A series of webinars on policy developments.
Watch latestSign up for the seriesThe House fiscal year 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) spending bill was approved by the full House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, June by a party line vote of 34 to 28. The bill preserves 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21stCCLC) funding at last year’s level of $1.329 billion, but cuts funding for Title I Part A and AmeriCorps, and eliminates funding for Full Service Community Schools, Title II and WIOA youth programs. The bill does include a modest increase of $10 million to the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG.) Also included was report language on serving students with special needs, as well as summer reading programs, and language on informal STEM and on Hands-On STEM and Computer Science Education, including in afterschool and summer programs. More information is available in our updated appropriations blog. The House LHHS spending bill rejected the President’s FY2027 budget proposal which sought to eliminate 21st CCLC and replace it and 16 other programs with a block grant.
While the Senate Appropriations process looked to be on track, those efforts appeared to stall the week of June 8. Negotiations continue over topline spending levels as the calendar approaches August recess when members of both the House and Senate will leave Capitol Hill. The deadline for all FY 2027 spending bills to pass is the end of the current fiscal year, September 30, 2026.
2027 Scholarship Tax Credit Opportunity: Proposed regulations are now expected around the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year from the Treasury Department for a new federal scholarship tax credit that has the potential to become a funding source for afterschool and summer programs in states that opt-in to the program. The tax credit offers taxpayers a federal tax credit of up to $1,700 for contributions made to a Scholarship Granting Organization (SGO), which provides scholarships to students for education-related services at private or public schools, including afterschool. Learn more.
On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released proposed revisions to the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance that would make significant changes to the “uniform guidance” that governs federal grant management and the use of federal funds. These proposed changes apply to federal grant-making agencies, including the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Agriculture, and the National Science Foundation. OMB's proposed rule would affect how nearly every federal grant dollar is awarded, managed, and potentially terminated. Federal grant recipients, such as state, local, and Tribal governments, as well as nonprofit and community-based organizations, could be impacted. This is particularly relevant for afterschool and summer learning programs that receive funding through programs like 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC), Title IV-A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the Child Care Development Block Grant, Full-Service Community Schools, AmeriCorps, and other federal education and workforce investments. Learn more about the proposed rule and the opportunity to comment on the rule in our blog post.
Every second Friday at noon ET, our own Senior VP of Policy, Erik Peterson, will recap the latest policy developments, what we know (or don’t know!) about how they may impact afterschool and summer programs, and what may be coming up next. Register
Co-hosted by the Afterschool Alliance and the National Summer Learning Association, in partnership with Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, Every Hour Counts, YMCA of the USA, and Save the Children.
Across the nation, local afterschool and summer programs play a vital role in supporting our communities, the economy, and a strong workforce by keeping kids safe, inspiring learning, and helping working parents provide for their families. Federal 21st CCLC funding empowers local communities to meet student, parent, and community needs. 21st CCLC grants support 10,000 programs serving nearly 1.4 million youth. The 25-year history of these programs shows that they work. Youth who participate in programs do better in school, build critical work and life skills, avoid risky behaviors, and land better jobs with higher incomes as adults. When parents have reliable care for their kids, they are more productive on the job, and businesses benefit. 4 in 5 parents report that afterschool programs help them keep their jobs.Watch
Join us for a webinar to explore this CCDF policy change as an opportunity for afterschool providers to collaborate with state agencies, identify service gaps, and explore ways school-age programs can be included in funding opportunities to meet underserved needs.Watch
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