Congress poised to resolve FY 2024 spending with 6-bill package, including support for afterschool and summer programs

Update, March 25, 2024:The Senate passed the measure early Saturday morning, and the bill has been signed into law by President Biden.

Update, March 22, 2024: The House of Representatives passed the FY 2024 six-bill package on Friday morning by a vote of 286-134. Read the statement by Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance.

Six months after the 2024 fiscal year (FY) began, Congress is working to pass the second of two packages of FY 2024 spending bills before midnight on Friday, March 22, 2024, when the fourth short-term FY 2024 continuing resolution expires. Lengthy negotiations between both parties and both chambers have resulted in the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, a $1.2 trillion FY 2024 six bill spending package that would fund the remaining half of the federal government through September 30, 2024. (The first consolidated spending bill passed two weeks ago.) This new spending bill invests a total of $1.329 billion for local afterschool and summer learning programs across all 50 states and territories. That’s the same level of funding for the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative as last year. Given that the Department of Education is subject to a cut of $500 million, maintaining last year’s funding level is appreciated. However,  because of increased costs associated with offering high quality afterschool and summer learning opportunities and the increased demand for programs, level funding will mean less afterschool and summer opportunities, and afterschool advocates urge Congress to increase funding in FY 2025.

The FY 2024 Labor- Health and Human Services-Education (Labor-HHS) spending bill – one of six in the package along with Defense; Financial Services and General Government; Homeland Security; Labor, Legislative Branch; and, State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs – provides $225.4 billion for federal programs and activities. Specifically, for the Department of Education, the legislation provides a total of $79.1 billion in discretionary appropriations. This includes $18.4 billion for Title I formula funding to schools, which is an increase of $20 million over FY 2023. Title I funds can be used to support numerous local needs, including afterschool and summer learning programs. The bill supports early education and child care by investing $8.7 billion in the Child Care and Development Block Grant, an increase of $725 million above fiscal year 2023; these funds that can be used to support school-age students up to age 13.

Specific proposed funding levels for education programs that support afterschool and summer learning and enrichment include:

• The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers: $1.329 billion, level with the 2023 enacted level. The 21st CCLC program annually serves students in every state at more than 10,479 sites across the U.S.
   
• Title I Funding to Local Education Agencies: $18.4 billion, an increase of $20 million above the 2023 enacted level. Title I provides basic and flexible funding to low-income school districts to improve student outcomes. Schools are able to spend Title I funds on afterschool and summer learning programs.
   
• Title IV Full Service Community Schools: $150 million, level with FY 2023, to provide comprehensive services and expand evidence-based models that meet the holistic needs of children, families, and communities, including out-of-school time programs.
   
• Promise Neighborhoods: $91 million, level with FY 2023, for grants to increase access to great schools and strong systems of family and community support that will prepare students to attain an excellent education and successfully transition to college and a career. Afterschool and summer can be one component of these efforts.
   
• Title IV Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants: $1.38 billion, level with the 2023 enacted level. These funds for school districts established under ESSA support activities that provide students with a well-rounded education, ensure safe and supportive learning environments, and use technology to improve instruction. Allowable uses for the grant include support for afterschool STEM activities. 
   
• Child Care Access Means Parents in School: $75 million, level with the 2023 enacted level.
   
• TRIO and GEAR UP: $1.2 billion for Federal TRIO programs, level with the 2023 enacted level. Additionally, $388 million for GEAR UP, also level with the 2023 enacted level. Both programs help high school youth prepare and access higher education.
   
• Federal Work Study: $1.2 billion, equal with the 2023 enacted level. Federal Work Study can be used to support college students working in community-based afterschool programs.
   
• Career, Technical Education (CTE): $2.2 billion, a decrease of $10 million compared to the FY 2023 level, for Career, Technical and Adult Education CTE program. CTE programs can partner with community-based afterschool providers to provide workforce development and career exploration programs. The decrease reflects a smaller appropriation in the CTE National Programs funding level.
   
• Statewide Family Engagement Centers: $20 million, level with FY 2023 funding, for these grants which provide financial support to organizations that provide technical assistance and training to state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) in the implementation and enhancement of systemic and effective family engagement policies, programs, and activities.
   
• Education Innovation and Research (EIR): $259 million, a decrease of $25 from FY 2023. Within the total for EIR, the bill specifies that $87 million will go to provide
  grants for social and emotional learning (SEL) and $87 million will fund grants for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and computer science education
  activities.

Proposed funding levels for afterschool and summer related programs in the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, Corporation for National and Community Service, Department of Justice and other agencies include:

• Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG): $8.7 billion, an increase of $725 million above fiscal year 2023. CCDBG supports children from age 0 through 13, about 45 percent of which are school-age children.
   
• Mental health resources – within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – for mental health supports - the bill includes $2.8 billion, an increase of $20 million over fiscal year 2023, including $99 million for the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, an increase of $5 million above fiscal year 2023; and $520 million for 988 and Behavioral Health Crisis Services, an increase of $18 million above fiscal year 2023. These funds support school-and-campus-based mental health services and support, including increasing student access to evidence-based, culturally relevant, trauma support services and mental health care through established partnerships with community organizations.
   
• Community Services Block Grant: $770 million, level with FY 2023 funding. Funds support services and activities for individuals and families with low incomes that alleviate the causes and conditions of poverty in communities and can include support for afterschool and summer learning programs.
   
• Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS): $1.3 billion for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), a decrease of $50 million compared to fiscal year 2023. CNCS supports AmeriCorps and VISTA that are a key asset for hundreds of afterschool programs. Of the CNCS budget, $557 million for AmeriCorps State and National Grants is included, equal to fiscal year 2023.
   
• Career Pathways for Youth Grants: $20 million, level with FY 2023, for grants to support national out-of-school time organizations that serve youth and teens and place an emphasis on age-appropriate workforce readiness programming to expand job training and workforce pathways for youth and disconnected youth.

In addition, at least $290 million in education-related Community Project Funding, funding that goes to specific projects at the behest of Members, was included in the bill. An analysis of how much of this funding went to support afterschool and summer youth serving programs is forthcoming.

In addition to funding levels, the bill contains Report Language in a number of areas, including requesting the Department of Education to report to Congress on state education agency priorities related to 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant competitions in an effort to determine potential barriers for programs accessing funds.

The House plans to vote on the bill on Friday, March 21, although there are challenges for those who support the bill’s speedy passage. Senate approval will quickly follow. Current funding expires at midnight on Friday, meaning a brief government shutdown may occur over the weekend.