[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 41 (Monday, October 16, 2000)]
[Pages 2370-2371]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7353--Afterschool Week, 2000

October 6, 2000

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    Each weekday afternoon in America, the ringing of school bells 
signals not just the end of the school day, but also the beginning of a 
period when 8 to 15 million of our children are home alone. These so-
called ``latchkey'' children can be found in every American community, 
whether urban, suburban, or rural; they are the children of working 
parents who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to arrange or afford a 
better alternative. Not surprisingly, most juvenile crimes are committed 
and most children are likely to become victims of crime during the 5 or 
6 hours immediately after the school day ends.
    Providing appropriate supervision for children after school is one 
of the more difficult challenges that working parents face. Recognizing 
this, my Administration has worked hard to provide parents with 
alternative afternoon activities for their children. Through our 21st 
Century Community

[[Page 2371]]

Learning Centers program, under the leadership of Education Secretary 
Richard Riley, we are providing schools and community organizations with 
funding to create and expand learning opportunities for children in a 
drug-free, supervised environment. This program enables schools to stay 
open longer so that students have places to do their homework, receive 
counseling about the dangers of substance abuse, and participate with 
mentors in a wide array of academic and recreational activities that 
challenge their imagination and broaden their horizons.
    In the 4 years since we created the 21st Century Community Learning 
Centers program, hundreds of thousands of children across our country 
have enrolled in safe and smart afterschool programs. My proposed budget 
for fiscal 2001 will more than double the Federal commitment to this 
program, enabling us to reach as many as 2.5 million students next year. 
These community learning centers provide America's parents with the 
comforting assurance that, while they are out earning a living, their 
children are participating in engaging and constructive afterschool 
activities.
    To highlight the growing need for afterschool programs, the 
Afterschool Alliance--a partnership of public, private, and nonprofit 
organizations dedicated to raising awareness and expanding resources for 
afterschool programs--has announced a nationwide project called ``Lights 
On Afterschool!'' On October 12 of this year, schools, community 
centers, museums, libraries, and parks across the country will host 
activities to inform families about the places currently open to 
children after school and the need to provide additional centers where 
children can participate in engaging, stimulating activities until their 
parents return from work.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim the week 
of October 8 to October 14, 2000, as Afterschool Week. I encourage 
parents, students, educators, community and business leaders, and 
concerned citizens to participate in ``Lights On Afterschool!'' 
activities on Thursday, October 12. I also urge all Americans to 
recognize the importance of providing afterschool programs in their 
communities to promote the safety and well-being of our Nation's 
children.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of 
October, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence 
of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fifth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., October 11, 
2000]

Note: This proclamation was released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary on October 7, and it was published in the Federal Register on 
October 12.