Boxer, Murkowski Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Afterschool Programs

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), chair of the Senate Afterschool Caucus, and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) today introduced the Afterschool for America's Children Act, which would help children and families by investing in high-quality afterschool programs across the country.

"I was proud to author the first major legislation to authorize federal funds for afterschool programs, and this bill will ensure these programs remain strong into the future," Senator Boxer said. "This bipartisan legislation will benefit so many working families by making sure their children have a safe and enriching place to go when the school day ends."

"Afterschool programs can be just as effective and rewarding as the educational time inside a classroom, and studies prove that these programs are incredibly impactful in forming well-rounded children," said Senator Murkowski. "You only need look as far as the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program across Alaska for a real-world example of giving our children an added level of support in off hours to empower them once the school bell rings."

The bipartisan legislation would reauthorize the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) program, which has allowed millions of children to attend afterschool programs over the last decade, including more than 1.6 million children last year. Reauthorizing this program will ensure that children of working families continue to have a safe, well-rounded and educational environment until the end of their parents' work day.

Although the number of children participating in afterschool programs has been increasing, the unmet need for afterschool activities is increasing as well. A 2014 report, America After 3pm, found that parents of 19.4 million children not currently participating in afterschool programs say they would enroll their children if a program were available to them. The 2009 edition of the same report found that 18.5 million children would be enrolled in afterschool programs if their parents had the opportunity -- an increase of nearly one million in five years.

Reauthorizing this program will ensure that children will continue to have a safe environment where they can learn and play until the end of their parents' work day. The program provides enrichment activities to complement regular academic activities and helps students, particularly those attending high-poverty and low-performing schools, to meet state and local standards for core academic subjects such as reading and math.

The Afterschool for America's Children Act would modernize the 21st CCLC program to improve states' ability to effectively support quality afterschool programs, run more effective grant competitions and improve struggling programs. In addition, it would enhance communication between local schools and afterschool programs to ensure afterschool activities complement the academic curriculum while encouraging parental engagement in student learning and improving the tracking of student progress.

Supporters of the bill include the Afterschool Alliance, American Heart Association, National Association of Elementary School Principals, First Focus Campaign for Children, National 4-H Council and YMCA of the USA.

Senators Boxer and Murkowski introduced similar legislation in the 113th Congress.

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