SAVE 21ST CENTURY CCLC

Every year the United States congress needs to approve the federal budget. This means that we need to keep updated and advocate for renewed afterschool funding. Below is a guest blog and update from Erik Peterson, Senior Vice President, Policy at Afterschool Alliance.

On April 3, the Trump Administration released the proposed federal budget for fiscal year 2027. While the budget proposal is a “skinny budget” that does not include all funding details, it does suggest consolidation of federal education funds and elimination of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program, the only federal funding that exclusively supports local, school and community afterschool and summer learning programs.

The budget proposal is similar to the one introduced by the Administration last year, however Congress passed a bipartisan spending bill that rejected last year’s proposal and instead maintained and protected federal 21st CCLC afterschool and summer program funding for summer 2026 and the 2026-2027 school year.



Source: www.pexels.com

Federal support for local afterschool and summer programs helps 1.4 million children and youth nationwide have opportunities for math and reading enrichment, healthy activity and nutritious snacks, and hands-on, engaging activities that help children learn and grow. Instead of cutting funding for these programs, which help students succeed, keep young people safe, and support working parents—a funding increase is needed to help programs cover rising costs and to start to meet the nationwide demand for programs.



Please take two minutes to send a message to Congress in support of afterschool and summer learning programs by clicking here.

 

MORE ABOUT...

Erik Peterson

Erik Peterson is the Senior Vice President, Policy at Afterschool Alliance.  He joined the Afterschool Alliance in July 2009 and coordinates and advances the Afterschool Alliance’s policy efforts at the federal level by helping develop policy goals and implementing strategies that advance access to quality afterschool and summer learning programs for all. Erik works to build and strengthen relationships with policy makers and allied organizations to increase public support and funding for out of school time programs. Prior to coming to the Afterschool Alliance, Erik worked for the School Nutrition Association (SNA) in the Washington DC area, and as both an AmeriCorps VISTA and staff for the Sustainable Food Center in Austin, Texas. 

The Afterschool Alliance was established in 2000 by a small group of corporate and foundation philanthropies—including the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, JCPenney Company, Inc., the Open Society Institute/The After-School Corporation, the Entertainment Industry Foundation and the Creative Artists Agency Foundation—to expand afterschool and summer learning opportunities nationwide. Since our inception, public investment in afterschool programs has doubled. 

Today, the Alliance works with a broad range of organizations and supporters, including policymakers, government agencies, youth, parent and education groups, business and philanthropic leaders, afterschool coalitions and providers at the national, state, and local levels, and leaders representing health and wellness, college and career readiness, social and emotional learning, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning, and more—each with a stake in afterschool.