[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 6, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7184-S7185]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD (for himself, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Akaka, Ms. Colllns, Mr. 
        Menendez, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Whitehouse, and Mr. Casey):
  S. 1557. A bill to amend part B of title IV of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 to improve 21st Century Community 
Learning Centers; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today, joined by my colleague Senator 
Ensign, to introduce the Improving 21st Century Community Learning 
Centers Act of 2007, which will provide children with safe, healthy, 
and academically focused afterschool programs. This bill is endorsed by 
the Afterschool Alliance, an organization representing more than 20,000 
public, private, and nonprofit afterschool providers who are dedicated 
to expanding access to high quality afterschool programs, as well as 
many other national and local organizations.
  More than 14 million children enrolled in kindergarten through 12th 
grade spend time unsupervised in the hours after school. Between the 
hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., while parents are at work, kids are most 
likely to experiment with risky behaviors. To the contrary, students 
who regularly attend afterschool programs have better grades and 
behavior in school, better peer relations and emotional adjustment, and 
lower incidences of drug use, violence, and pregnancy. America's 
families rely on afterschool programs to give their children the 
opportunity to be engaged in high quality learning activities that will 
enhance their children's success in school and in life.
  The Improving 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act of 2007 is 
designed to do three things: enhance program quality and 
sustainability, address the obesity epidemic by including physical 
fitness and wellness programs in the list of possible programming 
activities, and encourage service learning. First, our bill provides 
States with tools designed to sustain high quality afterschool programs 
by allowing program grantees to renew their grants based on their 
program performance. The legislation also gives States the option to 
expand their technical assistance functions to further improve the 
quality of afterschool programs.
  Second, this bill will increase opportunities for children and young 
people to be more physically active. As obesity reaches epidemic 
proportions in our society, allowing for such opportunities is critical 
in ensuring our children's overall health. Obesity is among the easiest 
medical conditions to recognize, but among the most difficult to treat. 
The annual cost to society for obesity is estimated at nearly $100 
billion. Physical activity and wellness programs are critical to our 
overall health and well-being.
  Third, this bill encourages children to be involved in service 
learning and youth development activities. Service learning integrates 
student designed service projects with 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. The Improving 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act will 
help build the character and work ethic of our children and youth.
  Finally, it is of paramount importance that we adequately fund our 
afterschool programs. Currently, afterschool programs have served, at 
most, only 1.4 million children. It is critical that we provide more 
opportunities for youth to be engaged in high quality afterschool 
programming.
  The Improving 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act provides a 
critical first step toward ensuring the health, safety, and education 
of our Nation's children. I hope that my colleagues will join me in 
supporting this important legislation.
  I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1557

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``21st Century Community 
     Learning Centers Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) More than 28,000,000 children in the United States have 
     parents who work outside the home and 14,300,000 children in 
     the United States are unsupervised after the school day ends.
       (2) 6,500,000 children are in after school programs but an 
     additional 15,300,000 would participate if such a program 
     were available.
       (3) After school programs inspire learning. In academic 
     year 2003-2004, 45 percent of all 21st Century Community 
     Learning Centers program participants had improved their 
     reading grades, and 41 percent improved their mathematics 
     grades.
       (4) In academic year 2003-2004 teachers reported that a 
     majority of students who participated in 21st Century 
     Community Learning Centers programs demonstrated improved 
     student behavior, particularly in the areas of academic 
     performance, homework completion, and class participation.
       (5) A growing body of research also suggests that children 
     who participate in after school programs attend school more 
     regularly, are more likely to stay in school, and are better 
     prepared for college and careers.
       (6) Benefits of after school programs extend beyond the 
     classroom. Communities

[[Page S7185]]

     with after school programs have reported reduced vandalism 
     and juvenile crime.
       (7) After school programs help working families. One study 
     estimates that decreased worker productivity due to stress 
     and absenteeism caused by issues related to after school care 
     arrangements costs employers $496 to $1,984 per employee, per 
     year, depending on the annual salary of the employee. The 
     total cost to the business industry is estimated to be 
     between $50,000,000,000 and $300,000,000,000 annually in lost 
     job productivity.
       (8) While students in the United States are falling behind 
     in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), 
     more than 90 percent of after school programs funded by 21st 
     Century Community Learning Centers offer STEM activities, 
     providing more time for children and youth to gain skills and 
     build interest in the STEM fields. Evaluations of after 
     school programs offering STEM activities to students have 
     found increases in the reading, writing, and science skills 
     proficiency of these students. Children who participate in 
     such programs show more interest in science careers, and are 
     more likely to have engaged in science activities just for 
     fun.
       (9) Data from 73 after school studies indicate that after 
     school programs employing evidence-based approaches to 
     improving students' personal and social skills were 
     consistently successful in producing multiple benefits for 
     students, including improvements in students' personal, 
     social, and academic skills, as well as students' self-
     esteem.
       (10) Teens who do not participate in after school programs 
     are nearly 3 times more likely to skip classes than teens who 
     do participate. The teens who do not participate are also 3 
     times more likely to use marijuana or other drugs, and are 
     more likely to drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, and engage in 
     sexual activity. In general, self care and boredom can 
     increase the likelihood that a young person will experiment 
     with drugs and alcohol by as much as 50 percent.
       (11) A 2006 study predicts that by the year 2010 more than 
     46 percent of school-age children in the Americas will be 
     overweight and 1 in 7 such children will be obese. A study of 
     after school program participants in 3 elementary schools 
     found that after school participants were significantly less 
     likely to be obese at the 3-year follow-up physical exam and 
     were more likely to have increased acceptance among their 
     peers. After school programs provide children and youth with 
     opportunities to engage in sports and other fitness 
     activities.
       (12) After school programs have been identified as 
     effective venues for improving nutrition, nutrition 
     education, and physical activity at a time when just 20 
     percent of youth in grades 9 through 12 consume the 
     recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables.
       (13) After school programs also provide children and youth 
     with opportunities for service learning, a teaching and 
     learning approach that integrates student-designed service 
     projects that address community needs with academic studies. 
     With structured time to reflect on their service experience, 
     these projects can strengthen student engagement, enhance 
     students' academic achievement, lower school drop out and 
     suspension rates, and help develop important workforce skills 
     that employers are looking for, including leadership skills, 
     critical thinking, teamwork, and oral and written 
     communication.

     SEC. 3. REFERENCES.

       Except as otherwise expressly provided, wherever in this 
     Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an 
     amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the 
     reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 
     other provision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
     of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301).

     SEC. 4. 21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS.

       (a) Purpose.--Section 4201 (20 U.S.C. 7171) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(2)--
       (A) by inserting ``service learning and nutrition 
     education,'' after ``youth development activities,''; and
       (B) by striking ``recreation programs'' and inserting 
     ``physical fitness and wellness programs''; and
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) by striking paragraph (2); and
       (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs 
     (2) and (3), respectively.
       (b) Allotments to States.--Section 4202 (20 U.S.C. 7172) is 
     amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)--
       (A) by striking paragraph (1); and
       (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs 
     (1) and (2), respectively; and
       (2) in subsection (c)(3)--
       (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
     ``3 percent'' and inserting ``5 percent''; and
       (B) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(E) Supporting State-level efforts and infrastructure to 
     ensure the quality and availability of after school 
     programs.''.
       (c) Award Duration.--Section 4204(g) (20 U.S.C. 7174(g)) is 
     amended by striking the period and inserting ``, and are 
     renewable for a period of not less than 3 years and not more 
     than 5 years based on grant performance.''.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 4206 (20 
     U.S.C. 7176) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 4206. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     part such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008 and 
     each of the 5 succeeding fiscal years.''.

  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Improving 
21st Century Community Learning Centers Act of 2007 with my colleague, 
Senator Chris Dodd.
  The Improving 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act of 2007 
will go a long way toward providing our Nation's children with safe, 
healthy, and academically focused aftershool programs. Mr. President, 
21st century community learning centers provide students in rural and 
inner-city public schools with access to homework centers, tutors, 
mentors, and drug and alcohol prevention counseling, as well as 
cultural and recreational activities.
  Today, 14.3 million children go home alone when the school day ends, 
including over 40,000 kindergartners and almost 4 million middle school 
students. With less than half of the children in afterschool programs, 
the parents of another 15.3 million children say their children would 
participate in afterschool--if a program were available. The 21st 
Century Community Learning Centers Program is a critical resource to 
children, families, and communities in their struggle to meet the need 
for high-quality afterschool programs.
  The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program is a worthwhile 
and necessary investment--evaluations show that these investments are 
having a great impact on children's academic achievement and behavior. 
In 2003-2004, 45 percent of all program participants had improved their 
reading grades and 41 percent improved their math grades. Teachers 
reported that a majority of the students participating in the programs 
improved their academic performance, improved their school attendance, 
completed more homework on time and to the teacher's satisfaction, and 
improved their class participation. Beyond the academic gains, these 
programs are making kids and communities safer by reducing vandalism 
and juvenile crime. It is important that we provide our children with 
access to high-quality, safe, and enriching environments in the hours 
after the school day.
  When my colleagues and I passed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002 
it included a bipartisan commitment to quality afterschool programs and 
investment in the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program. The 
learning centers are currently funded at $981 million and serve about 1 
million children, yet this is just a fraction--7 percent--of the 
children who are eligible for the program and need access to high-
quality afterschool programs. Improving 21st Century Community Learning 
Centers Act of 2007 will address this need and provide our children 
with the sustainable afterschool opportunities that they deserve.
  Recent evaluations of 21st Century Community Learning Center Programs 
show that participating students are improving both their academic 
performance and social behavior in and out of the classroom. Yet 
maintaining quality programs takes constant effort and resources. This 
legislation increases the investments in quality that are critical to 
ensuring that programs not only contribute to children's academic and 
social development but also give young people the opportunities that 
will ensure their college and workplace readiness in the future.
  As the father of three and as a former latch-key kid myself, I 
understand the benefits of providing children with a place to go and 
activities to help them excel. I am committed to ensuring that our 
schools have the assistance they need to ensure that our children leave 
the public education system as well-rounded individuals. Children 
attending public schools should not only be proficient in reading, 
writing, and arithmetic but also be skillful in music, art, and 
athletics. It is my sincere hope that my colleagues in the Senate will 
recognize this important need and cosponsor the Improving 21st Century 
Community Learning Centers Act of 2007.
                                 ______