[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 21 (Thursday, March 5, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E313]]
                      THE AMERICA AFTER SCHOOL ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 5, 1998

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the America After 
School Act. This bill increases the availability and affordability of 
high quality after-school child care. It expands the Child Care 
Development Block Grant and the 21st Century Community Learning Centers 
Program, while investing juvenile justice funds into after-school 
prevention programs.
  In 64 percent of families with children under 18, both parents work. 
Their children, especially those 5 to 15 years old, need a safe haven 
during non-school hours. A recent study showed that when children were 
unsupervised for long periods of time early in life, they were more 
likely to display poor behavior adjustment and academic performance as 
early as the sixth grade. Young people need productive, supervised 
activities for the periods when they are not in school.
  In my district of Rochester, NY, Henry Lomb School #20 has an after 
school program that serves about 25 students. They could easily triple 
this number, based on their waiting list and space availability, if 
only they had enough funding to increase their staff to meet the one-
to-ten staff-student requirement.
  Meanwhile, Adlai Stevenson School #29 has an after school program 
that has enough funding to serve sixteen of its students. This is a 
great start. However, the school consists of a total of four hundred 
students. This is another example of the great need to expand after 
school child care in this country.
  Other schools in my district report the need for increased funding 
for transportation, staff, and supplies to provide supervision and 
constructive activities for school-age children when the school day 
ends. Because of the lack of funding, schools do not have the resources 
to provide after-school care for all students every day. They ration 
the care--two or three days per week for each student. However, a study 
in my district showed that school attendance was higher on days when 
students knew they had their after-school program at the end of the 
day. Clearly, students desire a safe haven after school, as much as 
their parents desire it for them.

  In addition, the peak hours for juvenile crime are from 3 PM to 8 PM. 
We need to get kids off the streets and into safe, productive programs 
at their schools where they can receive help with their homework, 
participate in the arts, and expend positive energy on athletic 
competition.
  We have learned so much about the development of young minds and the 
importance of nurturing children at a young age. Expanding after school 
programs will help more children benefit from supervision and 
constructive attention from adults. We can stimulate these young minds 
through tutoring opportunities, arts and computer projects, and drug 
prevention activities.
  I am proud to sponsor the America After School Act and I urge my 
colleagues to join me in improving the care of our nation's children. 
Following is a summary of the bill and a list of original cosponsors:

                Summary of the America After School Act

  Promoting Safe After School Activities ($7.25 billion over 5 years)

              Title I: Child Care and Development Services

       Expand the Child Care Development Block grant (CCDBG) to 
     increase the availability and affordability of quality before 
     and after school health care, and summer and weekend 
     activities for school age children to promote good health and 
     academic achievement and to help avoid high risk behavior. 
     Programs must demonstrate inclusion of disabled children;--
     grants to schools, community-based organizations, child care, 
     youth, and community centers, or partnerships in low-income 
     areas.--costs: $5 billion over 5 years.

      Title II: The 21st Century Community Learning Center Program

       Expand the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program 
     by:
       Increasing the supply of before and after-school programs 
     in a cost-effective manner by using public schools and their 
     existing resources, such as computers, libraries, and 
     gymnasiums, through a one-to-one matching provision that can 
     be met by using in kind or cash resources.
       Streamlining the application process and strengthening 
     fiscal accountability mechanisms by including the local 
     education agency in the application process, but keeping the 
     responsibility for running the program at the school level.--
     costs: $1 billion over 5 years.

                  Title III: Crime Prevention Program

       Direct half of the $500 million new juvenile justice funds 
     to after school prevention programs, instead of just 
     enforcement programs.
       Offer grants on a matching basis to the public and private 
     agencies that conduct after-school prevention programs to 
     high crime neighborhoods and areas with significant numbers 
     of at-risk youth.
       Grantees must coordinate with state or local juvenile crime 
     control programs.--costs: $1.25 billion over 5 years.
       Original Cosponsors: Gary Ackerman, Rosa DeLauro, Barney 
     Frank, Martin Frost, Darlene Hooley, Eddie Bernice Johnson, 
     Dale Kildee, John Lewis, Zoe Lofgren, Robert Matsui, Marty 
     Meehan, Connie Morella, Richard Neal, Major Owens, Nick 
     Rahall, Max Sandlin, Robert Underwood, Henry Waxman.

     

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