[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 15 (Wednesday, January 27, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S1027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Wellstone, and Mr. 
        Kerry):
  S. 316. A bill to amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant 
Act of 1990 to improve the availability of child care and development 
services during periods outside normal school hours, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.


                        america after school act

 Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, today Senators Mikulski, 
Wellstone, Kerry, and I are introducing the America After School Act. 
With this legislation, the nation can do much more to provide the care 
and activities that children need when they are not in school.
  Over 17 million parents rely on others to care for their children 
before and after the school bell rings each day. Over 5 million 
children are left home alone after school. The need for responsible 
after-school activities is urgent. Hundreds of thousands of families 
are on waiting lists across the country for such programs.
  Today's students deserve the best and brightest future possible. 
After school programs provide a unique opportunity to help to meet this 
challenge. Tutoring, mentoring, recreational, and cultural activities 
are all key components of strong, stimulating after school programs. 
These activities can help young men and women strengthen their computer 
skills, explore prospective careers, learn about the arts, and develop 
their physical fitness. They are an investment in education, children, 
and our future.
  After school programs help reduce crime. Police across the nation 
report that juvenile delinquency peaks between 3 and 8 p.m. each day. 
We know that unsupervised children are more likely to engage in 
destructive behavior. Effective after school programs help keep young 
people off the streets, away from gangs, and out of trouble. All 
children deserve a safe and productive environment in which to spend 
their time out of school.
  Parents want safe, effective after school programs for their 
children, and this legislation helps meet that need. The legislation 
significantly expands after school care for low-income families by 
increasing the Child Care and Development Block Grant. Title I of the 
bill, authorizes a $3 billion increase in such grants over the next 5 
years. With this higher level of investment, we can reduce waiting 
lists and provide after school care to hundreds of thousands of 
additional children from low-income working families. Communities with 
high concentrations of poverty and at-risk youth will receive priority 
for this funding, so that the help will be available where it is needed 
most. The needs of children with disabilities are also specifically 
addressed.
  After school programs should challenge children, stimulate their 
curiosity, and enhance their creativity. We get what we pay for. On the 
average, child care providers earn less than bus drivers and garbage 
collectors. We need stronger incentives to develop and retain skilled 
child care providers. Our bill designates 25 percent of the increase 
for indirect services that include salary incentives for training care 
givers.
  Our bill also strengthens and expands the 21st Century Learning 
Centers program. In the last Congress, we provided $200 million to 
expand this worthwhile program and increase after school programs to 
serve up to a half million more children. This action was an important 
step forward--but even with this increase, a tremendous need remains.
  To address this problem, President Clinton has proposed to triple the 
federal investment in these centers: The additional funds will ensure 
that one million more youths will be in safe, effective after school 
care. Our America After School Act builds on this momentum. By 
strengthening the 21st Century Learning Centers program, we will 
provide greater opportunities for hundreds of thousands more children 
and their families. This additional funding will support mentoring 
programs, academic assistance programs, and drug, alcohol, and gang 
prevention activities.
  Title III of this bill provides $1.25 billion over the next five 
years to expand grants by the Justice Department for after-school 
programs to prevent juvenile delinquency. Both public and private 
agencies will be eligible to apply for these grants, and awards will be 
made on a matching basis. To maximize its effectiveness, recipients 
must coordinate their efforts with state and local law enforcement 
officials. After school educational and recreational programs in high 
crime neighborhoods will receive priority, since children in these 
neighborhoods face the highest risk.
  We must do all we can to prepare students for the future. Providing 
safe and worthwhile afterschool activities is an essential part of 
achieving this goal. We owe our children no less.

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