During election season, afterschool remains a bipartisan issue

Election Day is quickly approaching, making it a good time to look at how afterschool and summer learning programs might be impacted by the policy platforms of the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees. While policy platforms do not necessarily reflect how the candidates might address an issue if elected, a quick review provides context as November 5 approaches.  

Afterschool programs are essential for fostering academic success, social development, and providing a safe environment for children during out-of-school hours. Support for afterschool programs continues to be bipartisan, with a 2022 brief, “Afterschool: A Bipartisan Solution to Help Young People Thrive,” finding that an overwhelming majority of parents, regardless of political affiliation, agree that all young people deserve access to quality afterschool and summer programs and view afterschool programs as providing positive supports for children and youth. Specifically, the level of support for access to quality afterschool and summer programs is high: approximately 8 in 10 Democrat (88%), Republican (82%), and Independent parents (80%) agree that all young people deserve access to quality afterschool and summer learning programs. Similarly, strong champions for afterschool can be found in both parties on Capitol Hill, in Governors’ mansions,  state legislatures, and in local city and county governments.

The Harris Campaign and Democratic Party platform for 2024 builds on past support for afterschool programs, emphasizing the importance of afterschool and summer programs as a means to bridge educational gaps, support working families, and provide equitable opportunities for all children. The platform also is congruent with many of the afterschool community’s views on other policies important to supporting youth. Specifically, the platform says:

Education

• “Continue to build on historic investments in education in the last four years, boosting funding for Title I and community schools, investing in thousands of new school counselors and mental health providers, and supporting efforts to boost attendance and expand tutoring and summer programs.”
• “Support a multitude of approaches that have been proven to help students learn: reducing chronic absenteeism by building social and emotional supports at schools, offering literacy programs, and setting high expectations for student attendance; providing intensive tutoring; extending the school day and school year; expanding community schools; and helping schools to lift student achievement, rather than punishing them based on state standardized tests.”
• “And we’re working to provide every student with a pathway to multilingual education, while ensuring equitable access to a high-quality education for English learners, who’ve historically been underserved.”

Child Care

• “Guarantee affordable, high-quality child care from birth until kindergarten, with most families paying just $10 a day — and make it free for low-income families.”
• “Strengthen support for military families by making child care more affordable and accessible.”
• “Make investments permanent, and guarantee affordable, quality child care to millions of working families for less than $10-a-day per child.”
• “Restore the expanded Child Tax Credit and strengthen Head Start.“

Criminal Justice

• “To keep children and teens safe and out of the justice system, we will invest in afterschool programs, community centers, and summer jobs.”

Workforce Readiness

• “Boosting investment in STEM education and workforce training programs for women and at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority Serving Institutions, to make sure the clean energy and manufacturing jobs of tomorrow are open and accessible to communities that have been too often left out in the past.”
• “Prioritize education in cutting-edge STEAM fields as well, especially for students from underrepresented communities, preparing every child to compete and thrive.”

The Trump Campaign and Republican Party platform, Agenda 47, also addresses afterschool and summer program supports, with an emphasis on state and local leadership on education-related activities.

Education

• “Cultivate great K-12 schools, ensure safe learning environments free from political meddling, and restore Parental Rights.
• “Committed to an Education System that empowers students, supports families, and promotes American Values… that must prepare students for successful lives and well-paying jobs.”
• “Support overhauling standards on school discipline, advocate for immediate suspension of violent students, and support hardening schools to help keep violence away from our places of learning.”
• “Close the Department of Education in Washington, D.C. and send it back to the States, where it belongs, and let the States run our educational system as it should be run.”

Child Care

• Make permanent the provisions of the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that doubled the standard deduction and expanded the Child Tax Credit”

Workforce Readiness

• “Emphasize Education to prepare students for great jobs and careers, supporting project-based learning and schools that offer meaningful work experience… fund proven career training programs.”

A platform is much like the President’s annual budget request—it is a wish list of policy priorities and concepts. Once elected, a new President will have to prioritize, and discern which elements are achievable via Executive action, which will need collaboration with Democrats and Republicans in Congress, and which might be too ambitious or politically fraught to pursue.

The Afterschool Alliance and afterschool advocates will be ready to seize upon common ground no matter who is in the White House next year to expand access to afterschool, summer and other out-of-school time opportunities for the country’s youth and families.

To learn more about how the presidential candidates plan to address education issues see the US News and World Report Decision Guide, and see the Afterschool Alliance’s Election Toolkit for additional information on ways to support afterschool this fall.