New legislation could strengthen afterschool arts, community connections, and workforce development

In recent weeks, senators have introduced three bills with implications for afterschool and summer learning. The Arts Education for All Act would expand opportunities for arts education and partnerships through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program. The In Real Life (IRL) Act would establish a new funding stream for local communities to invest in parks, libraries, recreation programs, and other places that bring people together. Meanwhile, the bipartisan PREP Act would help create pathways for afterschool and summer program staff to enter teaching and school leadership. Together, these proposals highlight opportunities to strengthen programs, support the afterschool workforce, and build stronger communities.

The Arts Education for All (S.5635 / H.R.2485)

Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) reintroduced the Arts Education for All Act, legislation to expand access to arts education and programming for youth and adults in settings such as afterschool and summer learning programs, early learning centers, K–12 schools, and juvenile justice facilities. A bipartisan House version is led by Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore).

The bill focuses on improving arts programming in early childhood education and caregiving environments, supporting access to arts education in K–12 schools, prioritizing professional development for arts educators, and increasing the accessibility and use of data on arts education availability.

For afterschool and summer learning, the bill makes two direct changes. First, it adds a new allowable activity to the 21st CCLC program: partnering with arts organizations and community arts nonprofits that further creative youth development. If enacted, programs that receive 21st CCLC funds could use them to work with these partners. Second, it would include arts education in the program’s professional development provisions. These changes would give 21st CCLC grantees additional opportunities to incorporate arts education into their programming and support staff in delivering these activities, without requiring programs to adopt new activities or partnerships.

The bill would also require each state’s education plan to describe how the state will support partnerships that increase arts education and creative youth development available in afterschool and summer learning programs.

Arts have long been a part of afterschool, and programs have research-backed guidance to help them do it well. The Wallace Foundation’s Setting the Stage: Practical Ideas for Implementing High-Quality Afterschool Arts Programs draws on research with Boys & Girls Clubs sites that added arts programming to their existing offerings. It identifies three practices that matter most for quality: employing professional teaching artists, providing current equipment and materials, and creating dedicated, welcoming spaces for art. The report also offers ways to keep costs down, such as hiring early-career teaching artists, seeking equipment donations, and partnering with community arts organizations for space. If enacted, the Arts Education for All Act would give 21st CCLC grantees a clear way to build on these proven approaches by partnering with arts organizations.

The In Real Life (IRL) Act (S.5531)

Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) introduced the In Real Life Act, which would tax the advertising revenue of the largest social media companies to create a Social Capital Fund for local communities.

The tax would apply only to ads on platforms that use algorithms to decide what users see. Companies below a certain size would pay nothing, and the tax rate would rise with revenue, reaching 50 percent only on advertising revenue above $10 billion. The money would go into a new Social Capital Fund that communities could use to support parks, libraries, recreation programs, and other places and groups that bring neighbors together.

The fund could support recreation programs run by governments or nonprofits, the operation and programming of recreation centers, libraries, parks, and playgrounds, programs that teach responsible technology use, and parent teacher organizations. The money would be split two ways: 75 percent would go to local governments by a formula similar to the Community Development Block Grant, and 25 percent would be awarded competitively to local governments, nonprofits, tribes, and community groups. Afterschool and summer providers could therefore apply directly for the competitive share or work with their city or county on the formula share.

The IRL Act is one of several efforts to direct resources from social media companies toward supporting young people's well-being and opportunities for in-person connection. Another is already underway at the state level. In August, Meta reached a settlement with a bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general over claims that Facebook and Instagram were designed in ways that harmed young people’s mental health. The agreement provides up to $17.1 billion to states over 10 years, and states may use the money for afterschool and summer programs, along with youth mental health services, crisis hotlines, and digital literacy efforts. States are now deciding how to use their share, and other lawsuits against social media companies could bring more funding.

The settlement identifies afterschool and summer programs as a recommended use of the funds, but funding for these programs is not guaranteed, as states retain discretion over how the money is spent.

Fund IRL, a national coalition co-founded by Afterschool Alliance and Children’s Funding Project, is working to ensure that states focus on activities that support the mental well-being of youth, like afterschool and summer learning programs, when deciding how to spend their settlement funds. Fund IRL is separate from Senator Murphy’s bill, but both reflect the shared goal of investing in places and programs that help young people connect in person.

The Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals (PREP) Act (S. 5540)

Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) reintroduced the Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals Act. This bipartisan legislation aims to address teacher and principal shortages, particularly in rural communities, and increase teacher diversity.

The bill would establish five-year grants for partnerships among states, high-need school districts, and colleges and universities to prepare, recruit, and retain teachers and principals. It emphasizes year-long residency programs, where aspiring teachers learn alongside an experienced mentor, and “Grow Your Own” programs that help people from local communities become educators. It would also support teacher preparation at historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal colleges, and other minority-serving institutions.

For afterschool and summer learning, the key provision is that Grow Your Own programs under the bill would include efforts, where feasible, to recruit current afterschool and summer program staff, along with paraprofessionals and other school employees, into teaching and school leadership. This would build on the role afterschool and summer programs can play in developing the educator workforce.

Afterschool and summer learning staff are skilled professionals who play a vital role in young people’s lives. They mentor students, build trust with families, and run the programs that give kids safe, engaging places to learn when school is out. The PREP Act’s recognition of afterschool and summer staff as a source of future teachers and school leaders affirms the expertise these professionals already bring to the field.

Grow Your Own programs under the bill would pair recruitment with advising, testing support, financial assistance, and year-long residencies with a living stipend, helping prospective educators earn teaching credentials. For afterschool professionals who want to teach or lead schools, that adds a concrete, supported path to do it.

A stronger pipeline works best alongside investment in the afterschool workforce itself, including training, professional development, and career pathways for the many staff who choose to stay in the field. Policymakers and school districts should invest in career pathways for staff who move into classrooms and for those who choose to build careers in afterschool.

The Legislative Landscape

While these three bills address different policy priorities, each presents potential opportunities to strengthen the communities, workforce, and learning environments that support young people beyond the school day. As Congress considers these proposals, the afterschool and summer learning field can help ensure that policymakers recognize the value of arts education, invest in pathways for afterschool professionals, and support community spaces where young people can learn and connect. The Afterschool Alliance will continue to monitor these legislative efforts and advocate for bipartisan policies that expand access to high-quality afterschool and summer learning opportunities.