The Afterschool Alliance has put together a two-part series to look at the new 116th Congress: what are the priorities, what might get accomplished, and what are the challenges and opportunities ahead from the after school advocate’s perspective. Part One addresses the priorities, what is to be accomplished, and the challenges. Part Two addresses possible opportunities in the after school and education sector. 

A listing of the new Education Committee Membership for the 116th Congress includes new House Democrats with ties to the after school community. Tonight the President will deliver his State of the Union speech and will likely include some of the administration’s broad budget priorities. As a reminder, the administration’s previous two budget requests cut the Department of Education funding by about 11 percent and proposed to eliminate funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, the primary federal support for local after school programs. The administration has not yet announced a new date to release its budget, which had been expected on February 4 but will be delayed due to the 35-day government shutdown. The president’s budget will likely now be released in early to mid-March.

Stay tuned!