White House seeks to cut nation’s only federal after-school program

The Trump administration is seeking to cut the only federal after-school programming in the nation.

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers, a program created by the federal government, provides roughly $1.3 billion for after-school and summer activities that reach about 1.4 million students nationwide.

The White House budget proposal currently under consideration by Congress would eliminate the program and 17 others that serve lower-income and under-resourced K-12 students as part of a $12 billion cut to the Education Department’s spending next year.

The department would consolidate the 18 programs into a “simplified funding program,” placing the onus on states to determine how to allocate the reduced pool of funds.

Educators and advocates warn that cutting the funds, which supplement state and local education and community-based providers, will lead to hardships for families as well as lower enrollment in after-school and summer activities or cancellation of some programming.

“When you take away these programs, you make it really difficult for these working families. They now have to scramble — either cut back on hours, or find another place for their children,” said Erik Peterson, senior vice president for policy at Afterschool Alliance, an education nonprofit.

Proponents of the cut say it is a step closer to eliminating federal programs that obstruct states’ abilities to enact policies that best serve their interests.

“The evidence on 21st-Century Learning Centers is that they’re ineffective. They are not fulfilling their purpose. They should be closed down,” said Jonathan Butcher, acting director of the Center for Education Policy and a Will Skillman Senior Research Fellow in Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation.

The White House says consolidating programs would “ease unnecessary administrative burdens imposed under current law.”

“This revamped approach to grantmaking is aligned with the Administration’s efforts to return authority over education to States and local communities,” an administration official said in a statement to The Washington Post.

The Maine School Administrative District 54 serves more than 2,200 students throughout K-12. Roughly 250 of those students participate in 21st Century Community Learning programs, which provide $1.1 million to kindergarten through eighth grade throughout the year spread out over four years, school officials said.

In the summer, 130 students attend day camps that provide activities including creative writing, culinary arts, physical education and STEM.

“When we think about the scope of what our kids are able to experience, 21st-Century programs really help meet the need that a lot of families can’t,” said Dawn Fickett, the director of after-school and summer learning programs at the district.

The White House’s proposed cut would be a significant blow at a time when the district has already had to reduce summer school enrollment by 42% this year because $95,000 of COVID relief money has run out, according to the district.

“Without 21st Century [funds], I don’t know what we would do,” Fickett said.

Federal funds for after-school community learning centers are required to provide students with academic enrichment, opportunities for families to engage in their child’s educational development and provide a “broad array” of services that reinforce participation in the program.

The after-school programs also play a crucial role in keeping students fed outside of school hours.

The New London, Connecticut, school district says 21st Century funds, such as a $200,000 grant it received for one of its elementary schools, help free up resources, allowing more students access to snacks and meals year-round — such as over the summer.

“After-school meals and programs provide a safe place where kids can eat and stay engaged. It supports working families. To cut those meals means we have hungrier kids during the school year,” said Clarissa Hayes, the deputy director for child nutrition programs and policy at Food Research & Action Center, a nonprofit advocacy group focused on nutritional access.

At Gadsden City Schools, a district about 60 miles northeast of Birmingham, Alabama, nine of the 12 schools use $1.5 million in federal community learning center funds to operate their after-school programs.

Gadsden’s median household income is $38,699. About 72% of the district’s 4,000 students qualify for free or reduced lunch, according to school officials.

The district’s after-school programs have contributed to increased student achievement, said Janie Browning, who runs community education and coordinates 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants for Gadsden City Schools.

With the expansion of after-school academic enrichment programs, Donehoo Elementary School improved from a middling 71% state report card grade to an 88% in the 2023-24 school year. The school was recognized statewide as one of the top 25 schools for greatest improvement this past school year.

Raeven Bagley, 34, said she was pleasantly surprised when her 9-year-old daughter, Cassiyah, came home from the after-school program at George W. Floyd Elementary in Gadsden knowing how to write in cursive.

Bagley earns $40,000 a year raising funds for child literacy for a local United Way branch. The after-school program gives her peace of mind that her daughter has a safe and educational environment to grow in at no extra cost.

“It’s not just play time. It’s not just babysitting. They’re actually learning,” Bagley said.

Gadsden City Schools’ current grant, which was awarded in 2022, expires in September. If cuts are approved by Congress, the $1.8 million in after-school funding the district is set to receive in October could be put in jeopardy.

Congress is in the midst of drafting legislation to fund education programs, along with the rest of the federal government, by the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

“Without [funding], kids are going to be going home often to no one being there because families have to work,” Browning said. “After-school is a lifeline for families and students. To think we would have to operate without providing that lifeline to parents is devastating.”