Barbara Boxer: “I rise today to urge my colleagues to cosponsor, S. 326 the Afterschool for America's Children Act, which I am…”

“I rise today to urge my colleagues to cosponsor, S. 326 the Afterschool for America's Children Act, which I am introducing today with Senators Murkowski, Murray, Begich, and Manchin. Across the country, afterschool programs help keep children safe and help them learn through hands-on academic enrichment activities that are disappearing from the regular school day. Numerous studies have shown that quality afterschool programs give students the academic, social, and professional skills they need to succeed. Students who regularly attend have better grades and behavior in school, and lower incidences of drug use, violence, and unintended pregnancy. Over the past 10 years, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, CCLC, program has helped support afterschool programs for millions of children from low-income backgrounds, including over 1.6 million children last year. Unfortunately, the demand for affordable, quality afterschool experiences far exceeds the number of programs available. The 2009 report, America After 3PM, found that while afterschool programs are serving more kids than ever, the number of unsupervised children in the United States has increased. More than 18 million children have parents who would like to enroll their child in an afterschool program but can't find one available. For over 10 years, federally funded afterschool programs have played an important role in the lives of so many children and families.…”