Recently, U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced that she has sent a letter to President Bush recommending increased funding in the 2009 fiscal year budget for the 21st Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program. Senator Collins was joined by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and the remaining 14 female Senators in support for the request.
Senator Collins is calling on additional support for the 21st CLCC program which will help meet the needs of children who return to an empty home after school.
“It is important to provide children with an after school program that offers parents an option in providing a safe and enriching environment for their children after the school bell rings,” said Senator Collins.
The letter notes the importance of afterschool programs for keeping children safe, reducing crime and drug use, and improving academic performance. The 21st CCLC program provides important support for quality afterschool programs and currently serves more than one million children nationwide. Funding for the 21st CCLC program has been strongly supported by the Afterschool Alliance and Maine's Fight Crime Invest in Kids chapter.
At present, approximately 1.3 million children are served by federal afterschool program funding.
A copy of the letter to the President follows:
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to urge you to support increased funding in your Fiscal Year 2009 budget proposal for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) so the program can grow, and the 15 million children who come home afterschool to an empty house can have the option of high-quality, safe, afterschool learning activities.
Today the federal afterschool program, which provides grants to programs that serve approximately 1.3 million children, is vital to children and families across America. Afterschool programs provide safe and enriching environments for children after the end of the school day, and the demand for afterschool programs continue to grow.
Numerous studies confirm what parents and community leaders already know – afterschool programs keep children safe, reduce crime and drug use, and improve academic performance. In addition, public support from afterschool is strong. In a public opinion survey conducted last year by the Afterschool Alliance, 82 percent of voters agreed that there should be some type of organized activity of safe space for children and teens to go every day after school. Also, two in three voters said that afterschool programs “are an absolute necessity” in their communities.
The demand for affordable, quality afterschool programs far exceeds the availability of these programs. We all hear from our constituents, as well as local officials, that more afterschool programs are needed. Mayors in 86 cities reported that only one-third of the children needing afterschool care were receiving it. The need for afterschool programs is even more acute in rural areas.
In Fiscal Year 2008, the 21st CCLC program received its first funding increase in six years. If we do not continue this trend, it will become more difficult for the 21st CCLC program to meet the needs of the children currently served, and it will prevent the program from reaching the children who need a safe place to go after the school day ends. For these reasons, we urge you to propose an increase in funding for this vital program so that more children can receive the proven benefits of quality afterschool programs.
Sincerely,
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