ recruitment and retention in sports; that is, how different types and levels of influence from girls themselves, parents, peers, the broader community, and cultural context impact girls’ decisions to play and continue playing sports. Furthermore, the direct (relationships with girls) and indirect (interaction with and influence on other aforementioned factors) influence of parents has not been explored in conjunction with this ecological framework. In this report, alongside a thorough synthesis of wide-ranging literature on various influences on girls’ sports (the ‘why’ and ‘what’), actionable strategies (the ‘how’) for modifying these influences are provided, with a special focus on parent engagement. In an effort to ensure that our learnings were relevant to and informed by several communities of interest in the greater Los Angeles area, qualitative data was collected through focus groups with sports program leaders and parents/caregivers of girls participating in sports. Finally, the report is structured with an intention to support practitioners by offering actionable strategies, along with practical examples when available, to readily implement on-the ground in youth sports programming. Community insights add further nuance and practicality to said strategies, making them ‘ready-to-use’ in various contexts.

The community perspectives, as noted above, were offered by leaders from various community-based sports programs and parents of sports participants at these programs. All the said programs are located in the Watts and Boyle Heights neighborhoods of Los Angeles, California, and are currently engaged in an initiative to increase their capacity to recruit and retain girls in sports, in partnership with Nike Made to Play (MTP) and the Play Equity Fund (PEF). As such, it is important to note that the community perspectives presented in this report are not nationally representative of other communities across the US. Still, the combination of peer-reviewed literature, reports, and insights from the community yield a rich and contextualized understanding of various factors that influence girls’ participation in sports.

It should be noted that although this report references “parent” engagement, we acknowledge that youth sports program participants may live in non-traditional homes and/or be cared for by other caregivers, grandparents, aunt/uncles, or other family members aside for their biological parents. The references to ‘parents’ in this paper are inclusive of all these types of families and refer broadly to any caregiving adults in the home where a child resides.

OVERVIEW OF DATA SOURCES

Three key sources of information, outlined below, were utilized to identify the key themes in this landscape report.

Literature Review: This report leveraged and synthesized findings from wide-ranging, publicly available literature - peer-reviewed articles and meta-analyses to best practice reports, fact sheets, and guides - about various contexts surrounding girls in sports, sports-based positive youth development, parental involvement and engagement (both sports and non-sports related), and more. Following a comprehensive search and review process, 97 pieces of literature were selected for inclusion in our landscape report.

Community-based Sports Program Perspectives: In partnership with the Nike Made To Play initiative and the Play Equity Fund, leaders from various community-based sports programs serving the Watts and Boyle Heights neighborhoods of Los Angeles (LA), California were engaged in focus group discussions. All 13 programs included in this effort are currently being funded, in part, by MTP and PEF to develop their capacity to recruit and retain girls in their sports programming. A total of 15 leaders (including coaches) from 13 organizations participated in four focus groups discussions about the value, strategies, best practices, and critical sociocultural considerations for family engagement. Program perspectives, when quoted in the report are labeled as ‘sports program staff’.

Parent/Caregiver Perspectives: In partnership with the aforementioned programs, parents (and caregivers) of participating girls were invited to focus group discussions about their perceptions of girls in sports, and the value, strategies, best practices, and critical socio- cultural considerations for family engagement. A total of 26 caregivers (including parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and older siblings) of girls participating in 11 programs across the two LA neighborhoods were engaged through our focus group discussions. Focus groups were hosted by one program in each neighborhood and were conducted in both English and Spanish. Two of the 13 selected programs did not recruit parents or caregivers for our focus groups because they do not have direct connections with families.

Summary of Data Sources 15 26

Positive youth development (PYD) is an approach that focuses on enhancing youth’s strengths and establishing supportive developmental contexts surrounding youth (Larson, 2000; Lerner et al., 2009; Taylor et al., 2017). PYD frameworks are grounded in youth strengths and assets, rather than through a deficit approach. Across systems, PYD can be facilitated through positive relationships, social support, and opportunities for youth to strengthen/broaden their assets and develop in a positive manner within their key environments (i.e., home, school, sports

Because organized activities can provide youth with ample opportunities to experience PYD (Larson, 2000) and sports are the most popular organized activity (Fraser-Thomas et al., 2005), sports programs have become one of the primary settings for PYD (Holt et al., 2016). Indeed, high-quality sports opportunities have been linked to a myriad of physical, mental, and socialFor example, physical benefits include overall improvements in physical strength and endurance, and in the long-term, reduced risk of chronic health conditions (Duncan et al., 2015). Youth who participate in sports have reported lower depression and anxiety, as well as increased feelings of confidence and self-worth (Eime et al., 2013). Sports programs provide youth with opportunities to challenge themselves, learn new skills (such as teamwork), grow through challenging experiences (Super et al., 2018), and build social skills through interacting with peers and coaches. Although the research is somewhat mixed, sports participation has also been associated with better academic development, including better classroom engagement, improved grades and test scores, and higher school attendance rates (Wretman, 2017; Van Boekel et al., 2016). Research even 6 suggests that sports participation improves youth’s overall well-being and life satisfaction (Bruner et al., 2021).

She is not athletic. My daughter is a social butterfly, she loves to communicate. So I just, you know, I have her in it [sports program]. Because as you guys know, [in] public school systems, the physical activity is almost nonexistent. So at least she gets to run around once a week for sure. I know that.”

The research is clear: sports matter in the lives of youth and have been shown to facilitate positive youth development. However, not all youth have equitable access to youth sports; girls, in particular, have inadequate access to high-quality, affordable sports opportunities (Zarrett et al., 2020). A national study conducted by the Women’s Sports Foundation (2020) found that girls were significantly more likely to have never played a sport (43.1% girls vs. 34.5% boys) and were less likely to be currently playing a sport (36.4% girls vs. 45.6% boys) compared to boys. Plus, in this study, girls dropped out of sports significantly more often than boys (30.4% girls vs. 26.1% boys). Additionally, specific to Los Angeles, the group of youth most likely to be inactive is Latinx girls, aged 15-17, living in low-income households (PEF, 2021). Given these disparities, especially for girls of color from historically marginalized communities, understanding factors that influence the recruitment and retention of girls in sports is imperative to closing the play equity gap.

– Parent of Sports Participant

– Parent of Sports Participant

Overall, it is overwhelmingly evident that multiple ecological factors - from coaches to the sport context, to peers, and girls themselves – influence the enrollment, participation, and retention of girls in sports. While still emergent, the study of these factors, and strategies to bolster them for the benefit of girls in sports is also somewhat well-established. However, in this extensive body of work, four important limitations emerge:

LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING RESEARCH SYNTHESES:

01 02 03 04

the role that parents, families, and other caregivers recruitment and retention of girls in sports is less well-understood than other ecological influences, such as coaches or the sport context;

no research synthesis, to date, has summarized multiple ecological factors together in one paper, allowing readers to easily access information about all ecological factors;

there is comparatively less discussion about actionable strategies practitioners can use to influence the recruitment and retention of girls, than there is research about these influences; and,

ecological factors are often presented in isolation preventing the integration of how multiple ecological factors work together (and influence each other) to facilitate the recruitment and retention of girls in sports.

In this report, we attempt to address each of these limitations. First, we summarize an ecological framework that is used to structure our discussion of the factors that influence the recruitment and retention of girls in sports. Second, we synthesize the literature and community perspectives on successful parent engagement strategies and best practices, with a focus on youth of color and girls from historically marginalized communities. Third, the role of other important influences on sports recruitment and retention is presented, along with a discussion of how parents (and other caregivers in the home) influence each of these existing ecological factors. Throughout each section, recommendations for actionable strategies are presented to equip the field with practical ways to use the research to benefit girls in sports, particularly girls

Present a framework for influences on recruitment + retention of girls in sports

Synthesize research & community perspectives about parent engagement

• Identify action strategies for parent engagement

Summarize research & community perspectives about other influences on sports participation

• Identify action strategies for recruitment + retention

UNDERSTANDING ECOLOGICAL INFLUENCES ON YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN SPORTS

Positive youth development does not magically take place without internal and external influences that surround each individual child/adolescent. Ecological models of development provide a framework for understanding the important contexts that influence youth development in sports (Bronfenbrenner, 1977; Lerner, 1991). In the ecology or environment that surrounds each girl sports participant, there are a number of important external factors that impact how they learn, develop, and navigate their world. The girls themselves are at the center of this framework because their own internal beliefs, perceptions, attitudes, and strengths are in the driver’s seat of their development over time. In the context of promoting sports participation, girls are also nested within three key developmental contexts that will influence and be influenced by girls:

Interpersonal Relationships: close and supportive relationships between girls and their parents/ 04

Sports Settings + Experiences: Experiences that girls have in sports programs and how those programs operate, including relationships and interactions with coaches, the quality of sports opportunities, and formal program

02 03

Community + Cultural Factors: broader community and culture that surround girls in sports, including community support and buy-in, access to sports opportunities, presence of role models in media,

As the visual model suggests, these contexts surround a girl and influence whether she joins a sports program, her experiences participating in a program, and her continued participation in sports over time. For the purposes of this paper, it is useful to consider how these contexts influence and interact to bolster the participation of girls in color in sports, knowing that there are many benefits of their participation if they have positive experiences in a high-quality program that is supported by their broader developmental system. Next, we discuss one ecological factor that has been understudied in the sports context: parent engagement.

GIRLS THEMSELVES 01

SECTION 2. PARENT ENGAGEMENT: FRAMEWORKS, STRATEGIES, & BEST PRACTICES

Parents, families, and other caregivers continue to play an important role in youth development during adolescence. Parents and guardians impact the decisions girls make about how they spend their time and therefore can influence whether girls engage in and continue to participate in sports activities, starting in early childhood. Across gender and racial/ethnic groups, there is a general trend demonstrating declines in time spent with parent/family members and more frequent conflict/disagreement from early adolescence to late adolescence (Scharf & Mayseless, 2007). Considering the gender of both the parent and child, adolescent girls remain closer to their families than adolescent boys and adolescents seem to maintain stronger relationships with their mothers than their fathers (in heterosexual parent relationships) (Smetana et al., 2015).

Spending less time together and the associated declines in closeness, intimacy, and support are relatively normal processes that take place during this time because adolescents seek to develop an identity outside of the family and have more autonomy (Smetana et al., 2015). Despite less connectedness, it is still important that parents have knowledge of and monitor their child’s life and their away-from-home activities. Despite having less involvement in their adolescent’s decision-making, parents should aim to have knowledge of their child’s awayfrom-home activities through active methods, like direct conversations and supporting their participation (volunteering, rides, etc.) (Smetana et al., 2015). Furthermore, parents should aim to offer clear and consistent guidelines, rules, and expectations for their child during their participation in activities.

As such, parents and caregivers are still an important player in supporting and guiding their child during this time to foster positive youth development. The means by which sports-based youth development and community sports programs engage parents, caregivers, and families is vital to the successful recruitment, participation, and retention of adolescent girls of color in sports (Gould et al., 2006; Zarrett et al., 2019). The forthcoming section explores the concept of parent (and family) engagement, different ways in which it is defined, and its value and impact. The literature and community perspectives are also synthesized to offer strategies and best practices for effective parent engagement across contexts with a specific focus on adolescent girls of color from historically marginalized communities.

DEFINING PARENT ENGAGEMENT

Parent (and family) engagement (referred to as parent engagement henceforth) has been defined, studied, and operationalized across various contexts (e.g., education, behavioral health, child welfare, juvenile justice) as a key driver of positive experiences and outcomes for children and youth (Children’s Bureau, 2017). Despite variability in how parent engagement is defined, four core elements are common across disciplines – meaningful collaboration, effective communication, sustained engagement, and parent involvement at the system level (Children’s Bureau, 2017). While the term ‘parent involvement’ and ‘parent engagement’ are used interchangeably in the literature, it has been argued that ‘engagement’ offers a deeper meaning to the concept (Shirley, 1997; Jiménez-Castellanos et al., 2016). Parent involvement, which includes tangible activities like volunteering at school, helping with homework and participating in school events, tends to exclude how parents from non-White and historically marginalized families and communities engage in their child’s learning (Epstein et al., 2009; Bower & Griffin, 2011). African American and Latinx families have been shown to be as engaged, if not more, than their White counterparts, but their engagement is often overlooked because it is in the background/at-home (as opposed to visibly attending events, for example) (Bower & Griffin, 2011; Couch-Jenkins, 2017; Jiménez-Castellanos et al., 2016). As such, our working definition that captures the essence of parent engagement, especially in practice, is presented below.

DEFINITION OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

“Family engagement is a shared responsibility in which schools and other community agencies and organizations are committed to reaching out to engage families in meaningful ways and in which families are committed to actively supporting their children’s learning and development. Family engagement is continuous across a child’s life and entails enduring commitment but changing parent roles as children mature into young adulthood. Effective family engagement cuts across and reinforces learning in the multiple settings where children learn-- at home, in pre-kindergarten programs, in school, in after school programs, in faithbased institutions, and in the community.” (NAFSCE, n.d.)

THE VALUE OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT

Parent engagement has been shown to have a significant positive impact on experiences and outcomes among adolescents. Studies have shown that students with engaged parents have significantly better academic outcomes (e.g., school attendance, timely graduation, and successful transition to post-secondary studies) and these benefits were consistent across socio-economic groups (Landa et al., 2020; Jaynes, 2007; Henderson et al., 2002). Especially as it relates to academic achievement among youth of color, parent engagement has been

shown to mitigate challenges and support positive academic outcomes resulting from transitions into, through, and out of middle school (Couch-Jenkins, 2017; Mo & Singh, 2008; Howard & Reynolds, 2007).

Parent engagement also has a positive influence on youth experiences and outcomes outside the academic context. For example, in the practice of child welfare, collaborating and engaging with parents and families at-large (in addition to children, as age-appropriate) in case planning, goal setting, decision-making and more, can promote buy-in and better encourage families to accomplish what is needed of them (Children’s Bureau, 2017). Similarly, when families are engaged meaningfully in mental and behavioral health treatment planning for children and youth, outcomes have been found to be more favorable (Wymer et al., 2022; Lopez et al., 2020). In youth sports, parent engagement has been shown to increase both recruitment and retention. Especially for girls, offering instrumental support (e.g., driving to practice) and emotional buffering (e.g., collaborating in sports-related goal setting), and most importantly, educating parents about the value of sports for positive development of girls, is predictive of their entry and continued engagement in sports (Gould et al., 2006; Zarrett et al., 2020). However, parent engagement may look different in traditionally marginalized communities. For example, compared to White and high-income families, non- White and low-income families supported youth in more subtle ways, in the background, which can often be presumed by administrators as lack of involvement or disinterest (Auerbach, 2007; Mehan et al., 1996).

COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVES

Parents and sports program staff both highlighted the value and importance of parent engagement (in whatever way they can) in their daughter’s sports experience. While the type of engagement can vary based on certain attributes and realities of the program and the families, any level of engagement is welcome and beneficial to girls’ overall sports experience, potentially maximizing its benefits to their positive development.

The actual training for the marathon takes a lot of time, especially on the weekends, later in our program. So having parental involvement to come out and support the students, while they're doing the training is very critical to the success of the students in their training. And so having, you know, parents volunteer to do water stations, having parents be able to drive their children to the practice site on the weekend. That is critical to the success of the kids in the program.”

I feel like it's a very important role for the parent to be very involved, to come to their kids practices and their games. And for me personally, since I've played sports before, I take time to coach, like outside of practices, so they can get better and more confident in the sport.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

– Sports Program Staff

and values this bi-directional relationship between sports programs and parents to offer practical and contextually relevant strategies for parent engagement in youth sports programs.

ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES FOR PARENT ENGAGEMENT

Family engagement can be integrated into youth development programs at various levels. Depending on the program’s capacity and resources/needs, family engagement can happen at one of the following levels (BOSTnet, n.d.):

LEVELS OF FAMILY ENGAGEMENT

Staff try to effectively communicate with families and create a welcoming environment. Families attend events at the program and stay updated on their children’s

Intermediate: Staff receive additional and special training to effectively engage families, communication is more frequent and intentional, broader supports (like childcare for younger siblings during parent events) are made available and families are kept informed about potential policy changes.

Advanced: Parents are integral to certain aspects of program planning and policy decision making through direct involvement or through a parent advisory board, and programs assist parents in advocating for issues that affect their families.

While the literature points to the aforementioned levels at which programs can engage parents, program staff and parents provided further context about the realities on-the-ground, especially as it relates to community-based sports programs. While programs would appreciate the highest level of parent engagement possible, they understand that it is not always feasible. Further, programs themselves sometimes prefer that girls experience a certain level of independence from parents during games. As such, the ideal level of parent engagement can vary based on the sports context, the sport being played, the program preferences/structures, and so on. Parents of sports participants further reported that they support and engage with their girls’ sports experience in a myriad of ways ranging from being present at all games and coaching their teams, to debriefing games off-the-field and practicing at home. A key takeaway from the parent perspective is that engagement is occurring in ways that may or may not be extrinsically visible. Some parents, depending on their family needs, resources, and values, can participate in the more visible ways of engaging in their daughters’ sports experience (e.g., coaching teams, volunteering at games, showing up for matches/ practices etc.). On the other hand, some parents support their daughters in less visible ways that are still valuable (e.g., debriefing after games, practicing at home, discussing strategies, or exposing them to female athletes on TV or in the community). As such, programs and practitioners would be remiss to ignore forms of less visible parent engagement that taps into and respects parents’ unique values, assets, and motivations.

I practice with her at home, I do that with any sport that she plays. If I don’t know, I do my homework and I learn it. Sometimes she will push me like "oh you don’t know how to [play this sport]", and I can say "I didn’t but now I know". YouTube is not just for dumb videos, I use it to learn the basics, the rules."

– Parent of Sports Participant

I think for me, it is just constantly talking to her and kind of seeing what she understands and what she doesn't understand about the games. Just having a dialogue on the way home and interacting with her and just trying to, you know, get into her mind. She's very reserved, and so she had a situation in school where she came home and told us that the teacher doesn't talk to the Black kids, and only talks to a certain group of kids. And so, we had to address it. She brought it to our attention just because of the dialogue that we constantly try to provide for her, to give her that open space to share. And you know, to also show her that we are interested, this [sport] is not just a passing or fleeting thing, but we want to engage with her and encourage her.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

Regardless of the level of engagement, programs can engage families using a combination of strategies highlighted in the forthcoming section. Key strategies have been identified and synthesized across literature, published models, and contexts (education, after-school programming, early education, etc.), and bolstered by the community perspectives obtained from focus group discussions. In general, the literature suggests that programs should make every effort to be culturally and linguistically responsive and equity-focused in their engagement with families, to ensure that benefits of effective family engagement are realized

by families regardless of their racial/ethnic and socio-demographic background. It is important to note that while many of the models referenced come from education spaces, they are still relevant to youth development programs, and it is reasonable to expect similar benefits. Appendix A of this report includes a summary of relevant parent education models from the literature, that informed this review. Further, Appendix B includes a summary of all the actionable parent engagement strategies (listed in the forthcoming section). This appendix further visualizes the source of each of the strategies (literature alone, community perspectives alone, or both). Finally, exemplar quotes (from parent and sports program leader focus groups) relevant to each strategy have been included, wherever applicable.

1. Support families tangibly and through community linkages:

Parents often experience high levels of stress and negative emotions related their child’s participation in extracurricular and out-of-school time activities (TD Ameritrade, 2019; Coakley, 2006). These negative emotions might stem from the financial, logistical, and emotional support parents and families need to invest in ensuring their child’s positive experience and continuous engagement in these activities (TD Ameritrade, 2019; Coakley, 2006; Legg & Rose, 2022). This is especially true for historically marginalized communities and low-income families (Legg & Rose, 2021). As such, tangible financial and logistical support for families can help increase and sustain participation and highquality engagement in school and out-of-school-time programming. Parents also reiterated the importance of program affordability for their daughters’ enrollment and continued participation in sports programs.

I speak for myself as a single parent. It's hard sometimes when you know, they want to play football, they want to play baseball, they want to do volleyball, and you're like, how do I do it? Yeah. So, I think a price that is doable, that works within our budget is better for us. And if it is not as low, having opportunities such as fundraising, paying in installments, etc. I think all of that also just keeps us engaged.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

Support can also come in the form of linkages to community resources. While schools and programs might not have the ability to provide direct support, they can engage community partners and link them with participating families (BOSTnet, n.d.; USHHS, 2018). As it relates to transportation support specifically, parents and sports program staff substantiated the need and value of structured and/or occasional support to and from the program and events. Parents reported that despite their commitment to regular attendance, they sometimes were unavailable to offer transportation for their children. While children can often rely on extended family members, and other parents for transportation, a reliable and safe source of transportation offered by the program itself would go a long way. Parents also reported positive perceptions of programs that offered support (gas cards, transportation, etc.) for parents to bring their daughters to events that

were at locations other than their usual program sites. It is important to note that parents and sports program leaders also reported that coaches and coordinators often take it upon themselves to transport participants, however, this, being a personal gesture, may not be sustainable for the sports program itself.

The coach and the coordinator, they are so dedicated, but it takes funding to get transportation. I am pretty sure I would not mind if they had a van to go pick up the kids. If they have a designated driver for the team, to get the kids, especially whose parent cannot sometimes.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES

Collaborate and partner with local organizations, entities, and agencies to offer wrap-around and (e.g., transportation, health screenings, academic tutoring, childcare, food).

provide transportation support to families who might need Transportation support could also be made available on as ad-hoc basis for families as need emerges.

programs at a low cost, sliding scale, or free of cost to families with financial needs. Be mindful of financial demands like paying for supplies, travel, and so forth. This can be done by either offering financial support, hosting fundraisers, informing parents about funding opportunities, bulk ordering supplies to reduce cost, or finding alternative solutions to purchases.

Organizations can also further reduce the burden on parents by offering ‘all inclusive’ programs wherein enrollment into the program includes access to necessary equipment. Even if equipment is provided for a price (added to enrollment fees), the burden of researching and purchasing equipment can be deterrent

with entities that can fund youth program participants based on need and/or talent. Offer support and guidance in completing necessary applications.

and guidance for fundraising and scholarship applications,

2. Build trusting relationships and foster open communication:

A trusting relationship between families and the school or program is central to effective and ongoing engagement, and positive outcomes for participating youth. Parent engagement literature across contexts converge on the value of open, intentional, and ongoing communication between staff, teachers, coaches, and leadership, with parents, families, and youth themselves. In fact, one study found that indicators of the parents’ relationship with school staff and their resulting awareness and perceptions of their child’s learning were more “relevant, feasible, and actionable” for increasing children’s

academic success than active parent participation in school events and meetings (Bettencourt et al., 2020). Sports program staff further highlighted the importance of adaptability and flexibility in effectively reaching parents. Specifically, program staff suggested that the communication needs and preferences of families within and across cohorts can vary significantly across contexts and neighborhoods that programs serve. As such, sports program staff affirmed the importance of adapting communication plans that meet the unique needs of the families they serve. Further, flexible communication at multiple times and through various channels emerged as a facilitator of better engagement. Furthermore, open communication that honors cultural and linguistic preferences, and is bi-directional is vital to the engagement of families of color and immigrant families (Bettencourt et al., 2020; Jiménez-Castellanos et al., 2016; Georgis et al., 2014). In fact, one study found that from the perspective of African American parents, cultural competence and responsiveness (in language, policies, staffing, and activities) creates a welcoming and mutually beneficial environment for parents to continue engaging with schools (in the middle school context) in service of their youth’s growth and success (Couch-Jenkins, 2017). Finally, providing opportunities to followthrough with parents

But one of the things that I've found is very important is that in my community, some people do really good when you give them a written paper, and everything is written in there and kind of outlined for them. Some people require the [information] written and they also want you to tell them in-person and go over things with them. And they want to be able to ask you questions directly. So that's very important to some. So, we always make it a point to not just hand them stacks of paper, but also to follow it up with a meeting to go over if they have any questions, or to review it and hit the points again. They like to be heard and acknowledged that way.”

– Sports Program Staff

Parents specifically mentioned the value of coach-parent relational safety and open lines or communication within and outside the sports context for fostering better engagement with both youth and their caregivers. Parents often reported leaning on trusted coaches and coordinators for additional support with ongoing challenges their daughters were facing outside the sports context (e.g., mental health challenges, bullying at school, complex grief and trauma). This level of trust (that is understandably built over time) appears to be a potential facilitator for engaging parents and families that continue to enroll their daughters and their siblings in sports programs.

I'm saying when they say they [coaches] can help you with anything, all you got to do is talk to them. And they literally go out their way to help or at least try no matter what. That is what keeps me coming back.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

family assets and offer opportunities for families to share their perspective and lived through various avenues like surveys, reflection sessions, and parent meetings. Intentionally follow-through on feedback received.

Create structured opportunities (like parent meetings) to provide updates, share and receive feedback, and level set around program expectations and developments at regular intervals. This strategy of optimizing information sharing at a structured time can be especially effective in engaging busy parents (who otherwise are unable to stay through all practices and games).

consider the concerns, needs, challenges, and expectations of families when planning and making decisions around program offerings. Wherever feasible and if identified as a need in the couple sports programs with other trainings and/or programs like college readiness and

Clearly communicate program offerings (and boundaries) to avoid future disappointments and

Communicate with families intentionally and frequently. Create a culture of warm, strengths-focused, and productive feedback and communication about youth progress and performance.

Communicate in multiple modes (handouts/flyers, texts, phone calls, etc.) through multiple channels (through the youth and directly with parents) to ensure effective communication and uptake of necessary

Alleviate concerns and clearly provide reassurances (and proof) of measures the program will take to ensure physical and emotional safety of girls who participate. Parents' trust in coaches and the safety of their daughters (overall physical and emotional safety) can be a key driver of continued participation and

family communication log to record, follow-through, track and evaluate indepth communications initiated by staff with individual families.

The Engaging Families Initiative developed a communication log that is used by several Boston city after-school programs.

languages spoken in the community. Accurately translate marketing and outreach material to encourage participation from diverse youth.

race-conscious methods of engagement to create an inclusive environment for both youth and families. This includes using appropriate language, avoiding racial and cultural stereotypes, and being receptive to feedback from families of color. Parents can be engaged as ‘cultural informants’ to create equitable learning environments that are conducive to different learning styles and abilities.

The Parent Mentor Program is a race-conscious parent engagement program that integrates ‘parent mentors’ into classrooms. Parent mentors offer a safe space for students of color to share their challenges, provide feedback to White educators on culturally appropriate teaching tools and help

Consider engaging in “community wealth”, which includes respecting and leveraging the cultural and within the communities to support parent engagement.

3. Involve and integrate families into program structures and decision-making:

For parent engagement to be truly effective, it must move away from a school/program centered perspective where schools/programs define and control the parameters. Parents should have the opportunity to inform policies, key decisions, and changes in an empowering and inclusive environment. This has been done with some success through the creation of a parent advisory board or inclusion of parents with diverse perspectives in committees (CDE, 2014). Parents can also be tapped as a teaching partner and/or parent mentor which has been shown to be effective in infusing culturally competent teaching and learning methods into classrooms and programs (Yull et al., 2018). In the sports context, parents serving as coaches or program staff can bring forth a level of cultural competence from lived experiences that would otherwise not be available, further facilitating continued participation from girls.

I have been coaching flag football. I grew up different. I grew up in Mexico. So, when I wanted to play sports, none of my coaches were like "oh, please do it like this", you just do it. They cuss and like it was rough. So now with me coaching, I thought it was going to be hard for me because I don't have the patience for like when they don't listen. But I got to do it, it is a challenge. I try to do my best coaching.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

Furthermore, parents who also served as staff, volunteers, and/or coaches at their daughters’ sports programs affirmed that they were effective in helping initiate their daughters who were otherwise hesitant to play (due to social reasons). Girls can develop a love for the sport and the willingness to socialize (which many sports necessitate) with peers in the safety of parental presence. This can be especially effective during the early years (pre-adolescence), when developmentally, girls are strongly influenced by their parents.

I think when it first started, she was very shy. She was so shy that I ended up joining the program as a coach because she didn't want to be on the field without me. And then she was actually eventually diagnosed with separation anxiety. And then it came to a point where I didn't even matter, because she would run to her friends.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES

Provide family members with leadership opportunities through participation in parent advisory boards or serving on ad-hoc committees during major policy decision-making or periods of transition (e.g., start of a new school/program year). Create avenues for parent advisory boards to bring concerns to the forefront and make intentional efforts to consider their feedback.

Recruit parents to serve as parent advocates who can build on their relational capital and trust with other families to recruit more girls into sports. This is possible by either marketing (word-of-mouth and other) good programs, and/or being an ambassador for the program to alleviate concerns and reservations impeding participation. Parents can also help link other parents with school/program leaders, educators, community programs, and other relevant entities to support their needs outside sports.

Intentionally create opportunities and foster parents to be involved in and support various aspects of the ranging from marketing, administration, ad-hoc support at events, games, and practices, and coaching. These roles (that do not involve direct coaching but involve direct interaction with youth) can be effective ways to engage parents who do not prefer playing/ coaching and to maximize their assets and

Recruit parents to serve as coaches. Parents, as coaches, can be especially effective in bringing culturally responsive and aligned methods of coaching to the program.

When offering opportunities for parents to get involved with programs, start with low stress volunteer activities and increase their level of responsibility over time based on level of engagement. For example, start with a volunteer position supporting registrations at events and over time (based on interest and continued engagement), offer opportunities (and training) to serve a coaches or assistants.

Invite parents to play and participate in games through structured events, further facilitating a positive sports experience for girls (and the parents themselves). Parents can model an active lifestyle and the act of playing sports -- that can ultimately help their children develop a love for sports. This strategy can also be modeling sports participation for younger siblings (or members of the family) who may not yet be a part of the program.

4. Offer meaningful parent education and build parent capacity to strengthen parent-child

Schools and programs can offer parent education programs that equip families with evidencebased, culturally appropriate, and useful tools and strategies to improve parentchild relationships. Empirical evidence suggests that parent education programs can be effective in improving parent behaviors and reducing parent stress in sports-based youth development programs (Dorsch et al., 2019; Burke et al., 2021).

I have been coaching flag football. I grew up different. I grew up in Mexico. So, when I wanted to play sports, none of my coaches were like "oh, please do it like this", you just do it. They cuss and like it was rough. So now with me coaching, I thought it was going to be hard for me because I don't have the patience for like when they don't listen. But I got to do it, it is a challenge. I try to do my best coaching.”

Furthermore, parents’ perceptions of the value and importance of the activities their children are participating in, have been shown to predict their efforts to proactively enroll their youth and support their subsequent engagement (Fredricks & Eccles, 2005; Zarrett et al., 2020). This was further substantiated during our discussions with parents of sports participants.

So, my daughter has been doing cheer for six years now. And she actually got started because she's very shy. So, I kind of pushed her a little bit to try something new. And I thought it was going to be a one year thing. And here we are in our sixth year. And then she started joining other programs in the parks, such as volleyball, and then she's also done softball. So, she became open to other sports once she started to crack her own shell.”

Parent-child communication has also been shown to strongly predict how youth engage with activities. The communication style and engagement level needed to effectively support children is also different from what adolescents need (Dorsch et al., 2020; Edwards et al., 2008). For example, one study compared parental influences in adolescent swimmers who continued engaging in the sport and those who had dropped. Researchers found that parents of drop-out athletes were more likely to be overly involved (providing coaching tips during games, incentivizing performance, and pressuring youth to continue participation), behaviors which although well-intentioned and appropriate at younger ages, could have been perceived as restrictive and controlling by adolescent athletes (Fraser- Thomas et al., 2008; Gould et al., 2006). As such, equipping parents with information, tools, and strategies to build and maintain strong age-appropriate parent-child communication can be beneficial.

The coach helped me with the tools and techniques to use when I notice it [an anxiety attack] coming on during a game. The coach cannot always [help] because he is running the whole game. So, you know, I can pull her out and have a little pep talk.”

parent orientation meeting as a prerequisite to their child’s participation. Succinctly address various topics like introductions to program leaders and staff, program philosophy and expectations, and logistics for successful and continued participation in the program.

through both structured self-paced offerings, webinars, and written materials. While the design of the parent education offerings might vary based on the program context, some recommended Program design, philosophy, and expectations for attendance and performance Policies, procedures, and disciplinary protocols

Knowledge about the program offerings (value and importance of sports for girls, career opportunities,

Knowledge of expectations and developmental milestones/changes

Tools and strategies for goal setting, motivating, and supporting youth Guidance for effective age, gender, and culturally appropriate communication

especially in primarily Hispanic/Latinx communities) should be wellprepared to consistently identify and alleviate concerns related to girls’ participation in sports (especially as sports are not the norm for girls in the mainstream, like baseball and football). Program staff and coaches’ ability to respectfully and supportively guide parents who believe it is not socially normative for girls to play sports can go a long way in sustaining participation.

The Minnesota-PLAYSTM program is a customized parent education program for youth sports settings that is built together with the youth sport organization and the parents of youth athletes. The target audience is parents of kids early on in their sport trajectory (first and second graders). The program aims to educate, support, and empower parents of youth athletes to contribute to a positive sport climate so the children sustain their participation in sports over time.

Consider parent education (through knowledge, tools, and strategies) to foster their youth’s sports as a supporter rather than a decision-maker

Coaches are uniquely positioned to equip parents with specific tools, strategies, and techniques to identify their daughter’s needs and support them during games.

5. Empower parents to support their child’s learning and development and offer options

As an extension to parent education, engagement efforts can include offerings from educators, coaches, and staff for parents to reinforce and review school/program learnings at home. This can and must look different in distinct contexts, and must also consider the education levels, time, capacity, and cultural/linguistic needs of families. For example, in the sports context, coaches can offer tips, strategies, and engagement techniques for parents to practice with their youth at home, and these strategies can be tailored to meet the needs of both parents who play the sport and those who are new to it. Furthermore, as detailed previously in the ‘defining of parent engagement’ section, programs should recognize, value, and respect both visible and ‘behind-the-scenes’ forms

I think motivation, like talking to them, explaining to them, and asking them questions. Maybe watching [sports] videos together…like when you show them the USC team, their volleyball team or stuff like that. Show them things, have them experience it and maybe that will help them

– Parent of Sports Participant

parents’ presence at practices and games (at least a few critical ones if it is understandably not feasible at all times). Build on other previous strategies to make it

easy, relevant, and age-appropriate activities for the family to engage in as a way of reinforcing

create and maintain open, safe, and consistent lines of about their sports participation and experiences.

Parents reported that intentionally and consistently communicating with their daughter(s) about their experiences on a daily basis (e.g., debriefing after games) helped surface issues that the parent could help address, and also served as a tangible way to show their support and encouragement for her sports

integrate sports activities into daily life without burdening families. Offer multiple options and ideas based on time-intensity and family resources.

is a movement aimed at bridging the math skill gap, especially among children from low-income families and communities through development and promotion of math activities that can be take place in daily life at the grocery store, on the playground, and at the dinner table.

6. Create and leverage opportunities for parent socialization:

In consideration of effective parent engagement strategies, programs must also leverage and meet parents’ needs for community and socialization with other parents. Several parent engagement strategies already involve bringing parents together for events, meetings, and conferences. Schools and programs can make an intentional effort to leverage these avenues to foster community building amongst parents (Bjork & Hoynes, 2021). The more supported parents feel by other parents (their peers in this context), the less they report having negative feelings and emotions towards the activity their child is participating in (TD Ameritrade, 2019; Coakley, 2006). Aside from events and meetings that can be time-consuming and resourceintensive for some families, schools and programs can also facilitate parent-to-parent communication through online modalities like newsletters, social media groups, and more. Finally, parent socialization can also serve as a valuable asset for families of color to find community with others who understand the struggles of educating and training their children in pedagogical systems that are primarily developed for White families. Parents with different levels of availability and differing resources can also support each other, both logistically and emotionally, to ensure their daughters continue participating in sports.

I think motivation, like talking to them, explaining to them, and asking them questions. Maybe watching [sports] videos together…like when you show them the USC team, their volleyball team or stuff like that. Show them things, have them experience it and maybe that will help them continue to play, whichever sport they're playing.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

I have been coaching flag football. I grew up different. I grew up in Mexico. So, when I wanted to play sports, none of my coaches were like "oh, please do it like this", you just do it. They cuss and like it was rough. So now with me coaching, I thought it was going to be hard for me because I don't have the patience for like when they don't listen. But I got to do it, it is a challenge. I try to do my best coaching.”

– Sports Program Staff

Create formal parent clubs that facilitate regular interactions between parents within and across clubs. host parent events during program offerings to increase participation and reduce added logistical burden (time, childcare, etc.).

On the other hand, with input from families and as relevant to specific program contexts/realities, plan a few parent socialization events outside program hours such that the whole family can participate.

7. Build organizational capacity for effective engagement with families and communities:

Schools and programs that are committed to engaging families effectively must build capacity to do so by hiring and training staff appropriately. Programs must consider hiring staff with parent engagement experience and those who share cultures, lived experiences, and backgrounds with the families being served. This is important because parents have been shown to be successful, through race-conscious parent engagement efforts, in serving as advocates who can “bridge cultural disconnects between White teachers and “ “ 25 students of color” in a classroom setting (Yull et al., 2018). Once hired, staff must also receive ongoing and relevant professional development and training aimed at better engaging parents. Central to effective parent engagement is also developing organizational capacity to:

• Understand the importance and value of parent engagement as a means to an end (positive youth development and youth sports skills), and as an end in and of itself (positive experiences for families) out of respect for families and their unique needs and expectations (Auerbach, 2007).

• Engage parents in tangible ways to inform program offerings, culture, and overall structure (Yull et al., 2018; BOSTnet, n.d.).

• Be reflective in practice and mindful of feedback received from families (Camire et al., 2012).

I think motivation, like talking to them, explaining to them, and asking them questions. Maybe watching [sports] videos together…like when you show them the USC team, their volleyball team or stuff like that. Show them things, have them experience it and maybe that will help them continue to play, whichever sport they're playing.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

Hire staff with parent engagement experience.

Hire staff and solicit volunteers from within the community with similar lived experiences and cultural/ linguistic backgrounds as youth and families being served.

Provide formal professional development and informal learning opportunities to engage families

Role play and practice engaging with parents in different contexts and around different topics to better enable successful on-the-ground interactions. This could also include equipping coaches with language and tools to set realistic boundaries with parents on and off the field.

SECTION 3. FACILITATORS, BARRIERS, AND STRATEGIES FOR RECRUITING + RETAINING ADOLESCENT GIRLS IN SPORTS

Factors that influence the recruitment, retention, and continued engagement of girls in sports can be divided into four groups:

04

FACTORS INFLUENCING SPORTS PARTICIPATION:

Girls Themselves

Interpersonal Relationships

Sports Setting + Quality of Experiences

Community + Cultural Factors

GIRLS THEMSELVES 01 02 03

In this section, literature on the influence of aforementioned factors on recruitment and retention of girls in sports is summarized. Further, parental influence on and interactions with each of these factors is highlighted after research on each ecological factor is presented. Finally, actionable strategies to effectively influence these factors and engage parents, to ultimately increase recruitment and retention of girls in sports are synthesized.

GIRLS THEMSELVES

In this section, the literature about girls and their internal attributes, beliefs, values, and interests are discussed in relation to their interest in joining and participating in sports programs. In this section, the factors are characteristics of the girls themselves that are internal to their lives, rather than influences that are present in their environments. First, this section will also summarize important features of adolescent development that are important for girls during this time.

Relevant Features of Adolescence for Girls of Color

Before we dive into the influences on sports that are internal to a girl themselves, it may be useful to get to know adolescent girls and the experiences that are typical of this time in their lives. The following bullets summarize relevant features of adolescence for girls of color that may influence how they move through the world. The trends summarized below set the stage for how we interact with this unique population of sports participants.

Teens and young adults frequently use cell phones to be online and use social media. Ninety-five percent of teens have access to a smart phone and 45% of youth reported being online “almost constantly”, with more girls reporting “constant” use compared to boys (Pew Research Center, 2018).

Emerging adolescence is a vulnerable time for body image development in girls as their bodies change and the influence of media and peers strengthen their dissatisfaction with their bodies (Burnette et al., 2017). Adolescent boys (ages 11-18) had significantly higher levels of body satisfaction compared to girls of a similar age (Mond et al., 2011). Furthermore, 31% of teen girls admit to starving themselves or refusing to eat as a strategy to lose weight (Girls and Body Image Factsheet, 2010); eating disorder rates have also been rising since 2011, and 90% of the children hospitalized with eating disorders are girls (Anxiety and Depression Association of America, n.d.).

Young children have relatively high self-esteem, which gradually declines over the course of childhood and adolescence; in general, boys have higher self-esteem than girls (Robins & Trzesniewski, 2005). Additionally, Latinx girls reported significantly lower self-esteem than their White counterparts during adolescence (Carlson et al., 2000; Erol & Orth, 2011).

Ethnic and racial identity (ERI) development becomes more salient during adolescence as youth possess the mental maturation to grapple with this complex process (Smetana et al., 2015; Umana-Taylor et al., 2002). ERI development may be more challenging for non- White youth, but it is also more salient for non-White youth given the impacts of systemic racism (Umana-Taylor et al., 2002). The benefits of ERI are critical; a positive ethnic-racial identity can buffer the negative consequences of racism and discrimination (Dotterer et al., 2009) and promote wellness and mental health outcomes among non-White adolescents (Kogan et al., 2015; Rivas-Drake et al., 2014; Umana-Taylor et al., 2014).

Trends across the US demonstrate rising rates of mental health challenges, with adolescent girls being particularly vulnerable. National mental health data suggests that general rates of depression and anxiety have been rising over time among children and adolescents (CDC, n.d.). In a 2017 study, 20% of adolescent girls (12-17 years old) demonstrated symptoms of depression compared to 7% of similar-aged boys, and the rate of growth in those experiencing depression from 2007-2017 was higher for girls (66%) than boys (44%) (Pew Research Center, 2019). Seventy percent of teens reported that anxiety and depression were a “major” issue among people their age (Pew Research Center, 2019).

During adolescence, there is an increasing importance placed on peer relationships (Larson et al., 1996, 2001; Smetana et al., 2015). Friends are viewed as the primary mechanism of support for adolescents and can offer security, trust, intimacy, and loyalty (Scharf & Mayseless, 2007). However, peer pressure can also influence adolescent behaviors, in both positive and negative ways; peer pressure and peer conformity measures are strong predictors of risky behavior (e.g., substance use, delinquency, dating attitudes, sexual behavior, and poor school performance) (Santor et al., 2000).

Given these important considerations of adolescence, the following strategies are offered to support the recruitment and retention of girls in sports.

Both girls and boys who currently play sports report having positive feelings towards sports

. While a reported love of sports remained steady across age groups among boys, it increased with age among girls, suggesting that “the love of sport is particularly important for girls’ retention in sports” (Zarrett et al., 2020, p.19). In addition to enjoyment, the value older girls place on sports significantly influences their continued participation. National data suggests that girls who continued playing sports were more like to report valuing sports as compared to their counterparts who had dropped out (Zarrett et al., 2020).

Girls are also more likely to drop-out of sports to make space for competing priorities, mainly their social life (Zarrett et al., 2020). Furthermore, in certain cultural contexts, competing priorities might also be emergent and vital to their family’s well-being, like helping care for a sibling (Douyon et al., 2010). Overall, it is noteworthy that while priorities shift throughout life irrespective of gender, girls and women face unique socio-cultural challenges making it harder for them to prioritize sports (Zarrett et al., 2020; O’Reilly et al., 2018). These challenges include socially defined gender roles, and other historical and nuanced messages girls receive from a young age about their life and career trajectories (O’Reilly et al., 2018).

Another competing priority that challenges retention of youth in sports is academics. As adolescents grow older, their academic demands rise and both youth and parents increasingly report that sports participation distracts them from academic achievement (Zarrett et al., 2020). Even though research notes that sports participation can be linked to improved academic competence and achievement, this notion tends to drive sports drop-out among older adolescents (Zarrett et al., 2020). This barrier is also especially prominent among Latinx teens (Zarrett et al., 2020).

Finally, due to lack of exposure to successful female athletes and the reinforcement of traditional gender norms not only do girls receive messages that they are not valued in sports, but they also do not value their participation and contributions themselves (Judson & Kulinna, 2012). Studies show that boys view sports as more important, useful, and enjoyable than girls (Kanters et al., 2008). Sport culture can also be alienating and uninteresting, especially to girls, because it is often male-dominated and includes a less familiar vocabulary (Judson & Kulinna, 2012).

Value, perceived relevance, and attitudes towards sports influence girls’ decisions to play and their continued participation.

Research suggests that traditional gender norms still exist and shape girls’ decisions to play and their choice of sports. These gender norms are reinforced by both the media and parents, and affect youth’s feelings of competency, value, and belonging, which, in turn, shapes their choices about sports (Dorsch, et al., 2021; Judson & Kulinna, 2012; Staurowsky et al., 2020; Denault & Poulin, 2009).

Girls also have a higher tendency than boys to drop-out of sports due to the complex and prevalent cultural messaging around gender norms and stereotypes that drives selfconsciousness and poor body image. The myriad of developmental changes happening during adolescence negatively impacts girls’ engagement in sports (Zarrett et al., 2020; BeltránCarrillo et al., 2018). On the flipside, sports participation is also a protective factor for girls’ developing positive body image and self-confidence. National data shows that girls who were in sports reported feeling confident about their bodies with a higher likelihood than those who had dropped out (Zarrett et al., 2020).

Gendered stereotypes affect the way girls perceive their own competence and ability. For example, in studies exploring youth activity participation, findings revealed that boys participated more intensively in sports while girls participated more intensively in performance and fine arts. Researchers asserted that this was a function of perceived competence driven by gender-typed socialization towards these activities (Denault & Poulin, 2009). An alternative explanation is that girls, especially middle school aged girls, care deeply about their image, peer relationships, and “fitting in”. Stereotypes of athletes as “jocks”, or something other than the norm, can deter girls from participating in athletics (Judson & Kulinna, 2012).

Body image self-consciousness typically serves as a barrier to recruitment but can also be a facilitator to girls playing sport. Self-confidence and mastery of skills further promote retention.

Body-related self-consciousness, or feelings of guilt or shame about one’s own body and/or envy about another’s physical appearance, can be both a barrier and a facilitator for girls in sports (Vani, et al., 2021; Douyon et al., 2010; Staurowsky et al., 2020). On one hand, girls report making decisions related to sports participation based on how their body compares to that of peers who they perceive to be “better” in sports. On the other hand, some girls report that comparing their bodies to successful female athletes is a motivator for sports participation (Vani

Furthermore, body image has also been shown to influence decisions about girls’ sports

. When girls perceive their bodies as able in a certain sport context, they are more likely to choose it. Dance, for example, is a sport where girls feel the pressure to have a 30 certain body type before participating, as is basketball where youth will often decline to participate when they believe they are not “tall enough” to be “good” (Vani et al., 2021).

Internalized gender norms drive girls’ decisions to participate in sports and increase their chances of dropping out.

Adolescent girls’ appearance-driven motivation for sports participation has been found to predict dropping out of sports (Zarrett et al., 2020; Taylor et al., 2019). Girls who continued playing sports were more likely enjoy sports participation for its ability to build their strength, and not as much to lose weight or improve their appearance (Zarrett et al., 2020).

a sense of mastery of skills and self-confidence drives youth to continue participating in sports, especially among girls (Zarrett et al., 2020). Girls who continued playing reported high levels of competence to succeed in the sport as compared to those who had dropped out.

Parents sometimes hold traditional gender stereotypes which negatively influences girls’ participation in sports; traditional gender stereotypes are typically mis-aligned with girls’ attitudes and goals for themselves.

Parents may bear some of the responsibility for female athletes’ internalized gender norms. Research confirms that parents reinforce the traditional gender stereotypes that sports are more appropriate for their sons than daughters and that boys have more athletic potential than girls (Dorsch et al., 2021; Judson & Kulinna, 2012). In a national survey, more than a third of parents reported that boys were better at sports than girls across both current players and those who had dropped out of the sport (Zarrett et al., 2020). It is plausible that recruitment of girls into sports is influenced, in part, by parent perceptions that boys are better at sports and that sports are more important for boys than girls (Zarrett et al., 2020). Furthermore, given that parents are key shapers of children’s understandings of themselves, parents’ gendered beliefs also influence the types of sports children are socialized into (Dorsch, et al. 2021; Denault & Poulin, 2009).

Compared to boys, research shows that girls’ parents are more likely to expect them to have fun and less likely to expect sport-specific skill development, competitive experiences, and progress to a higher level as goals for their participation in youth sports. This is also misaligned with girls’ girls have been shown to appreciate a balance of in the sports setting (Zarrett et al., 2020).

RELATED STRATEGIES FOR RECRUITMENT + RETENTION OF GIRLS IN SPORTS

General Program Strategies

Inspire girls to participate in sports and show them that they are valued in sports by increasing the visibility of physically active and successful females in print, television, and social media.

Girls interest in a sport, as influenced positively by social media, coupled with a parent's willingness to

Shift mindsets away from traditional gender norms to health and wellbeing by creating and/or advocating for policies that ensure positive participation as youth learn to play and compete together. Educate girls about the lifelong health benefits of participating in sports and physical activity. Ensure recruitment materials show images of girls with boys or even girls alone, playing sports that could

Develop deliberate policies and practices to help overcome the social forces responsible for and appearance-based motivations. This might include allowing girls a choice in uniforms (style and fit with options to suit different body types), mindfully selecting team names, and managing goal setting in a way that debunks gender stereotypes (e.g., motivating girls to

Organize non-traditional sports and opportunities for “taster” events that allow girls to try new sports with no commitment. This is especially effective at younger ages as older adolescents lean towards specializing in one or more sports and have lesser time and capacity to pursue multiple sports. Solicit and include youth’s ideas for programming to garner interest and attach relevance to sports and physical activity.

Integrate academic supports, community outreach, and skill development into the sports environment to provide a well-rounded experience that meets adolescent girls’ evolving academic,

Strategies for Parents/Caregivers that Support Girls Themselves

Educate parents on tools and strategies for setting competitive sport-specific goals and develop their competence to dispel gender stereotypes around girls’ sports potential.

Educate parents/caregivers and others in a girls’ support system on the benefits of sports

Continue reinforcing this knowledge especially as Offer meaningful information and resources to help alleviate concerns about sports competing with academic and other social priorities. Promote both to motivate parents/caregivers and their daughters

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS

The most proximal to the girls themselves are the important interpersonal relationships that are shared with peers, parent/families, and other caring influences. These relationships involve frequent interactions with youth in their important life contexts, like home and schools. Because this review emphasizes parent/family engagement throughout, the following section will focus mostly on the important role of peer relationships and interactions on the recruitment and retention of girls in sports.

It has been consistently noted in the literature that engagement in sports is strongly influenced by peer support and peer proximity (Blachard et al., 2009; Weiss, 2013). The opportunity to build new friendships and nurture existing ones, and to feel a sense of acceptance and belonging have been shown to predict continued participation in sports (Robbins et al., 2003; Dunyon et al., 2009; Zarrett et al., 2020; Blachard et al., 2009; Weiss, 2013). Zarrett and colleagues (2020) further assert that the social aspect might be particularly critical to continued sports participation for adolescent girls (Zarrett et al., 2020). Despite not being drawn to sports and physical activity, adolescent girls have been found to participate in sports to follow in their friends’ footsteps (Dunyon et al., 2010).

It is also clear that girls, especially during middle school, care deeply about their peer relationships and “fitting in”, and that social support motivates girls to be physically active. This has been demonstrated among African American and Latinx middle school girls (Douyan, Within the sports context, girls often are recipients of substantially less support from their wider network of peers than are boys (Zarrett et al., 2020; Vu et al., 2006). To this end, girls are exposed to teasing and taunting more often than boys, which is reported to be a primary barrier to continued participation in sports. Youth who dropped-out of sports were made fun of at a higher rate than those who continued playing (Zarrett et al., 2020). While boys and girls both experience teasing and taunting, girls were more likely to experience this through their adolescent years, as compared to boys who were more likely to be teased during younger childhood years (Zarrett et al., 2020).

Peers significantly influence girls’ interest, perceived relevance, and enjoyment of sports.

Sports can be an avenue for forming peer relationships/networks to build relational competence while also promoting continued sports participation.

Adolescence is a particularly important age when individuals are confronted by both competence and challenge in peer relationships (Markowitz, Deutsch, & Lawrence, 2014). Relationships, while developmentally important during adolescence, are also challenging to build and maintain at this age. Sports programs are a socially supportive space for youth where they can develop positive relationships, foster relational skills, and build community (Arinze & McGarry, 2021). This is especially true for socially vulnerable youth and girls of color. As such, understanding adolescent girls’ relational context, developmentally appropriate interpersonal skills, and social motivation to participate in sports, while creating a space that does not reinforce negative gender stereotypes, is critical to their recruitment and continued engagement.

Parents play a critical role in girls’ decision to play sports and their subsequent experiences. A balance of parental support and expectations for participation is a crucial predictor of continued engagement.

Multiple studies have demonstrated positive correlations between parental support and youth enjoyment/participation levels in sports. The more parents role model an interest in sports and physical activity and/or encourage their child’s participation, the child’s interest in and enjoyment of sports increases (Dorsch et al., 2021; Kanters et al., 2008; Denault & Poulin, 2009).

Furthermore, the influence of tangible parental support on girls’ recruitment and continued engagement in sports is clear (Zarrett et al., 2020). These include financing sports participation, transportation, attending games, and providing positive role models (e.g., by taking them to watch women’s sporting events). Parents perceptions of the value and importance of sports have been shown to predict their efforts to proactively enroll their youth in sports and support their subsequent engagement (Fredricks & Eccles, 2005; Zarrett et al., 2020). Parents further affirmed these findings from the literature. In the context of younger girls who were less willing to participate in sports, parents reported that their insistence to consistently participate (and give the sport some time) coupled with low performance pressure (or pressure to win) facilitated retention and even increased interest in the sport. Continued/disciplined participation (facilitated by parents to a great extent) helped build competence in the sport that further motivated playing it and fostered a love for the sport in younger girls.

All of the sports that my kids did not want to [play], I pushed, I pushed them the whole way. Early days in gymnastics, it was very hard. But now that they have progressed, and they have seen that they have grown and they've done so much better, and they're stronger, they like it now.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

In terms of initiation into sports, parents believed that the earlier in life their child started playing sports, the better – both for their own positive experience, and for parents’ ability to influence their participation positively. Further, when children seemed resistant, offering low-pressure exposure to sports (for example, watching siblings play), helped build their daughters’ interest over the years.

So, I think the I think the younger the better, maybe four or five. Just for them to have an understanding even if they were to just go around the field, not even knowing what to do with the ball. So, I think age four or five, but also depending on your child.”

It would be nice [for my daughter] to be going to a softball game instead of a baseball game. Because they're getting ready for high school and I think [if] they decide to play sports, they can be ready. You know, they're introduced into that game earlier instead of growing up and then getting into it.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

parental pressure and emphasis on competition and winning is linked to negative feelings towards sports among youth (Dorsch et al., 2021; Knight & Harwood, 2009). Parental behaviors like being hyper-critical during and outside games, overemphasizing winning, and prioritizing their expectations over their child’s individual interests (both in specific sports and level of effort or competitiveness) can all decrease success and reduce retention in sports (Gould et al., 2006). Especially in the context of younger girls who might not be intrinsically motivated to play sports at first, lowering pressure and emphasizing the value of participation over winning (and/or full competence) can foster retention.

And that's what I told her. I don't care if you're good at it. I really don't mind it. I don't care how bad you are you just going to go and just be consistent. And then little by little it'll come to you. You don't have to do it all at once. And now she kind of gets it. Now she understands it.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

I was very pushy, like, Oh, you have to play you have to play because I that's how I started with my oldest. So, he didn't like playing baseball. He didn't like playing soccer. He will cry because he didn't want to play or if he will even Hear us cheer for him because he was doing good. You will cry. So that's when I said okay, I cannot be pushy. He's not ready. He'll tell me when? When he's ready. Now, he's nine, and he's currently playing.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

Knowing the appropriate amount of pressure to put on youth and the appropriate behaviors as a sports parent (e.g., level of involvement and presence before, during, and after events) are two important considerations for parents (Legg & Rose, 2022). Furthermore, parents and youth might not have the same goals for sports participation which can be a source of conflict (Dorsch et al., 2015; Legg & Rose, 2022). For example, while youth perceive sports participation as a source of physical activity, socialization, and leisure, parents might expect it to be a source of future sports scholarships and competitive success. As such, programs must focus on strengthening parentyouth communication to ensure that they have a shared understanding of their goals for sports participation, that parents understand how the youth would like parents to behave at events and level of pressure/involvement they prefer, and that youth feel safe and have a strong source of adult support from their parents throughout their youth sports experience. Parents further surfaced a conflict (and potentially an opportunity for support) in balancing how much (and how far) they can push their daughters to participate in sports.

[They participate in] just gymnastics. And I wish they were more into like soccer or a team sport. But it just hasn't happened. So, I don't know if I should push it, or I shouldn’t especially with their sentiments in their mental state after the pandemic. Because we don't see it as much. You think that they're okay, but I don't think they have recuperated.”

– Parent of Sports Participant

INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS: ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES FOR RECRUITMENT + RETENTION OF GIRLS IN SPORTS

General Program Strategies

Build awareness of the similarities and differences between girls and boys in their definition of among coaches, parents, and program leaders. This will help them facilitate continued participation by aligning feedback with what intrinsically motivates girls.

Enact and enforce strict anti-bullying policies and build coaches’ capacity to buffer negative effects of teasing and other forms of hurtful peer interactions with empathy and swift action.

Leverage peer relationships, friendships, and growing social needs of adolescents to keep girls (e.g., organize social events where players can bring their friends).

Create opportunities for adolescent girls to play on mixed-gender teams. Doing so in the safety of a structured sports programs with sound policies, can help girls develop vital skills.

Create a culture of healthy competition and fitness balanced with an equal value for socialization,

Strategies for Parents/Caregivers that Support Girls Themselves

about the benefits of sports for girls and about their influence on their children’s interest and enjoyment of sports. Support parents in emphasizing socialization, team building, and and the fitness benefits of sport.

good balance of parent and peer engagement. Parent education should equip parents with the knowledge and tools necessary to foster healthy peer elationships.

formal parent clubs that facilitate regular interactions between parents teams. Further, offer events that allow the whole family to engage in the sport, further facilitating positive perceptions and experiences (especially among younger children) about sports and peer relationships in the presence of parental safety.

parents from historically marginalized groups to inform program culture, Facilitate interactions between parents, coaches, and leaders to ensure cultural competence and race-conscious practices in youth sports programs.

Organize and require parent orientation meetings as a prerequisite to youth participation in where parents get acquainted with program leadership, staff, and coaches, coaching/ program philosophy and expectations, and logistics for successful and continued participation in the

Offer parent education programs and resources (see parent engagement best practices in previous section) to educate them about the value of sports, favorable behaviors during and after games/ practice, and effectively partnering with young girls to set/track goals and practice at home.

SPORTS SETTING + QUALITY OF EXPERIENCES

In this section our synthesis will emphasize how the innerworkings of a sports program and how girls experience the sports program are related to their recruitment and ongoing participation in the program. This section will explore how a program should be structured and how it should operate to ensure that girls have positive experiences as they participate, including the role of coaches (e.g., their philosophy and the quality of their coaching behaviors), athletecoach relationships, program policies, and program environments, as well as how families/parents interact with elements of the sports program.

Costs associated with sports are significant barriers to youth participation in sports – especially for youth of color.

Across the literature, cost associated with sports, such as program fees, equipment expenses, transportation rates, and snacks/food prices, has been shown to be a significant barrier to the recruitment and retention of youth in sports, regardless of gender (Staurowsky et al., 2020). Youth sports participation and retention can be especially strained in historically marginalized communities and low-income families. The raising cost and increasing demands for resources to ensure high-quality experiences, are resulting in sports participation becoming a phenomenon for youth from high-income families (Aspen Institute, 2018). These challenges are specifically stressful to the parents who bear responsibility for this, further exacerbating their negative emotions related to youth sports (Legg & Rose, 2021).

Coaches (skills, attributes, and quality) are a crucial determinant of girls’ experiences in sports and their continued participation in sports.

Female coaches have been shown to facilitate increased engagement and safer environments for girls in sports (Ekholm et al., 2019). Yet, a 2015 survey revealed that only 27% of the coaches who train youth teams are women (SFIA, 2018). While data suggests that current female players report liking their male and female coaches equally, in the context of retention of girls in sports, female coaches play a pivotal role (Zarrett et al., 2020). Having a coach who looks like them helps girls engage in sports by fostering a sense of belonging and being valued in the sports space, offering an narrative that is alternative to the prominent gender norms and stereotypes, experiencing a safe space to navigate unique challenges girls face in sports, and developing confidence and selfefficacy in the context of sports and beyond (Ekholm et al., 2019; Zarrett et al., 2020).

In a longitudinal study of adolescent girls, coaches’ skills/experience and friendliness were influential in their decision to engage in club activities. Furthermore, researchers found an increasing influence of coaches’ skills and experience on sports participation with age, that is coaches’ skills/experience were valued more among older adolescents than their younger counterparts (Casey et al., 2017). Coaches and program leaders, utilizing all their innate attributes and learned skills, can create a physically, emotionally, and socially safe space for girls. To this end, positive mentor-mentee and peer-to-peer relationships in sports can be

Among youth of color and immigrant youth, it has been further noted that respect, trust, and serve as a key mechanism through which coaches influence behaviors and enhance social-emotional learning (SEL). While boys’ SEL growth was driven primarily by opportunities to expand interest and practice goal management, girls’ SEL growth was primarily promoted by development of a positive relationship with a coach who shares power with them (Flores & Schmill, 2020).

Programs should also focus on hiring coaches with relevant life experiences or being residents of the same neighborhood as youth sports participants (promoting greater relatability and connection with youth) (Camire et al., 2012).

It is important to develop the coaches’ ability to practice self-reflection which can facilitate the development of an intentional coaching philosophy that places value on positive youth development (Camire et al., 2012). In general, coaches should be offered opportunities to engage in formal and informal training and development to meet the evolving needs of their athletes, as well as developing their skills and knowledge to better employ girl centered strategies to bolster high-quality experiences in sports for girls.

Research shows that a developmental mastery-based approach can be supportive of “youth achievement, enjoyment, intrinsic motivation, and long-term engagement in sport” (Zarrett et al., 2020, p. 35). Research suggests that a balance of fun and skill development with winning/ competition can promote retention of youth in sports. Coaches who help youth set individual and team goals and meet them where they are at in alignment with their individualized definition of success, are significantly more likely to retain youth in the sports program. Conversely, coaches are advised to de-emphasize winning and reduce opportunities for social comparison with their

It is important to note that girls are not a monolith when it comes to competitiveness and motivation to win. While it is assumed that girls do not want to be pushed to win or mostly choose sports as a leisure activity, research suggests otherwise (Zarrett et al., 2020). As such, coaches and sports program cultures should be attuned to this variation in girls perspectives on competition and winning and create a space where they can all feel welcomed. For example, compared to dropouts, youth who continued playing were more likely to report that their coaches distributed playing time by youth effort and skill instead of a default equal distribution (Zarrett et al., 2020).

Practices and policies that ensure health and safety are favored by youth and their caregivers, fostering continued participation.

In a nationally representative sample, youth who dropped out of sports, were more likely to report concerns with physical safety safety were disproportionately higher among Latinx and African American youth, and youth from lower income households (Zarrett et al., 2020). Further, experiencing an injury can influence a youth’s decision to continue playing. Considerations for physical safety might include a smokefree environment, implementation of injury prevention strategies, and a culture of sun safety for outdoor play. In a longitudinal study of Australian adolescent girls, 7-11 years of age, 56% of the respondents agreed that a smoke-free environment served as a positive influence on their decision to participate in club activities and 71% agreed that a commitment to injury prevention was another positive influence (Casey et al., 2017).

Psychological safety, important attribute of a healthy sports settings for athletes. Sporting environments could be perceived as particularly unsafe given the recent rise of publicized reports of sexual abuse, in which winning was prioritized over young women’s well-being and safety (Staurwosky et al.,

Adopting coaching strategies/approaches that balance fun and skill development, and a culture that is not hyper-competitive, can promote retention of girls in sports.

Youth are often required to wear uniforms for sports programs, and especially among girls, this can have a direct effect on their interest, ‘felt safety’, and level of engagement in the activity. is a form of self-expression for youth, and in physical activity contexts, girls prefer to dress in way that feels normal and is visually appropriate (Oliver et al., 2009; Oliver & Lanik, 2001). In the absence of options that allow them to express themselves fully while being comfortable to play, girls can disengage from the activity and have a negative experience that creates a barrier to their full participation.

Parents sometimes hold traditional gender stereotypes which negatively influences girls’ participation in sports; traditional gender stereotypes are typically mis-aligned with girls’ attitudes and goals for themselves.

Parents may experience high levels of stress and negative emotions about the added stress logistical support to ensure youth’s continued and high-quality participation in sports, like financing, transportation, commitment of time, nutrition, and more (Legg & Rose, 2022). Research has shown that conversations with other parents or referrals from teachers or program managers can help parents find available opportunities for financial support for sports programs such as scholarships or in-kind volunteer opportunities. Another is by increasing the visibility of these resources (Holt et al., 2011).

As mentioned earlier, resources, such as physical space, are essential for any sports program and yet for youth living in low-income neighborhoods, such physical spaces are rare. Therefore, youth often must travel to program locations. Studies show that parents of girls often do not feel comfortable with their daughters travelling, even shorter distances, to program locations (Douyan, 2010; Staurwosky, et al., 2021). In a study about an intervention at a Boston housing project, Douyan and colleagues (2010) noted that program location and safety were significant barriers to participation. Even with one of the program sites being favorably located within the housing development, parents were still concerned about having their daughters travel to other parts of the neighborhood.

A recent study of parent experiences revealed that parents expressed conflicting opinions about the role of coaches in their child’s sports experience with a few suggesting that coaches lacked the skills needed to help youth flourish while others perceived coaches to be overly competitive (Legg & Rose, 2022). Whether parents prefer coaches’ technical skills/ competitiveness or warmth/emotional support can be vary depending on the specific sports context (e.g., competition level) (Sutcliffe et al., 2019), and most importantly, differ from what youth prefer themselves (Whitley et al., 2011).

Parents have also noted reservations around their daughter’s participation in sports programs that are not racially and ethnically diverse. Feelings of isolation and lack of a sense of belonging in such settings are not just relevant to girls, but also to parents as they socialize with other parents and families (Staurwosky et al., 2020).

SPORTS SETTING + EXPERIENCES: ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES FOR RECRUITMENT + RETENTION OF GIRLS IN SPORTS

General Program Strategies

Significantly reduce, if not eliminate costs related to participating in sports (program fees, equipment, transportation). Increase awareness of funding support for girls in sports by increasing marketing budgets for scholarship funds, in-kind opportunities, and organizations that offer free sports

Employ female coaches and staff, as well as develop male coaches’ capacity to respectfully engage with girls. Develop all coaches’ knowledge and capacity to employ culturally competent training techniques/methods. Also ensure coaches have the skills and knowledge to identify and adapt their coaching styles to support varying temperaments and personalities on the field.

Recruit staff (and coaches) from within the community. Girls can benefit immensely from playing in teams where both staff and peers are representative of their community. This type of connection to the community where the program is situated can remediate various common challenges (like bullying, racism, etc.) faced by girls of color at school and other settings.

Empower coaches to develop a coaching philosophy and a reflective practice. Offer ongoing training and professional development through both formal and informal avenues.

Ensure continued support and encouragement (with specific focus on mental health) during periods of injury and times of adversity, to ensure girls can maintain their self esteem and return to sport, as practically feasible. Offer meaningful and alternate roles to players recovering from injury, to ensure continued engagement and learning.

Create safe physical spaces that are well-built and designed to match the demands of the game (e.g., appropriate changing rooms, access to mirrors, clean drinking water). Ensure mixed-gender spaces respect the individual/unique needs of girls.

Enact and adopt formal policies to bolster safety like anti-smoking, anti-bullying, and anti-abuse (physical, emotional, and sexual), physical safety policies (helmets, appropriate safety gear, etc.), and clear rules of engagement during games.

Strategies for Parents/Caregivers that Support Sports Setting + Experiences

Build coaches’ and staffs’ capacity for parent engagement to effectively communicate expectations, youth progress, and other program updates with parents.

Individualize parent outreach and engagement strategies to solicit their input on tangible supports needed. Further foster parent-to-parent interactions and resource sharing.

culture of healthy, open, and ongoing communication between coaches and parents. Offer both formal and informal opportunities for such communication. Clearly communicate and reinforce coaching philosophies, expectations, communication styles and preferences with parents.

Create opportunities for parents to assist coaches in different ways during practices/games. Garner their feedback on appropriate and effective ways of engaging with their daughters.

Engage parents in processes to enact new policies and update existing ones. Make parents aware of policies and address any safety concerns they might have. Take complaints and reports of abuse and ensure swift and fair action is taken.

COMMUNITY & CULTURAL CONTEXT

At the broadest and least proximal level, the girls, their families, their peers, and sports programs are nested within a broader culture and community. Although these factors are less influential than some of the daily interactions in a sports program, it is essential to remember that a girl and her participation in sports is still influenced by the community and cultural norms and views that surround their daily lives. In this section, our synthesis will highlight the role of communities, as well as how the broader sociocultural context may impact whether girls sign up and participate in sports.

Community support and buy-in for sports programs allows for meaningful and sustainable sports programs for adolescent girls.

Community buy-in is a vital component of the effectiveness of youth sports programming. Hiring community members who have shared experiences with the adolescent girls being recruited can help build trust in the program, promote participation and continued engagement, and inform the program to meet the community’s unique needs (Dunyon et al., 2010). This also offers girls a sense of belonging. Community buy-in can also be defined as direct involvement of community members and leaders in decision-making around logistics (e.g., scheduling or locations), program structure and content, and local strategies for recruitment and retention of girls in sports (Zarrett et al., 2020). staff members represent participant communities and demonstrate an understanding of cultural nuances is important for creating a safe and culturally responsive sports environment. Such staff members and/or known members of the community can also help encourage girls to attend (Moncloa et al., 2019; Douyan et al., 2012). Staff members or program representatives that have shared experiences can be a welcoming presence for youth who are seeking role models who look like them and have had similar life experiences who can foster an environment where youth feel safe to explore cultural, ethnic, and intersectional identities free from negativity (Moncloa et al., 2019).

Positive role models are essential to positive youth development. Seeing someone who has a shared identity and/or lived experience accomplish something offers inspiration, and a sense of self-efficacy – a sense that “I can do that too”. Yet, research shows that male sports and athletes

Limited exposure to female role models in sports influences perceptions that sports are inaccessible for girls and that their participation is not valued nor valuable.

One of the main reasons parents cannot engage in their child’s academic progress in the typically prescribed ways, such as volunteering in the classroom, is because of work schedules, fewer available resources, or spent familial capital (i.e., relying too much on family members to care for children). Youth sports programs have been identified as opportunities outside of the traditional workday that enable parents to engage in their child’s positive development outside of an academic setting (Posey-Maddox & Haley-Lock, 2020; Mapp, 2003; Reynolds et al., 2015).

Differing languages and cultures also pose challenges to parent engagement in sports, whether it be an inability for parents to communicate their needs and cultural considerations, or understand the needs of the programs. Parents who do not speak the same language or understand the dominant culture can feel disempowered and are less likely to be engaged in parent engagement activities (Georgis et al., 2019). Research shows that one size does not fit all when it comes to parent engagement in traditional school settings. Many studies have noted the role of cultural brokers – people who understand the language and experiences of families as well as the intricate aspects and dimensions of programs – in supporting a child’s development in outside-of-school-time programs (Moncloa et al., 2019; Georgis et al., 2014). Parents in Latinx, immigrant, and refugee families noted that with the support of cultural brokers as interpreters and organizers of culturally relevant events, they were able to successfully socialize with other parents and teachers/staff and that socialization was important for their engagement and youth engagement (Moncloa et al., 2019; Georgis et al., 2014).

Other studies have noted that extending personal invitations to parents to engage in a particular task for which they might be particularly qualified or soliciting ideas from the parents about what they can offer to support the program, had a positive impact on parent engagement in their children’s schooling (Mapp, 2003; Reynolds et al., 2015). Specific invitations can also lead to the parents moving from feeling disempowered to feeling seen and valued, and it is reasonable to expect similar benefits within the sports context.

Parents sometimes hold traditional gender stereotypes which negatively influences girls’ participation in sports; traditional gender stereotypes are typically mis-aligned with girls’ attitudes and goals for themselves.

COMMUNITY + CULTURAL CONTEXT: ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES FOR RECRUITMENT + RETENTION OF GIRLS IN SPORTS

General Program Strategies

Provide more resources and more opportunities to engage in a variety of sports in lower income to combat disparities in access.

Inspire girls to want to participate in sports and show they are valued in sports by increasing the visibility of physically active and successful females in print, television, and social media. Visibly and equitably celebrate female athletes’ participation and success in sports at all levels.

Create opportunities within the community to view local and high-level female sporting events. This could be done through community screenings of relevant documentaries, live matches, and interviews. Invite female role models (as feasible) to interact with participants.

Solicit community buy-in when planning new sports programs. Gather community leaders, community organizations, and relevant partners to inform various aspects of the program like location, offerings, times for offerings, language and cultural considerations, and alignment with community guidelines and policies (both formal and informal).

Strategies for Parents/Caregivers that Support the Community + Cultural Context

tools and strategies to debunk prevalent gender stereotypes about sports and physical activity in daily interactions.

empower parents to provide opportunities for youth to see female athletes

who understand the languages and experiences of families, as well as the intricate aspects and dimensions of the programs in which they are trying to involve the parent.

Individualize parent outreach and engagement strategies to solicit their ideas about how to engage and what supports they can best offer.

SECTION 4. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

Despite it being overwhelmingly evident that engaging in sports is valuable to adolescent girls’ positive development, very few girls, especially from historically marginalized communities, are availing its benefits. Even when girls decide to play, the timeliness and quality of their experiences, and continued engagement can be impacted negatively by various factors, further reinforcing gender inequities in sports. What sports programs do, in partnership with girls themselves, families, communities, and broader partners (like funders, media), matters for closing the play equity gap. To this end, this report presents a research and community perspective-driven, practitioner-centric, and action-oriented summary of the influences on sports participation across the ecosystem of girls’ sports, with a specific focus on Black/African American and Latinx girls. Furthermore, this report synthesizes wide-ranging knowledge on the influence of parents on girls’ sports participation, and effective parent engagement strategies for youth sports programs. Together with on-the-ground expertise and lived experiences of practitioners in youth sports programs, implementation of applicable strategies from this report can help substantially enhance the overall experiences of girls in sports and maximize their developmental benefits, ultimately closing the play equity gap. Figure 1 (on the next page) provides a summary of key influences, both generally and in relation to parent engagement, on the recruitment and retention of girls in sports, derived from the literature and community perspectives reviewed in this document.

OVERVIEW OF DATA SOURCES

The ecological context within which girls are situated strongly influences their participation in sports. As described earlier, while girls’ internal beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions are crucial, their relationships with peers and parents, the sport setting and related experiences, and the broader community and culture sufficiently influence their entry into and trajectory in sports. One such individual factor across the research is girls’ perception of the value of sports and the value of their contributions. This tends to be an important factor because it is one of the only perceptions that is influenced by all the other ecological influences and can potentially be modified with timely and relevant strategies during adolescence. How parents and families perpetuate gender stereotypes and do not expect girls to participate in activities perceived to be ‘masculine’ also influence girls’ perceptions of sports.

In a sport setting and at the community level, broader messaging around girls’ value and worth in sports, portrayal (or lack thereof) of female athletes, and availability of comparable play opportunities, all influence how girls’ value sports. Finally, at all levels, access to relevant female role models who are a reflection of their communities can further influence girls’ participation in sports. This can take place through modeling of sports and support for play at home by parents/ caregivers, access to female sporting events, training under female coaches and leaders, and the equitable, yet culturally appropriate, portrayal of women in sport in all settings.

Strategies for Recruitment + Retention of Girls in Sports

Trusting Relationships & Communication

Parent Education + Capacity Building

Tangible Support + Community Linkages

Family Involvement in Program Decisions

Opportunities for Parent Socialization

Empower Parents to Support Sports in Various Ways

Build Organizational Capacity to Engage Parents

Community + Cultural Factors

• Community support and buy-in

• Culturally relevant programming

• Culture of valuing + positive portrayal of girls in sports

Sports Setting + Experiences

• Affordable and accessible programs + resources + gear

• High-quality coaches with clear philosophy/reflective practice

• Access to female coaches/staff

• Supportive + safe policies and practices

Interpersonal Relationships

• Positive peer support and proximity

• Developing relational competence

• Healthy balance of socialization / fun + training/competition

Girls Themselves

• High value + positive sports perceptions positive body image and confidence in sports abilities

• Dispel gender norms and roles

Influence of Parents

Individualized culturally-relevant parent engagement, empowering parents to debunk gender stereotypes

Open coach-parent communication/ relationship, involvement of parents in programming + decision-making

Effective parent-youth communication & aligned goals/ expectations, appropriate pressure to win/perform

Parents’ value sports + knowledge of tools and strategies for sport-specific goal setting and dispelling stereotypes

Collectively, these strategies have the potential to reduce the play equity gap for girls of color

Figure 1. Integrated Summary of Strategies to Support Girls in Sports

While many strategies for increasing recruitment of girls in sports are clear, it is evident that girls’ (and their families’) decision to participate in sports is only the tip of the iceberg in closing the play equity gap. Programs (and staff), communities, and all other key actors in the ecosystem need to make strategic and intentional efforts to create a healthy play environment, enhance the play experience, and continually engage girls in sports. Regular participation, better experiences, and longer engagement are key to optimizing the positive benefits of sports to girls and communities-at-large.

To this end, three actors are key – coaches (and program staff), peers, and parents /families. The attributes (gender, race/ethnicity and lived experience) and skills possessed by coaches are a crucial factor in retaining girls in sports. Coaches can have a significant positive impact on girls’ experiences through their culturally appropriate and situationally relevant coaching strategies coupled with an evolving philosophy and reflective practice. Intentionality in coaching girls –through recognition of differences between girls and boys, varied expectations across girls in terms of competitiveness, and unique need for high-quality experiences (uniform policies, access to high quality gear, etc.) – can further enhance continued participation. Peers, on the other hand, influence girls’ continued engagement by elevating the perceived relevance and enjoyment of sports. As girls transition into adolescence, their relational focus shifts away from their parents towards peers and their motivation to participate in social activities heightens. Hence, peer proximity and support, and opportunities for socialization/fun during sports are vital to programs focusing on girls.

Parents are critical influence in girls’ decisions to start and continue participating in sports. Their role during childhood is significant, especially as it relates to initiation into sports. Even as girls reach adolescence, despite the lower relational significance of parents, they continue to have a strong influence on girls’ decision to play and their continued engagement in sports. Parents can negatively impact girls’ recruitment and retention in sports by being disengaged and unsupportive or by being overly engaged. It is vital that parents support their daughters both tangibly (e.g., driving to practice, providing access to gear) and emotionally (e.g., showing up at games, supporting sports-specific goals). Parental support in other forms that are not visible extrinsically (e.g., debriefing after games, practicing at home) are also impactful ways to show support and positively influence girls’ sports engagement. At the same time, parents also need to be empowered to leave the driver’s seat and take on the role of a supporter as their daughters transition to late adolescence. Too much pressure, hyper-focusing on winning, and mis-aligned expectations/goals have all been found to predict dropping out of sports for girls. As such, programs can capitalize on this unique and ubiquitous influence that parents have on girls, through effective parent engagement to help close the play equity gap.

Across academic, behavioral health, early childhood, and expanded learning program contexts, has been shown to be effective in improving recruitment, experiences, and retention of participants. While there is some literature on the scope and value of engaging parents in youth sports contexts, it is not well-established. Hence, in this report, literature from several contexts and the perspectives of parents and program staff have been synthesized to identify strategies specific to youth sports programs that are focused on increasing girls’ recruitment and retention in sports, specifically in historically marginalized communities. Further, through focus groups with leaders from community-based sports programs and parents of girls participating in sports, a nuanced community perspective on parental engagement was gathered and integrated with the published literature. Seven broad strategies emerged, and they all center around supporting families to meet the unique needs of girls in sports (through tangible support, better communication, at-home reinforcement of learning, and favorable behaviors before, during, and after sporting events), building a trusting relationship with open communication, and intentionally bringing families (in whatever capacity they can) into the program’s development, implementation, and improvement. Through these researchdriven parent engagement strategies, the direct and indirect influence of parents on girls’ sports recruitment and retention can be modified to close the play equity gap.

As this report illustrates, a girls’ decision to sign up and continue to participate in sports is influenced by many internal and external forces in their lives. It is vitally important that sports programs consider these influences and capitalize on these forces to ensure that all youth have access to the positive developmental experiences and benefits of high-quality sports programs. It is our hope that bringing together a detailed synthesis and offering actionoriented best practices will provide programs with a plethora of strategies to choose from that make the most sense in their unique sports program, school, and neighborhood context. However, this report is incomplete without hearing directly from the parents/caregivers of girl sports participants, community members, and the coaches/program staff who serve girls every day in sports programs. As a next step, our goal is to capture these important voices in a systematic way that allows us to highlight the actual strategies being used by these groups to bolster recruitment and retention of girls in sports. Through sharing and reflecting upon best practices, we can harness the collective power of our resources to best serve girls of color and offer them highquality experiences in sports that will hopefully lead to a life-long engagement in physical activity.

APPENDIX A: SELECT EXAMPLES OF PARENT ENGAGEMENT MODELS FROM THE LITERATURE

1. The Engaging Families Initiative, BOSTnet

https://cdn.ymaws.com/nafsce.org/resource/resmgr/Toolkits/Boston_Engaging_Families_Out.pdf

The goals of EFI training and technical program are to increase the number of after school programs that effectively connect families to resources and improve family involvement in children’s education and school. EFI promoted parental involvement in after-school programs in two primary ways: 1) by providing financial support for staff time to conduct parent outreach and communication, and to cover costs of family activities, provide transportation, etc.; and 2) by providing technical assistance designed to give programs information and strategies to enhance parent involvement and to link programs with community resources. Examples of the technical assistance include:

1. A check list for programs to assess their current level of family engagement

2. Action plan templates to design strategies for parent engagement programs complete with a monitoring component

3. Communication log templates to as a tool towards strengthening communication between programs and families to promote their involvement in after-school programs and engagement in their child’s learning

4. Strategies and tips for family engagement and for designing a family engagement program. They offer tips on:

a. Supporting families

b. Communicating and building trusting relationships

c. Hiring and developing a family focused staff

d. Building linkages across individuals and organizations

2. Getting Ready

https://edn.ne.gov/cms/getting-ready

The Getting Ready intervention compared a consultative partnership approach parent training approaches’ effects on enhancing school readiness for preschool programs with young children at developmental risk (diagnosed disabilities, non-native Englishspeaking homes, low socio-economic status, etc.).

A consultative partnership approach is one in which efforts are focused on strengthening relationships between parents and children and relationships between parents and the children's teachers to support a variety of developmental needs, as opposed to parent training models where parents receive frontal training sessions or workshops that focus on single developmental outcomes. The study shows that a consultative partnership approach can be beneficial in professional development to to build their capacity to interact confidently and competently with parents so as to support parents to interact with similar abilities with their children. The Getting Ready approach

Discuss developmental expectations and goals

Provide developmental information

Make suggestions, and brainstorm collaboratively with parents around issues related to their child's social, cognitive, or language development and learning

3. California Schools Districts Family Engagement Framework

https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/pf/pf/documents/famengageframeenglish.pdf

This framework is a tool that describes district expectations and multi-leveled implementation strategies for integrated family engagement within California state educational programs for the purposes of supporting student achievement and closing the academic achievement gap. Within the document one will find 18 district principles broken up into 5 action areas, which outline essential actions, taken at the district level, to support family involvement. The 5 action areas include: build capacity; demonstrate leadership; resources: fiscal and other; monitor progress; access and equity. Each of the 18 action-oriented principles is then broken down into an implementation plan which shows what activities are required at the Federal and State level and then offers ways for the district to support implementation of those activities in a basic way, a progressive way and an innovative way. The 5 action areas are then broken down further and an outline provided of what one can do in the home, classroom, school, and district levels to support family engagement.

6. Head Start Parent, Family and Community Engagement Framework (PFCE Framework)

https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/school-readiness/article/parent-family-community- engagement-pfce-framework

The PFCE framework is a guide for collaboration between Head Start programs, staff and parents and community service providers. Head Start programs are early childhood education/ pre-school programs that promote school readiness and positive, enduring outcomes for children and families. The PFCE Framework offers strategies and considerations for how to engage families and communities into their program design and strategic planning so each unique Head Start program can achieve their desired program impacts for family outcomes and ultimately, for child outcomes. Each activity and/ or strategy designed with this framework is meant to be considered through a lens of equity, inclusiveness, and cultural and linguistic responsiveness as well as positive and goal-oriented relationships.

7. Parent-Mentor Program Parent Mentor Program

The Parent Mentor Program offers a model for parents of color to engage with schools in a meaningful, impactful, and race conscious way that diverges from the traditional parent engagement models built with white middle class families at the forefront. The parent mentor program was a pilot study that vetted and placed 4 African American parents into high school classrooms to facilitate more respectful, intercultural communication and relationship between white teachers and students of color with the goal of creating cultural bridges and reducing teacher-student conflict and disciplinary measures that could reduce learning opportunities for students of color. The study offers researched insights and understandings into common challenges parents of color face when engaging with schools, schools face when trying to engage parents of color, and ideas of how to overcome such barriers and the opportunities for

APPENDIX B:

ACTIONABLE PARENT ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES AND RELEVANT EXEMPLAR QUOTES FROM THE COMMUNITY

Actionable Strategy

Support families tangibly and through community linkages

Collaborate and partner with local organizations, entities, and agencies to offer wrap-around and supportive services to families (e.g., transportation, health screenings, academic tutoring, childcare, food).

Identify and allocate funds and resources to provide transportation support to families who might need it. Transportation support could also be made available on as ad-hoc basis for families as need emerges.

• “The coach and the coordinator, they are so dedicated, but it takes funding to get transportation. I am pretty sure I would not mind if they had a van to go pick up the kids. If they have a designated driver for the team, to get the kids, especially whose parent cannot sometimes.” – Parent of Sports Participant

• “But I will sometimes make some exceptions. If I know, this family is going through something and I really think this kid needs to be here because they are going to miss practice otherwise, we're going to give some wiggle room and help with drop-offs etc. because I know what's going on at home.” – Sports Program Staff

Offer programs at a low cost, sliding scale, or free of cost to families with financial needs. Be mindful of financial demands like paying for supplies, travel, and so forth. This can be done by either offering financial support, hosting fundraisers, informing parents about funding opportunities, bulk ordering supplies to reduce cost, or finding alternative solutions to purchases.

Organizations can also further reduce the burden on parents by offering ‘all inclusive’ programs wherein enrollment into the program includes access to necessary equipment. Even if equipment is provided for a price (added to enrollment fees), the burden of researching and purchasing equipment can be deterrent for some busy parents.

• “And when we do other activities, we try to take into consideration what our parents have as far as resources, because not everybody has the same resources. And it's, it could be very extreme in some cases. So just being cognizant of that while planning [events], is very important. –Sports Program Staff

• “I feel like saying "everything is included" would make the parents more involved. Because well, they don’t have to worry about getting everything like the uniform, kits and stuff.” – Parent of Sports Participant

Community Perspective

As feasible, fundraise and/or establish partnerships with entities that can fund youth program participants based on need and/or talent. Offer support and guidance in completing necessary applications.

Offer installment plans, individualized support and guidance for fundraising and scholarship applications, and any other means to access financial support.

Exemplar Quote(s)

• “I speak for myself as a single parent. It's hard sometimes when you know, they want to play football, they want to play baseball, they want to do volleyball, and you're like, how do I do it? Yeah. So, I think a price that is doable, that works within our budget is better for us. And if it is not as low, having opportunities such as fundraising, paying in installments, etc. I think all of that also just keeps us engaged.” – Parent of Sports Participant

Build trusting relationships and foster open communication

Focus on family assets and offer opportunities for families to share their perspective and lived experiences through various avenues like surveys, reflection sessions, and parent meetings. Intentionally follow-through on feedback received.

Create structured opportunities (like parent meetings) to provide updates, share and receive feedback, and level set around program expectations and developments at regular intervals. This strategy of optimizing information sharing at a structured time can be especially effective in engaging busy parents (who otherwise are unable to stay through all practices and games).

• “...it's just very hard for them [parents] to actually stay [for practices and games] because they come from work, and then just sign up the child and then they take them home. But when they [programs] say that we are going to have a parent meeting, or we're going to have some event, you know, parents do show up.” – Parent of Sports Program Participant

• “I do feel that when we do find the space to allow parents to come together, they find a sense of community. And I personally think that having in person meetings, similar to orientations have worked for us. Those regular meetings have worked for us. – Sports Program Staff

Learn about and consider the concerns, needs, challenges, and expectations of families when planning and making decisions around program offerings. Wherever feasible and if identified as a need in the community, couple sports programs with other trainings and/or programs like college readiness and financial literacy.

Clearly communicate program offerings (and boundaries) to avoid future disappointments and disengagement from parents.

• We have some stuff like career readiness stuff, or maybe it's helping you get to college or something like that. And I think that those are things that sometime motivate parents to stay involved, like this is something that is benefiting my child and benefiting our family to continue to stay involved.” – Sports Program Staff

• “being clear with parents about how much we can provide within our program because there have been situations where we're trying to provide competitions, and games for students, but they [students and parents] want to do more than what we as a program are capable of providing. So, making sure that we're communicating what's within our standards that our program can provide so trust is maintained.”

- Sports Program Staff

Community Perspective

Community Perspective

Communicate with families intentionally and frequently. Create a culture of warm, strengths-focused, and productive feedback and communication about youth progress and performance.

Communicate in multiple modes (handouts/ flyers, texts, phone calls, etc.) through multiple channels (through the youth and directly with parents) to ensure effective communication and uptake of necessary information.

Alleviate concerns and clearly provide reassurances (and proof) of measures the program will take to ensure physical and emotional safety of girls who participate. Parents' trust in coaches and the safety of their daughters (overall physical and emotional safety) can be a key driver of continued participation and parent engagement.

• “But one of the things that I've found is very important is that in my community, some people do really good when you give them a written paper, and everything is written in there and kind of outlined for them. Some people require the [information] written and they also want you to tell them in-person and go over things with them. And they want to be able to ask you questions directly. So that's very important to some. So, we always make it a point to not just hand them stacks of paper, but also to follow it up with a meeting to go over if they have any questions, or to review it and hit the points again. They like to be heard and acknowledged that way.” – Sports Program Staff

• “...they [players] feel safe to be with certain coaches, they feel welcome, and they can always go to anybody. So, they just feel that safety. And that engagement with any and all of the coaches, obviously, to me is something that [keeps] me coming back. – Parent of Sports Participant

• N/A Maintain a family communication log to record, follow- through, track and evaluate in-depth communications initiated by staff with individual families.

Be aware of languages spoken in the community. Accurately translate marketing and outreach material to encourage participation from diverse youth.

• “Everything has to be bilingual. You know, we make a very concerted effort about that. And we also ask in our communications with parents, what is their preferred language? Because some parents are more comfortable in English than Spanish. And so, we want to know, but it's also an area that we can improve on ourselves. Our website is not by lingual yet. So, that is something that we're working on.” – Sports Program Staff

Use race-conscious methods of engagement to create an inclusive environment for both youth and families. This includes using appropriate language, avoiding racial and cultural stereotypes, and being receptive to feedback from families of color. Parents can be engaged as ‘cultural informants’ to create equitable learning environments that are conducive to different learning styles and abilities.

• “...when they [the program] needs something, they come to me and when I need something, I go to them. That's how we work together - as a family, it is not like "oh, you do your own thing". No, we all do it together. – Parent of Sports Participant

Community Perspective

Community Perspective

Community Perspective

Involve and integrate families into program structures and decision-making

school/program year). Create avenues for parent advisory boards to bring concerns to the forefront and make intentional efforts to consider their feedback.

“I think one part is giving parents the voice to share what they want to see from the program as well. Obviously, us holding those boundaries of whatever limitations we may have. But when we have been able to do that, we usually appoint parent representatives. On top of that strong coach, having some parent representatives to continue that engagement is very, very helpful. In

Recruit parents to serve as who can and trust with other families girls into sports. This is possible by either marketing (word-of-mouth and other) good programs, and/or being an ambassador for the program to alleviate concerns and reservations impeding participation. Parents can also school/program leaders, educators, community programs, and other relevant entities to support their needs outside sports.

Intentionally create opportunities and foster parents to be various aspects of the program from marketing, administration, and ad-hoc support at events, games, and practices. These roles (that do not involve direct coaching but involve direct interaction with youth) can be effective ways to engage parents who do not prefer playing/ coaching and to maximize their assets and expertise.

Recruit parents to serve as coaches. Parents, as coaches, can be especially effective in bringing culturally responsive and aligned to the program.

• “I have been coaching flag football. I grew up different. I grew up in Mexico. So, when I wanted to play sports, none of my coaches were like "oh, please do it like this", you just do it. They cuss and like it was rough. So now with me coaching, I thought it was going to be hard for me because I don't have the patience for like when they don't listen. But I got to do it, it is a challenge. I try to do my best coaching.” –

Parent of Sports Participant

• “I think when it first started, she was very shy. She was so shy that I ended up joining the program as a coach because she didn't want to be on the field without me. And then she was actually eventually diagnosed with separation anxiety. And then it came to a point where I didn't even matter, because she would run to her friends.” – Parent of Sports Participant

When offering opportunities for parents to get involved with programs, start with lowstress volunteer activities and increase their level of responsibility over time based on level of engagement. For example, start with a volunteer position supporting registrations at events and over time (based on interest and continued engagement), offer opportunities (and training) to serve a coaches or assistants.

• “Our parent volunteers, they're the ones who we lean on to help keep our organization going this year, but they start up as a parent volunteer, and if they like it, then we recruit them next year to get them trained, so they can help us coach. We don’t want to overwhelm them right from the start.” –

Sports Program Staff

Invite parents to play and participate in games through structured events, further facilitating a positive sports experience for girls (and the parents themselves).

Parents can model an active lifestyle and the act of playing sports -- that can ultimately help their children develop a love for sports. This strategy can also be beneficial in modeling sports participation for younger siblings (or members of the family) who may not yet be a part of the program.

• “...what the coaches do is that every Saturday, [they invite] parents to play against the kids. So that's one of the things that I like a lot – Parent of Sports Participant

• “I feel like they imitate us so much. The earlier you get them exposed [to sports], the better because it becomes a normal thing. They get it and stay consistent - "mommy does it so I am going to do it". – Parent of Sports Participant

Community Perspective Community Perspective Community Perspective

Source of Information

Offer meaningful parent education and develop parent capacity to strengthen parent-child relationships

Organize and require (if feasible) a parent orientation meeting as a prerequisite to their child’s participation. Succinctly address various topics like introductions to program leaders and staff, program philosophy and expectations, and logistics for successful and continued participation in the program.

• “So, for us, what we do is we have our parent orientation. Every time we pick up our sports, we have a parent orientation a week before. Just like this weekend, we are starting off our golf program. So, during our orientation, we let them know the best way to contact us, and what to expect from the program etc. We also get to know them – if they need transportations or other support. So that way, we can provide them with what they need to keep up with the program” –Sports Program Staff

Offer parent education through both structured self-paced offerings, webinars, and written materials. While the design of the parent education offerings might vary based on the program context, some recommended content is:

• Program design, philosophy, and expectations for attendance and performance

• Policies, procedures, and disciplinary protocols

• Knowledge about the program offerings (value and importance of sports for girls, career opportunities, etc.)

• Knowledge of expectations and developmental milestones/changes

• Tools and strategies for goal setting, motivating, and supporting youth

• Guidance for effective age, gender, and culturally appropriate communication Programs serving girls (and especially in primarily Hispanic/Latinx communities) should be well-prepared to consistently identify and alleviate concerns related to girls’ participation in sports (especially as sports are not the norm for girls in the mainstream, like baseball and football). Program staff and coaches’ ability to respectfully and supportively guide parents who believe it is not socially normative for girls to play sports can go a long way in sustaining participation.

• “But when it comes to female participation, I think there's an empowerment piece and an educational component that we feel responsible that we should provide to our families. I think it's new, it's unchartered waters for them having their daughter - a little girl participate - in our sports programs and the commitment that comes with that. So, we've been trying to do it anytime that we have an event coming up or practice or season coming up, we make sure to tackle the parent education component first.” – Sports Program Staff

• “Also, in our culture as Latinos, we take care of the girl more. Oh, no, you're going to get hurt. She is not a boy to be playing that. Maybe it is too harsh for them.” – Parent of Sports Participant

• “My mother in law, she's old school. She believes that girls are supposed to be home, be more homeschooled, and be more introverted. And I've always kind of gone against her grain just because I don't want them to be so introverted. –Parent of Sports Participant

Community Perspective

Community Perspective

Actionable Strategy

Consider parent education (through knowledge, tools, and strategies) to foster their youth’s sports endeavors supporter rather than a decision-maker.

Coaches are uniquely positioned to equip parents with specific tools, techniques to identify their daughter’s needs and support them during games.

Empower parents to support their child's learning and development and offer options that

Encourage and validate the importance of parents’ presence at practices and games (at least a few critical ones if it is understandably not feasible at all times). Build on other previous strategies to make it easy, productive, and tangible for parents to be present.

know, parents volunteer to do water stations, having parents be able to drive their children to the practice site on the weekend. That is critical to the success of the kids in the program.” –Sports Program Staff

Create easy, relevant, and age-appropriate activities for the family to engage in as a way of reinforcing and practice program learnings.

• “I practice with her at home, I do that with any sport that she plays. If I don’t know, I do my homework and I learn it. Sometimes she will push me like "oh you don’t know how to [play this sport]", and I can say "I didn’t but now I know". YouTube is not just for dumb videos, I use it to learn the basics, the rules." – Parent of Sports Participant

Community Perspective

Encourage (and train, if necessary) parents to create and maintain open, safe, and consistent lines of communication with their daughters about their sports participation and experiences.

Parents reported that intentionally and consistently communicating with their daughter(s) about their experiences on a daily basis (e.g., debriefing after games) helped surface issues that the parent could help address, and also served as a tangible way to show their support and encouragement for her sports participation.

Exemplar Quote(s)

• “I think for me, it is just constantly talking to her and kind of seeing what she understands and what she doesn't understand about the games. Just having a dialogue on the way home and interacting with her and just trying to, you know, get into her mind. She's very reserved, and so she had a situation in school where she came home and told us that the teacher doesn't talk to the Black kids, and only talks to a certain group of kids. And so, we had to address it. She brought it to our attention just because of the dialogue that we constantly try to provide for her, to give her that open space to share. And you know, to also show her that we are interested, this [sport] is not just a passing or fleeting thing, but we want to engage with her and encourage her.” – Parent of Sports Participant

Consider creative ways to integrate sports activities into daily life without burdening families. Offer multiple options and ideas based on time-intensity and family resources.

• “I think motivation, like talking to them, explaining to them, and asking them questions. Maybe watching [sports] videos together...like when you show them the USC team, their volleyball team or stuff like that. Show them things, have them experience it and maybe that will help them continue to play, whichever sport they're playing.” – Parent of Sports Participant

Create and leverage opportunities for parent socialization

Create formal parent groups that facilitate regular interactions between parents within and across programs.

Community Perspective

Community Perspective

Actionable Strategy

Periodically host parent events during program offerings to increase participation and reduce added logistical burden (time, childcare, etc.).

On the other hand, with input from families and as relevant to specific program contexts/ realities, plan a few parent socialization events outside program hours such that the whole family can participate.

Exemplar Quote(s)

• “...having those informational meetings with parents, having external activities outside of programming hours, where there are more family events helps, just to continue to foster that familial culture.” – Sports Program Staff

• “And I think it comes down to them [parents] being all together. You know, having someone to lean on, having their own little community as parents, has worked. And I know I shared earlier too, allowing this parent group to take the lead on certain things like fundraising has been helpful.” – Sports Program Staff

Build organizational capacity for effective engagement with families and communities

Hire staff with parent engagement experience.

• N/A

Hire staff and solicit volunteers from within the community with similar lived experiences and cultural/linguistic backgrounds as youth and families being served.

• “I love the fact that they bring in, you know, people that look like them, because that's another thing that unfortunately, she faces with

Provide formal professional development and informal learning opportunities to engage families effectively.

Role play and practice engaging with parents in different contexts and around different topics to better enable successful on-the-ground interactions. This could also include equipping coaches with language and tools to set realistic boundaries with parents on and off the field.

Community Perspective

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