Chris Dodd: “This amendment is a carryforward to what has been offered by Senator Kennedy, Senator Bingaman, Senator Wellstone, and…”

“This amendment is a carryforward to what has been offered by Senator Kennedy, Senator Bingaman, Senator Wellstone, and Senator Murray, all trying to improve the quality of public education in the country. One of the key issues is afterschool programs. We know from parents all across the country the most dangerous period for 5 million children unattended is between 3 and 6 in the afternoon. Good afterschool programs are meaningful. The country wants it. School boards have asked for it. But despite efforts, we have only funded 310 afterschool programs. Last year, there were 2,500, close to 3,000, applications for afterschool dollars. We could only meet the requests of 310 school districts. It seems to me we must do something to improve the quality of education with good afterschool programs, when children are most at risk, most vulnerable, when they get involved with habits of smoking, and alcohol, of marijuana, when they are victimized. As we know by every police study, afterschool programs work. I realize there are budgetary concerns, but we spend less than one-half of 1 percent of the entire Federal budget on the quality of public education in this country. That is a disgrace. What we have offered in these series of amendments is to improve our Federal investment in education. This amendment is to improve the quality of afterschool programs for the 5 million children in America who need that assistance.”