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Reach out to Congress about afterschool!

Congress recently passed the FY 2022 spending bill including a $30 million increase in funding for local afterschool and summer learning programs through the 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) program. While we are grateful for this support, programs at the local are seeing unprecedented staffing challenges and face waiting lists of students who are unable to participate due to lack of funding. Take a moment to reach out to your U.S. Representative and Senators to thank them for their past support and to urge them to consider a significant increase in funding for local afterschool and summer learning programs next year.

This spring the FY 2023 appropriations process begins as President Biden presented his proposed budget with $21 million for 21st CCLC; and House and Senate Appropriations Committees each work to craft their own education spending bills. Reach out to you members of Congress now asking them to include a $500 million increase to the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) initiative – the only federal funding stream dedicated to supporting local school and community-based afterschool, before-school, and summer learning programs.  Even before the pandemic, the families of 24.6 million children were unable to access an afterschool program, with low-income, Black and Latinx families most likely to be left behind. A significant funding increase will help programs cover growing costs and meet the demand for programs that exist nationwide.

Enter your zip code below to look up the office numbers of your members of Congress and urge them to support afterschool and summer learning programs.

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