Snacks by Erik Peterson
JUN
10
POLICY
By Erik Peterson
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)—chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee—along with the support of all of the Democrats on the Committee, has posted an Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization bill to replace the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act. The committee is expected to discuss and mark up the bill tomorrow. A Republican bill, Every Child Ready for College or Career Act, led by HELP Committee Ranking Member Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), was released late last week.
Chairman Harkin’s bill, the
Strengthening America’s Schools Act of 2013, supports teachers and principals to help provide high-quality instruction, ensures disadvantaged students get the supports they need to succeed, and focuses federal attention on supporting states and districts in turning around low-performing schools and closing achievement gaps.
With regard to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative the bill is very similar to the one that passed the Committee in the fall of 2011. Our main concern is that in an era of sequestration and budget cuts, the language in the bill will dilute and divert much-needed afterschool dollars to pay for a longer school day. In addition, the bill would allow 21st CCLC to fund activities normally funded by local education agencies such as teacher planning time and more time in a traditional classroom. It would also allow the funds to be used for wholescale school redesign, which could be an expensive drain on a stretched funding stream. There are other ways to fund a longer school day without cutting afterschool programming and these are included in Sen. Harkin’s bill. Currently, more than $13 billion in federal funding through Title I, Race to the Top, School Improvements Grants and I3 grants are already available to fund a longer school day.
We do applaud changes in the bill that allow for better reporting and data sharing between schools and community based organizations working with students. Specifically Section 4107 of the bill, which addresses 21st CCLC, states:
funds would still flow by formula to state education agencies that would then hold competitions at the state level. Partnerships of local education agencies (LEA) and public entities or non-profit organizations would be eligible to apply for funding, with either the LEA or the public entity or non-profit serving as the lead funded entity.
Like the 2011 Senate ESEA legislation, eligible entities will have the option of applying for funds to provide afterschool, summer learning and before-school programming; adding time to the school day, week or year for academics, enrichment and engagement; and/or comprehensively redesigning and expanding the school day, week or year to provide more academics, enrichment, and teacher and staff professional development.
Amendment language from the 2011 version has been included in Harkin’s new bill in order to prevent a federal preference or priority on which approach (afterschool, summer learning, expanded learning for some students, expanded learning for all students). The bill also includes a stronger requirement for partnerships between school districts and community-based organizations and public entities, with only a narrow exception for rural communities for whom the requirement would be a significant hardship. By requiring partnerships the bill goes further than current law, which only prioritizes such partnerships. The local education agencies or nonprofit and public partners can be the lead fiscal agent on 21st CCLC grants. The bill also requires collection, reporting and sharing of data and outcomes between school and community partners to inform implementation and focus programming, an area that needed improvement from current law.
While the 21st CCLC section of the legislation represents an improvement over many of the prior proposals to replace funding for afterschool programs with funding for a longer school day, concerns remain over the language within the bill that allows 21st CCLC funds to be used for expensive, whole-scale school redesign—an initiative that is also funded elsewhere in the bill through School Improvement Grants. Specifically, there is the real possibility under this legislation that 21st CCLC funds would be diverted to school reform and lengthening school days by an hour per day at the expense of providing quality afterschool programs for children an average of 14 hours per week. With 15 million children already unsupervised during the hours of 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., policies that could add to the number of unsupervised children should be avoided.
Elsewhere in the legislation, the STEM Master Teacher Corps program includes the option of afterschool STEM education (Sec. 4225); the financial literacy section allows afterschool financial literacy education (Sec. 4312); and the Successful, Safe and Healthy Students section calls for collaboration with before- and afterschool programming to keep young people safe and provide physical activity and mental health services (Sec. 4404). With regard to youth development, the reauthorization bill addresses conditions for learning, with support for bullying prevention, positive discipline, character development, social and emotional learning, family engagement, youth violence prevention, mental health, and physical activity. A new "whole school" model that embraces the community school philosophy is added to the school turnaround interventions. More information on the bill is available
here.
While the bill will likely pass committee next week—its prospects for passing on the Senate floor are dim without bipartisan support. A recent
tracking survey found that 87 percent of education policy insiders believe ESEA reauthorization will occur after January 2015. The Harkin bill is partisan and differs considerably from the approach of Sen. Alexander’s bill, which scales back federal involvement in education. The
Every Child Ready for College or Career Act would consolidate and effectively eliminate the 21
st CCLC initiative along with more than 60 other ESEA programs as part of a flexible block grant that allows school districts to determine whether to fund afterschool programs or a variety of other programs from parent engagement to physical education and school counseling after conducting a needs assessment.
The House Education and the Workforce Committee also plans to mark up separate Republican and Democratic versions of a ESEA reauthorization bill on June 19. A blog looking at the House ESEA process will follow shortly.
Friends of afterschool can
email representatives and senators to emphasize the value and importance of afterschool and summer learning programs through June as the education committees discuss ESEA.
JUN
10
POLICY
By Erik Peterson
Last week Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Richard Burr (R-NC), Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) introduced the bipartisan Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2013. The bill reauthorizes the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) for the first time in more than 17 years. Under the legislation, states would be required to ensure that all child care providers who care for children through the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) receive health and safety training in specific areas, comprehensive background checks, and on-site monitoring. The legislation does recognize the specific training and support needed for school-age caregivers.
More than 500,000 providers serve about 1.6 million low-income children through CCDF, including about 600,000 school-age children in afterschool, before-school and summer learning settings. Children ages 6 to 13 represent about 33 percent of all children receiving CCDF assistance. School-age children receive about $1.7 billion of all CCDF funds. The bill authors are soliciting feedback on the legislation prior to scheduling a mark-up of the bill. The Afterschool Alliance is preparing recommendations for the bill’s sponsors that would strengthen the school-age care components.
Do you provide care to children through CCDF? Please contact us with feedback on the reauthorization bill.
The bill requires states to devote more of their funding to quality initiatives, such as training, professional development and professional advancement of the child care workforce. The bill ensures that CCDBG providers meet certain health and safety requirements related to: prevention and control of infectious diseases, first aid and CPR, child abuse prevention, administration of medication, prevention of and response to emergencies due to food allergies, prevention of sudden infant death syndrome and shaken baby syndrome, building and physical premises safety, and emergency response planning. The legislation gives families more stability in the CCDBG program and works to improve early childhood care by requiring states to focus on infant and toddler quality initiatives. Finally, the bill requires mandatory background checks for child care providers in the CCDBG program. The text of the legislation can be accessed here.
Separate from the reauthorization bill, last month the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the Department of Health and Human Services announced proposed regulations for CCDF. Join Shannon Rudisill, director of the ACF's Office of Child Care, on June 14 at 1 p.m. EDT for a webinar where she will present on the new rule proposal, including its potential impact on afterschool and school-age programs and providers.
JUN
6
POLICY
By Erik Peterson
On May 16, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) announced newly proposed regulations for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). Join Shannon Rudisill, director of the ACF's Office of Child Care, on June 14 at 1 p.m. EDT for a webinar where she'll present on the new rule proposal, including its potential impact on afterschool and school-age programs and providers.
According to ACF, this proposed rule would strengthen health and safety requirements for child care providers, reflect current state and local practices to improve the quality of child care, infuse new accountability for federal tax dollars, and leverage the latest knowledge and research in the field of early care and education to better serve low-income children and families. The proposed rule would only apply directly to child care providers who accept CCDF funds. More than 500,000 providers serve about 1.6 million low-income children through CCDF, including about 650,000 school-age children in afterschool and before-school settings. Many more children would benefit, however, because the providers also serve non-CCDF children.
The Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) was last authorized in 1996, and Congress continues to work on a new reauthorization bill that was introduced in the Senate earlier this week. The regulation is currently open for comment until Aug. 5, 2013. The complete proposed rule can be accessed online.
Register for the June 14 webinar here.
MAY
22
POLICY
By Erik Peterson
Last week the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the Department of Health and Human Services
proposed to amend the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) regulations.
According to ACF, this proposed rule would strengthen health and safety requirements for child care providers, reflect current state and local practices to improve the quality of child care, infuse new accountability for federal tax dollars, and leverage the latest knowledge and research in the field of early care and education to better serve low-income children and families.
The proposed rule would only apply directly to child care providers who accept CCDF funds. More than 500,000 providers serve about 1.6 million low-income children through CCDF, including about 650,000 school-age children in afterschool and before-school settings. Many more children would benefit, however, because the providers also serve non-CCDF children. Under the proposed rule, states would require that all CCDF-funded child care providers:
- Receive health and safety trainings in specific areas
- Comply with applicable state and local fire, health and building codes
- Receive comprehensive background checks (including fingerprinting)
- Receive on-site monitoring
The rule would also require states to share information with parents about provider health, safety and licensing information through user-friendly websites. While some states already post health and safety reports online, the new rule would bring all states up to this standard. The proposed rule establishes new minimum standards but also recognizes the need for innovation and flexibility and allows states and communities to tailor their specific approaches to best meet the needs of the children and families they serve. The flexibility should benefit school-age care providers by allowing professional development opportunities tailored to staff serving children ages 6 to 13. The rule would not change or impede a state’s ability to license child care providers as they see fit.
The proposed rule includes a background on CCDF that emphasizes the value of quality school-age before-school and afterschool programs:
Because of the strong relationship between early experience and later success, investments in improving the quality of early childhood and before-and after-school programs can pay large dividends. Nurturing and responsive relationships with parents and caregivers, and engaging learning environments in early care and education settings can provide young children with the capacity for tremendous growth. Children attending high-quality school-age programs are more likely to succeed in school and have stronger social and inter-personal skills. In short, high-quality early education is a linchpin to creating an educational system that is internationally competitive and vital to the country's workforce development, economic security and global competitiveness.
Furthermore the role of collaboration with state afterschool networks and state afterschool associations are called out in Section 98.14 of the proposed rule:
We propose to add agencies responsible for administering statewide afterschool networks or other coordinating entities for out-of-school time care (if applicable) at new paragraph (H). Approximately, 39 states have established statewide afterschool networks. (National Network of Statewide Afterschool Networks,
www.statewideafterschoolnetworks.net) These networks bring together different stakeholders to consider ways to improve the quality, quantity, and sustainability of school-age programs in their State. The CCDF program provides assistance to children up to age 13, therefore we believe it is critical that child care administrators partner with statewide afterschool networks or other entities, such as State associations of school-age programs, in order to better understand and respond to the unique issues related to improving access to and the quality of before-and-after school programs.
ACF has made it clear that these proposed regulations to the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) do not replace a reauthorization of the program by Congress. CCDBG was last reauthorized in 1996, and Congress continues to work on CCDBG reauthorization. The regulation is currently open for comment, with a closing date of Aug. 5, 2013. The complete
proposed rule can be accessed online. The Afterschool Alliance is developing comments to the proposed rule and will post those here in the coming weeks.
MAY
20
POLICY
By Erik Peterson
While Congress is currently engaged in debate over immigration policy and the 2013 farm bill, two other policy issues are waiting patiently in the wings for their chance in the spotlight. There is a possibility that the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the House Education and the Workforce Committee will mark up their own versions of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization bills in June. At the same time, progress is slowly being made by the Appropriations Committee staff in both the House and the Senate on FY2014 spending bills. Now is a great time to weigh in on both of these issues:
- Contact your senators and representative to encourage them to support afterschool and summer learning as part of ESEA by co-sponsoring the Afterschool for America’s Children Act, S. 326. This bipartisan bill will enhance the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative by strengthening school-community partnerships among other improvements.
- Funding for 21st CCLC and the Child Care Development Fund remain critical. Contact your senators and representative to express how sequestration and the economy have impacted access to afterschool programs in your community. Call on them to support funding for afterschool and summer learning programs in the FY2014 appropriations process.
Thank you for taking action on behalf of the 18 million children who would be engaged in afterschool programs this afternoon if a program were accessible to them.
MAY
10
IN THE FIELD
By Erik Peterson
From Alabama to Washington state and places in between, afterschool programs are embracing the USDA Child and Adult Care Feeding Program’s (CACFP) At-Risk Afterschool Meals program. This spring, hundreds of afterschool programs are providing nutritious meals at no cost to those children who need them most. With summer around the corner, providers are also taking part in the Summer Food Service Program to ensure young people have the nourishment they need when school is out. Here are a few examples from around the country:
- In Huntsville, Alabama, and the surrounding area, children will be able to receive three meals per weekday during the summer as part of Huntsville City Schools’ new Summer Feeding Program. Young people under the age of 18 will be able to enjoy up to three meals per day at no cost at 10 area schools through the Summer Food Service Program. Summer learning programs will be offered at most of the schools allowing students to nourish both minds and bodies.
- The Albuquerque Journal recently reported on a number of schools in Albuquerque, New Mexico, including Kirtland Elementary School, that started serving a meal as part of their afterschool program.
- This past March several schools in Houston Independent School District (HISD) in Texas began serving free afterschool meals to students. Meals will be offered through the district to students attending 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) at 32 HISD schools to ensure students receive healthy and nutritious meals on a regular basis. The meals are made possible through the CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meals Program and the district hopes to expand meal service to 50 schools next school year. The local CBS affiliate reported that district officials see the latest endeavor as one that is beneficial for students beyond measure: “For some children, these dinner meals may be the only meal they eat until the next school day so this program will strive to provide them the proper nutrition they need for a healthy development,” said Jonnelle Hollins, manager of HISD afterschool programs. “Offering free dinner at school will ensure that thousands of students have access to the recommended three meals a day.”
- This spring, the Roosevelt School District in Phoenix, Arizona, pilot tested an afterschool meal program that allows students participating in afterschool programs to have a balanced meal. The ABC affiliate in Phoenix reported that the school principal at C. O. Greenfield School has seen the effects of hunger in his students and often works with local food banks to ensure families have food at home.
- Bucyrus City Schools in north central Ohio recently added afterschool meals to its menu of meals served to students. The afterschool meal program was launched as a pilot program this month and serves students in the BEST (Building Excellent Students Together) afterschool program, and could expand afterschool meal service to more students and sites for the 2013-2014 school year. The BEST program serves elementary students in grades 3-5 through the 21st CCLC initiative.
- In Spokane, Washington, the Northeast Youth Center is serving afterschool meals six days a week through CACFP. A recent meal, reported by the Spokane Spokesman, included a teriyaki chicken sandwich, green beans, orange slices and milk. “We are pretty excited about this,” said Kate Zehner Green, executive director and accounts manager at the youth center, while watching the children eat. “This is why we are here. There is such a need in this neighborhood.” Green said the youth center had been working on bringing in an afterschool meal program for some time, but once the center applied for this program, it took less than a month to get it going.
Afterschool programs are able to participate in the At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program as sponsors or as feeding sites by: partnering with their school nutrition department or food bank, preparing their own meals, or providing pre-assembled meals by working with a vendor. Learn more about the different CACFP At-Risk Afterschool Meal Program options here.
APR
29
FUNDING
By Erik Peterson
Afterschool and summer learning programs are uniquely suited to offer physical activity, nutrition education and healthy meals to participating young people. Two potential funding opportunities can assist providers in offering evidence-based and innovative programming that can lead to healthier lifestyles for students:
- The Safeway Foundation is partnering with Children's Hospital & Research Center Oakland to develop community- and clinic-based programs designed to reduce the burden of childhood obesity. The program seeks to fund nonprofit organizations with innovative programs to address childhood obesity. The goals of the program are to empower innovative programs to expand and enhance services, increase capacity, and/or incorporate new strategies to support healthy body weights among children and/or adolescents; evaluate the impact of existing programs; and identify promising approaches that could be replicated, adapted, and implemented in diverse communities nationwide. Applicants must be 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, or have a fiscal sponsor that is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. The applicant does not have to be affiliated with a healthcare facility or clinic. Applicants must be based within 10 miles of a Safeway store (with some flexibility for regions with low-density stores). Proposed programs must use an inter-disciplinary model that includes at least one partnership with a community, clinic, business, and/or school. Initially, the Safeway Foundation is committing $2 million to support about 15 one-year awards. The amounts awarded may range from $3,000 to a maximum of $100,000 depending on the specific needs of the project. The majority of awards will be within the range of $40,000 to $75,000. The complete Request for Proposals and the online application form are available at the Safeway Foundation website. Applications are due May 15, 2013.
- Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) recently extended the deadline to May 3, 2013, for their School Grants for Healthy Kids for the 2013-2014 school year. Around 400 schools will be awarded funds that will range from $1,000 to $5,000 with significant in-kind contributions from AFHK in the form of people, programs, and school breakfast and physical activity expertise. AFHK will also provide schools with management expertise and support to develop strong alternative and universal breakfast or physical activity programs. Award amounts will be based on building enrollment, project type, potential impact, and a school's ability to mobilize parents and students around school wellness initiatives. Grants are available in select states. Note only schools are eligible to apply. The Physical Activity grants provide funding for facilities and equipment for recess, playgrounds/play-spaces, classroom energizers, physical education, intramural and/or before- and afterschool programs that introduce underserved youth populations to the value of an active lifestyle. Learn more through Action For Healthy Kids.
APR
25
POLICY
By Erik Peterson
With the House and Senate each passing their own budget resolutions last month, and the president’s budget request submitted to Congress earlier this month, the FY2014 appropriations process can now move forward. A challenge for Congress early in the process is trying to reconcile the House and Senate FY2014 budget bills. Reconciling the two is a difficult prospect as the Senate resolution has $92 billion more than the House does to fund programs.
Despite the differences, House and Senate appropriations committees have begun holding hearings on the FY2014 spending bills, including Labor, HHS, Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee hearings featuring testimony by Education Secretary Arne Duncan. At the House subcommittee hearing in early April, Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Nita Lowey (D-NY) emphasized the importance of maintaining strong investments in afterschool programs through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative and cautioned against diverting federal afterschool funding. As part of her formal statement, LHHS Subcommittee Ranking Member DeLauro addressed the need for an increase in funding while also noting her concerns with the Administration’s proposed changes to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative:
…I am also pleased to see this budget requests a nine percent, or $100 million, increase for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers… Mr. Secretary, you know some of my concerns in this area, I am concerned that the Department's policies seem to place an emphasis on extended learning time programs over traditional after school programs, which is not what Congress authorized this program to do. I am concerned that this particular request eliminates the current formula funding to states, in favor of a national competition.
The need for additional funding for 21st CCLC was echoed by Rep. David Cicilline’s (D-RI) effort to organize a ‘Dear Colleague Letter’ in the House, signed by 43 Members asking appropriators for an increase of $100 million for 21st CCLC. The following members signed the letter:
- Raul M. Grijalva (D-AZ)
- Maxine Waters (D-CA)
- Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-CA)
- Jerry McNerney (D-CA)
- Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
- Jared Huffman (D-CA)
- Lois Capps (D-CA)
- Jackie Speier (D-CA)
- Mark Takano (D-CA)
- Barbara Lee (D-CA)
- Elizabeth H. Esty (D-CT)
- Joe Courtney (D-CT)
- Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC)
- Frederica S. Wilson (D-FL)
- Theodore Deutch (D-FL)
- Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL)
- John Lewis (D-GA)
- David Loebsack (D-IA)
- Danny K. Davis (D-IL)
- Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL)
- Andre Carson (D-IN)
- Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD)
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- C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD)
- Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
- Sander M. Levin (D-MI)
- John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI)
- Daniel T. Kildee (D-MI)
- Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-At Large MP)
- Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM)
- Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
- Nydia Velazquez (D-NY)
- Louise McIntosh Slaughter (D-NY)
- Brian Higgins (D-NY)
- Charles B. Rangel (D-NY)
- Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY)
- Matthew A. Cartwright (D-PA)
- David N. Cicilline (D-RI)
- James R. Langevin (D-RI)
- Filemon Vela (D-TX)
- Gerald E. Connolly (D-VA)
- Bobby Scott (D-VA)
- Mark Pocan (D-WI)
- Gwen Moore (D-WI)
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Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is leading a similar effort in the Senate asking for an increase of $250 million over sequestration levels. As of today, 14 senators have joined Sen. Boxer on the letter. Afterschool advocates are also weighing in on the need for additional federal funding for afterschool programs, having sent 1,300 emails to Members of Congress since February. There is still time to make your voice heard as well:
contact Congress via email to express support for federal afterschool funding as part of the FY2014 appropriations process.
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