February 14, 2008 12:41 am
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President Bush’s new budget proposal includes a double dose of bad news for children and families who rely on federal funding for afterschool programs. Not only does the President call for a 27 percent cut in funding for afterschool, he proposes turning the federal initiative that funds afterschool into a voucher program.
The funding cutback the President proposes would mean that some 300,000 children across the nation would lose their afterschool programs. To its credit, Congress just increased funding for afterschool for the first time in six years. That’s the direction funding should be going – up, not down – so that we can provide programs for many more of the millions of students who are currently unsupervised after the school day ends.
Afterschool programs are essential here in Meridian, Mississippi. Quality afterschool programs can help children develop greater confidence in their academic abilities and a greater interest in school, both of which have been shown to lead to improved school attendance and completion rates. Students who participate in these programs are shown to be 60% less likely to have dropped out of school by the 12th grade! Our children need to know
that there is something to look forward to after school, and that those hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. add a stimulating dimension to their lives.
It will require a concentrated effort from all of us to overcome the drop-out problem, and we need to make the commitment to support our public school system with afterschool programs that keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and help working families. We need reliable funding. Let’s hope Congress rejects the President’s ill-considered proposal, and instead increases funding for afterschool programs.
Mary Peavey
President, Peavey Electronics
Corporation
Board of Directors, The National Afterschool Alliance
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