On Friday, January 10, California Governor Gavin Newsom released his state budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2020-21, which failed to include critically needed funding for afterschool programs. The California Afterschool Advocacy Alliance (CA3)* issued this joint statement in response:

“We applaud the Governor’s proposal to develop more community schools, a model proven to reduce the impact of poverty and boost outcomes for students through wrap-around services like afterschool care. However, the proposal is short-sighted in its failure to include critical funding to keep these afterschool programs running. This budget proposal ignores the needs of over 400,000 children and their families who depend on After School Education and Safety (ASES) programs each day. ASES programs provide critical child care for working families in high-poverty communities across the state. Without ASES programs, these families could not afford the after-school care, tutoring, and enrichment activities these programs provide.

“Despite recent increases, ASES programs and the families who rely on them are in the same dire situation again, as the minimum wage rises again in FY 2020-21. These programs have endured years of underfunding, forcing them to cut services and the number of students they serve. If we don’t protect afterschool programs, we are taking a step backward in our state’s effort to make sure children get quality education and care and parents get the help they need. We call on the legislature to act and support children and working families by protecting our state’s afterschool programs, so that children living in poverty have equal access to the skills, experiences, and support to succeed in school, college, and work. By keeping kids learning and keeping parents working, afterschool programs are an essential component of our state’s strategy to alleviate poverty and support children from cradle to career.”

Read the full details on the CA3 website.

*CAN is a member of the CA3.