Weekly Media Roundup: July 2, 2025

Trump Administration Withholds Over $6 billion For After-School, Summer Programs and More, The Washington Post

State education officials received notice on Monday that the Trump administration is withholding nearly $6 billion in federal education grants typically dispersed on July 1, including 21st Century Community Learning Centers funding. Afterschool program leaders warn they could be forced to close their doors if the funds are not released soon, leaving students and families without critical resources and damaging the economy. Janie Browning, 21st Century Program Director at Gadsden City Schools in Alabama and an Afterschool Ambassador for the Afterschool Alliance, told the Washington Post, “Those hours between after school and 6 o’clock really are the hours in the day when students are at the most risk for things that may not produce great outcomes. It would be devastating if we lost the lifeline of afterschool for our students and our families.”

Wisconsin Partnership for Children and Youth: State Leaders Sound the Alarm on Threats To Afterschool Funding, WisPolitics (Wisconsin)

During the Wisconsin Partnership for Children and Youth’s “State of Afterschool” roundtable event last week, state leaders, educators and community advocates shared their concern about possible elimination of critical afterschool program funding, including 21st Century Community Learning Center grants and AmeriCorps programs. “With 28 years in education, I can tell you wraparound care makes a difference,” Jason Knott, superintendent of the Pittsville School District, told WisPolitics. “Kids get a snack, enrichment opportunities, and homework help. Since starting the before and afterschool programs, the district has moved up to exceeding expectations on the state report card and is now in the top 11 percent of districts in the state. If this funding goes away, we will need to figure out a way to keep this program going. It’s too important.”

Flockworks Demonstrates How Art Can Be an Economic Driver, KZYX (California)

At Camp Flockworks in Fort Bragg, California, students are participating in enriching activities throughout the summer. “What this offers is a really wonderful option for families to be able to offer a 9-to-5 camp throughout the week,” Amber Ramirez, director of Flockworks, told KZYX. “It really supports [working families] too. And it gives the kids an opportunity to express themselves, to explore their creativity in so many ways with art, cooking, gardening, theater, even going to the CV Star Center to swim.” Flockworks began as a small arts education nonprofit and now offers summer enrichment camps and afterschool programs in four school districts. The nonprofit has become the third largest employer in Fort Bragg.

Rep. Lane Roberts Visits Joplin Boys & Girls Club for Tour, KSN 16 (Missouri)

This summer, students in the Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Missouri’s summer learning program are creating video games using computer coding and stop-motion photography, with help from Best Buy’s Geek Squad Academy. Last week, Missouri State Representative Lane Roberts toured the Joplin facility to learn more about its programming and discuss the importance of federal and state funding for out-of-school time programs. “Programs like this are great for our kids. Giving them the opportunity to learn about the different aspects of the tech industry opens their eyes to the possibilities that they may experience in the future. So, maybe they decide they want to do photography as a career path one day, or design or build video games as a career,” Sarah McMullen, Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Missouri CEO, told KSN 16.