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You are here: The policy road map to protecting afterschool funding

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You are here: The policy road map to protecting afterschool funding

With more than half the calendar year behind us and only two months left in the 2017 federal fiscal year, now is a great time to pause and reflect on the ongoing quest to protect and grow federal funding for afterschool and summer learning programs. Much has happened since the March 16 release of the Trump administration’s skinny budget which proposed to eliminate federal 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) funding for almost 1.6 million students—yet there is still a long way to go.

Making progress

The administration’s FY2018 skinny budget released in mid-March, and the subsequent full budget proposal released in late-May, both proposed to eliminate $1.1 billion in Community Learning Centers funding that allows local afterschool and summer learning providers in all 50 states to offer quality enrichment and academic programming to 1.6 million students in grades K through 12. The Administration justified the proposed elimination of the program by pointing to data from a 12 year old report with flawed methodology that questioned the effectiveness of the program.

The response to the proposed elimination was swift:

  • Since March 1: We've made approximately 71,500 points of contact with Congress -- including calls, emails, and letters
  • March 2017: Multiple summaries of recent Community Learning Centers afterschool evaluations were published, showing widespread positive outcomes in classroom attendance, student behavior, grades and academics, and engagement.
  • Since April 6: At dozens of site visits around the country, members of Congress or their staff were able to meet students, parents, and program staff and see first-hand the impact of Community Learning Centers funded programs
  • April 10: Bipartisan Dear Colleague Letters circulate in Congress and gain signatures from more than 80 Representatives and more than 30 Senators. On the same day, an organizational support letter signed by 1,400 groups and a second support letter signed by 130 public health organizations are released.
  • June 6: During the Afterschool for All Challenge, advocates held more than 250 in-person meetings on Capitol Hill with policymakers.
  • June 28: Multiple briefings are held for Congressional staff, featuring program providers, local elected officials, students and more.

A tremendous thank you to all of the parents, advocates, friends of afterschool, national afterschool and summer learning providers, and supporters that joined together to reach out directly and through stakeholders to provide research and examples of the effectiveness of Community Learning Centers-funded programs. We’ve also seen a flood of media outreach in national and local press.

So... where do we go from here?

First, the good news: In the middle of the push to respond to the proposed budget elimination for FY2018, Congress had to finish their overdue work on the FY2017 (current) federal fiscal year spending package. Despite the strong possibility that Community Learning Centers funding would be slashed in the FY2017 Omnibus spending bill, it passed in early May with a $25 million increase in federal funding for afterschool and summer learning programs.

While that turnaround does not impact the FY2018 budget process, it does represent the overwhelming show of support for these effective funds and a true understanding on the part of Congressional Appropriators that Community Learning Centers funding benefits students, families, and communities. The increase was a vote of confidence in Community Learning Centers, but hard work remains to ensure full support for FY2018.

But as a reminder of the work left to do, in July the House of Representatives Appropriations Committee voted along party lines to cut Community Learning Centers funding by $192 million, a level that could leave 192,000 students nationwide without programs. While the program was not eliminated in the House bill, a cut of this size would decimate the private and local support that federal funds leverage, and hurt hundreds of communities.

The Senate has yet to act on their FY2018 spending bill and are expected to do so in September. The final appropriations process is far from settled and could include a continuing resolution and omnibus spending bill or even a federal government shutdown.

While much uncertainty remains, we know we must continue reaching out to Congress and making the case that Community Learning Centers are an effective means of supporting student success.

What can you do next?

With Congress out for the August recess this month, now is a great time to education your elected officials on the power of afterschool. As an individual:

  • Send an email to your members of Congress, state, or local elected officials, urging them to supper afterschool
  • Attend a town hall and speak to the value of afterschool
  • Join us for a Day of Action on September 27
  • Find an event to attend for Lights On Afterschool, the only national rally for afterschool, on October 26

As a program director or staff:

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House Education Committee advances workforce bill

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Office of Child Care inquiring what should be included in State Child Care Development Fund plans

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BY: Guest Blogger      08/07/23

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BY: Chris Neitzey      07/11/23

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BY: Chris Neitzey      05/11/23

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BY: Chris Neitzey      03/24/23

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BY: Chris Neitzey      03/07/23

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BY: Erik Peterson      11/21/23

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BY: Anita Krishnamurthi      08/28/23

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BY: Erik Peterson      07/14/23

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STEM education update: Good news and looking ahead

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BY: Anita Krishnamurthi      02/23/23

Mammoth spending bill includes support for afterschool, summer, mentoring, and more

In December, the 117th Congress approved a $1.7 trillion bill that included a $40 million increase for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative and additional increases across the US Department of Education important to afterschool programs, public schools,...

BY: Erik Peterson      01/23/23

Opportunity: CCDF supplemental funds available for school-age programs

Now and over the next year, states are focusing on spending “child care CCDF supplemental funds” that must be obligated by 2023 and liquidated in 2024. State administrative agencies of the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF, also known as CCDBG) recently faced three concurrent...

BY: Jillian Luchner      10/25/22

Extending the liquidation deadline of ESSER III funds to promote student success

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education released a letter sent to state education agencies outlining the process for requesting American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER III) funding extensions. The process will be similar to what was announced for ESSER I and...

BY: Erik Peterson      01/19/24

Beyond relief – New tools to help sustain the impactful pandemic investments in afterschool and summer

Children’s Funding Project, in collaboration with Grantmakers for Education and our team at the Afterschool Alliance released an important new tool for the field, “Funding Out-Of-School Time Programs – Now and in the Future.” Recognizing that COVID-19 education and child...

BY: Jillian Luchner      09/29/23

Senate Afterschool Caucus briefing highlights the impact of afterschool and summer programs

On Wednesday, July 12, the Senate Afterschool Caucus, in partnership with the Afterschool Alliance and the National Summer Learning Association, held a briefing on how the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program is making a positive difference for youth, families, and...

BY: Erik Peterson      07/18/23

$50M in 21st CCLC funds from Bipartisan Safer Communities Act sent to states

This summer, a group of 20 Democratic and Republican Senators, led by Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), worked to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which included gun safety measures, mental health support investments, and school safety provisions that aim to...

BY: Erik Peterson      11/03/22

Learning about summer learning

Summer enrichment funding for every state was required in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). The State of Summer Learning Grants: An Analysis of States’ Use of ARP Summer Enrichment published in July by the organization Education...

BY: Jillian Luchner      09/19/22

ARP investments in comprehensive afterschool: Kentucky case-study

By Mahika Gupta and Alexa Kamen, the Afterschool Alliance’s inaugural Summer Policy Interns. Mahika is entering her Senior year at Colby College in Maine, working on degrees in English Creative Writing and Astrophysics and participating as a staff writer for her college paper. Alexa...

BY: Guest Blogger      08/18/22

ARP investments in comprehensive afterschool: Connecticut case-study

By Mahika Gupta and Alexa Kamen, the Afterschool Alliance’s inaugural Summer Policy Interns. Mahika is entering her Senior year at Colby College in Maine, working on degrees in English Creative Writing and Astrophysics and participating as a staff writer for her college paper. Alexa...

BY: Guest Blogger      08/05/22

Roundup of afterschool in State Budgets Part 2

With state legislative sessions wrapping up and state budgets now finalized, we bring you our second installment of the roundup of afterschool funding in state budgets. As highlighted in the previous post from June, this year brought a number of new investments in afterschool at the state level....

BY: Chris Neitzey      07/21/22

For some, a summer of enrichment thanks to ARP dollars

This summer, thanks to pandemic relief funding, some students are experiencing a summer full of exploration, connections with friends and mentors, and learning that is engaging and exciting. After the last couple years, it can be a game changer for youth who have faced isolation, loss, and...

BY: Erik Peterson      06/27/22

Jodi Grant testifies at House hearing in support of afterschool programs

This morning, Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant testified at a hearing of the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS-E) Appropriations Subcommittee in favor of increased funding for Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st...

BY: Erik Peterson      05/26/22