Sen. Harris introduces legislation that would double funding for 21st CCLC

This week, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) introduced legislation that would authorize doubling the current funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, with the additional $1.3 billion targeted to summer learning programs. The Family Friendly Schools Act also establishes a new Title IV Part G pilot program separate from Community Learning Centers, which would create 500 “Family Friendly Schools” that align the school day with the work day to better support working families, and disseminate the lessons learned from these model schools to communities throughout the nation. 

The bill would change Community Learning Centers to add a second supplemental grant program that would follow the current formula funding to states model, but with the new $1.3 billion funding being awarded to “community learning centers that propose to establish or expand programs and activities carried out during summer recess when school is not in session.” The two pots of funding authorized under Section 4 of the legislation would allow $1.3 billion for current Community Learning Centers programs (to be used for before-school, afterschool, and summer programming) and the new $1.3 billion funding for summer learning programs only. The total of $2.6 billion would be authorized from fiscal years 2020 through 2024.

The pilot portion of the bill that would create 500 Family Friendly Schools seeks to better align school schedules with those of working parents. According to the bill’s findings, schools are shut down for an average of 29 days throughout the school year for teacher work days and other purposes. Research shows 1 million women with elementary school-aged children work less than full-time because of their caregiving responsibilities, costing the United States economy $55 billion in lost productivity each year. In nearly 60 percent of families, lack of access to summer child care means that at least one parent plans to make a job change that will result in reduced income. While afterschool and summer learning programs give parents peace of mind by keeping students in grades pre-K through 12th safe and supported, only 10 million children are in programs while 19 million would participate if programs were accessible. 

Under the proposed legislation, Family Friendly Schools Awards would provide five-year grants of up to $5 million total to school districts to transform elementary schools serving a high number of low-income families into Family Friendly Schools that:

• Collaborate with community partners to develop high-quality, culturally relevant, linguistically accessible, and developmentally appropriate academic, athletic, or enrichment opportunities for students from at least 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, throughout the school year, with no closures except for federal holidays, weekends, and emergencies;
• Do not close for parent-teacher conferences, professional development, or any other reason without offering full-day enrichment activities free of charge for students; 
• Do not increase the amount of time teachers and staff have to work unless they volunteer additional hours and are compensated fairly for the additional hours; and
• Develop and implement evidence-based policies and practices for parent and family engagement to support working families and help better align school and work schedules. 

Furthermore, at the end of the five-year grant period, the bill requires the Department of Education to publish and disseminate a report on lessons learned from the pilot schools, including: 

• Approaches taken by Family Friendly Schools to align school and work schedules;
• Survey results on parent, teacher, student, school administrator, and community organization satisfaction with Family Friendly Schools;
• Changes in parental employment rates, student performance, and teacher retention at each Family Friendly School; and
• Best practices and recommendations for aligning school and work schedules, aligning school schedules and calendars among schools and school districts, and engaging parents and families. 

The legislation has been assigned to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for consideration.