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“When children have something productive to do in the hours between when they are let out of school and when their parents get home from work, they are more likely to avoid the traps of risky behavior, more likely to be physically healthy and academically successful, and more likely to fulfill their potential,” said Dodd. “Our legislation is a positive step towards offering all of our children the chance to spend their time outside of school safely and productively. It is a step towards making good on the most important promise: the one we make to our kids.” “I was raised by a hard-working single mom whose work day continued long after my school day had ended,” said Ensign. “I know the importance that afterschool programs play in the lives of many children who may otherwise be left unattended when they return home from school, and our legislation will ensure that these programs receive the resources they need to continue their important function. Additionally, with sky-rocketing rates of childhood obesity, our legislation will introduce physical fitness and wellness programs to many afterschool programs to help counteract this growing epidemic.” The original 21st Century Community Learning Centers program was implemented as part of the No Child Left Behind law. It provides academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. If funded at the level authorized, this program would serve almost 3 million children. Currently, the program serves less than half this amount, leaving millions of children without a safe place to go after school. As co-chairs of the Senate Afterschool Caucus, Dodd and Ensign are working to reauthorize this important program by ensuring that all afterschool programs are high-quality and continue to get the resources they need to serve children. It would also address the childhood-obesity epidemic by including physical fitness and wellness programs in the list of possible programming activities, and it would encourage students to volunteer in their communities. Summary of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act of 2010: · Reauthorize this important program and renew our commitment to high-quality afterschool programs. · Provides states with tools designed to sustain high quality afterschool programs by allowing programs to continue to receive federal funding based on their performance. The legislation also gives states the ability to work with programs across the state to further improve the quality of these afterschool programs. · Increase opportunities for children and young people to be more physically active. As childhood-obesity reaches epidemic proportions in our society, allowing for such opportunities is critical to ensuring our children's overall health. · Third, this bill encourages children to be involved in community service and youth development activities. It would encourage volunteer work that integrates student designed service projects with their academic studies. This type of program has been shown to strengthen student engagement, enhance student achievement, lower drop out and suspension rates, develop workforce and leadership skills, and provide opportunities for team work. Dodd and Ensign’s bill has been endorsed by the Afterschool Alliance, an organization representing more than 25,000 public, private, and non-profit afterschool providers dedicated to expanding access to high quality afterschool programs. “Now more than ever, working families rely on quality afterschool programs, like those funded through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative, to enhance learning and keep children safe before school, after school and during the summer. The afterschool community is enormously grateful to Senators Dodd and Ensign for their support, which has helped thousands of communities leverage the resources needed to keep the doors open at afterschool programs. These programs keep kids safe, reinforce lessons taught during the school day, and offer the kinds of fun and educational activities that inspire them to learn and engage them in school,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. © Copyright by ConnecticutPlus.com. Some articles and pictures posted on our website, as indicated by their bylines, were submitted as press releases and do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of ConnecticutPlus.com, Canaiden LLC or any of its associated entities. Articles may have been edited for brevity and grammar. CURRENT HEADLINES: Top of Page
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