Afterschool Alliance

Thank you for your support of the local afterschool and summer learning programs that rely on federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) funding to provide quality programs to more than 1.7 million young people. As Congress continues the FY2020 appropriations process, I urge you to fund 21st CCLC at the $1.32 billion level and reject any cuts to the program.

Support for public investment in afterschool and summer learning programs is high. A recent poll showed that 9 in 10 adults say afterschool programs are important to their community and two-thirds of adults want federal, state, and local leaders to provide funding for afterschool and summer learning programs.

Afterschool and summer learning programs help working families by keeping kids safe and productively engaged when school is not in session – the time when youth are most at risk of losing ground. A wide range of research has found that regular participation in high-quality summer and afterschool learning programs is linked to significant gains in academics, school attendance, and work habits, as well as reductions in behavior problems among disadvantaged students. Without funding for summer and afterschool programs, students will lose out on essential learning opportunities that help them prepare for school, college, and careers.

I strongly urge you to increase funding to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative by $100 million as the House LHHS Subcommittee proposed, providing $1.3 billion for local school and community afterschool and summer learning programs. I ask that you reject the Administration’s proposal and protect this important lifeline for students, families, and communities.

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Tell Congress: We Can't Afford Cuts to Afterschool!

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