California Protects Afterschool Programs for
Hundreds of Thousands of Low-Income Youth of Color
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2020 — Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a state budget, approved by the State Legislature last week, that protects funding for K-12 education, including afterschool programs that working families depend on to keep their children safe, engaged, and nourished.
The California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance (CA3), a network of statewide afterschool providers and advocates, is grateful to the legislature for fighting against $100 million in proposed cuts that would have been devastating for many of our most vulnerable children and families across the state. Thousands of families will not be forced to choose between going to work and taking care of their children. They will continue to have access to quality care and the peace of mind of knowing that their children are in safe, nurturing environments. We applaud the governor’s commitment to mitigating learning loss and providing social and emotional support to students who need it most—priorities that afterschool programs are proven to help address.
While we have averted the devastating impacts of a cut to our state’s afterschool programs, the road ahead is still unknown as state leaders may propose budget changes later this summer. Before the COVID-19 crisis hit California, afterschool programs were already underfunded and struggling to keep pace with the increasing minimum wage, which is set to go up again in January 2021. California currently spends less than $3.00 an hour for after school care for our most vulnerable students. With the increased need as a result of this crisis, afterschool programs will likely need to provide even more support to students.
When school campuses open for the new school year, there will be dramatically adjusted school schedules with the need for smaller groups and physical distancing. Schools will need to lean on their afterschool partners to provide more supervision and services for students as in-class time is shortened. Students will be returning with intense needs for support with their school work and connections with caring adults. Our afterschool programs were designed to meet these needs, and we look forward to working closely with state and local officials to ensure that students and families have what they need in the short and long term. We appreciate that the budget agreement included temporary flexibility for afterschool programs, as they will likely need to operate for longer hours and have adjusted group sizes and staff-student ratios.
The children and families who rely on our state’s publicly funded afterschool programs are those already disproportionately affected by the current health and economic crises. Nine out of 10 children served by California’s afterschool programs are children of color, and 84% are socioeconomically disadvantaged. A third of students in After School Education and Safety (ASES) programs are English language learners, and 25% of California’s homeless students are served by these programs.
As children across California are experiencing high levels of learning loss, social disconnection, and trauma, we are grateful that afterschool programs will reopen. Afterschool programs need to stand ready to meet the changing local needs as we continue to respond to COVID-19. As legislators warn of potential budget revisions this year, CA3 and our supporters will continue state and federal advocacy to protect this piece of the educational safety net for the children and communities that need it most.
Background
Championed by leaders in both parties, including Gov. Newsom during his term as mayor of San Francisco and during his gubernatorial campaign, California’s publicly funded afterschool programs serve 400,000 students daily.
Publicly funded afterschool programs operate in communities with the highest levels of poverty. They improve school attendance and graduation rates, develop workforce skills, prevent crime and substance abuse, and enable low-income parents to work by filling a critical child care need.
Afterschool programs were already stretched to their breaking point after years of rising costs. Each time the state minimum wage increases without additional funding from the state, afterschool programs sink deeper into deficit. Since 2007, the state minimum wage has increased 62%, but funding for afterschool has only increased 18%. California currently spends less than $3.00 an hour for care for our most vulnerable students.
To ensure publicly-funded afterschool and summer programs are sustainable and responsive to changing local needs, CA3 is sponsoring AB 1725 (Carillo) to update the annual rate-setting process and methodology.
About the California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance
California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance (CA3) is the statewide voice for expanded learning (afterschool and summer) programs. It is the coalition behind the Save Afterschool Campaign and represents the interests of the half a million children, youth, and their families that rely on publicly funded expanded learning programs throughout California each day. www.saveafterschool.com
California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance Members
A World Fit for Kids; After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles; arc; Bay Area Community Resources; Boys & Girls Clubs of Carson; California AfterSchool Network; California Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs; California School-Age Consortium; California State Alliance of YMCAs; California Teaching Fellows Foundation; Children Now; Community Youth Ministries; EduCare Foundation; Fight Crime: Invest in Kids; Foundation for California Community Colleges; Heart of Los Angeles; LA's BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program; LA Conservation Corps; Mission: Readiness; Partnership for Children & Youth; Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center; The Children's Initiative; Think Together; Woodcraft Rangers; YMCA of San Diego County
Contact
Stephanie Pollick, stephanie@partnerforchildren.org, (510) 830-4200 x1616