Biden administration releases FY 2025 budget proposal, includes afterschool related increases

Today, the Biden administration released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 discretionary budget request, formally kicking off the FY2025 appropriations process. With regard to afterschool and summer learning support, the proposal requests $1.3 billion for afterschool and summer programs funded through the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC), which would be level with the not yet finalized FY 2024 funding level and level with FY 2023. Overall, the White House’s FY 2025 budget requests $82.4 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education. The request reflects a $3.1 billion—or 4 percent increase—from the FY 2023 level. The budget request is subject to budget caps agreed upon by Congress as part of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.

The lack of a proposed increase for 21^st CCLC comes amidst record unmet demand for afterschool programs, as well as increasing program costs. There are 24.7 million children who are not in an afterschool program, but would be enrolled if a program were available to them. That means that for every child in an afterschool program, four more are waiting for one. It is important to note that the president’s budget request is a proposal, and that Congress alone is responsible for appropriating federal funds. Afterschool supporters will continue making the case for increased afterschool and summer learning support as part of Congress’ FY 2025 spending bills. Read Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant’s response to the budget request.

While 21st CCLC funding would be level with last year, the proposed budget does include increases for full-service community schools and Title I, which both provide funding to high poverty schools. The requests says, in part, the following about established programs important to afterschool:

“This year, to help ensure that every student receives the high-quality education and support they deserve, the Budget requests  $18.6 billion for Title I, a $200 million increase above the 2023 enacted level. Title I, which reaches 90 percent of school districts across the Nation, includes afterschool, summer learning and community schools as allowable uses of funds. The Budget includes $200 million for Full-Service Community Schools, $50 million more than the FY 2023 level. Full-service community schools include afterschool and summer learning as one of four pillars of support.” 

The budget also proposes an interesting new program, which could fund afterschool and summer, by requesting $8 billion in mandatory funding to provide new “Academic Acceleration and Achievement Grants” to high-need school districts to help close opportunity and achievement gaps and speed the pace of learning recovery. These grants would support evidence-based strategies to increase school attendance, provide high-quality tutoring and student supports, and expand learning time, including both in the summer and in extended day or afterschool programs. The proposed new grant program aligns with the President’s Improving Student Achievement Agenda for 2024 which was launched at the White House in January. Its realization also relies on support from a divided Congress during an election year.

On the Health and Human Services (HHS) side, the FY 2025 budget request would provide an additional $500 million for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG). This increase is intended to help stabilize the child care sector and help more working families afford child care. It is also is aimed to help states implement the new Child Care Final Rule published by HHS earlier this month. The proposed budget would invest in a program to help parents with incomes up to $200,000 a year to spend no more than $10 a day for child care for their children under age 5, and would provide for voluntary universal free preschool. In both cases, the parent would be able to choose the child care setting of their choice. The budget notes, that with the proposed new 0-5 programs providing coverage for most of the younger age groups, the CCDBG increase would be a major element in continuing to serve school-age children.

Specific funding levels in the budget proposal for education programs that support afterschool and summer include:

• The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers: $1.3 billion, level with FY 2023 funding. This is the largest funding stream exclusively for afterschool and summer learning and provides 1.3 million students with quality programming outside of the school day.
   
• Title I Grants to Local Education Agencies: $18.6 billion for Title I of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to close opportunity and achievement gaps in our nation's schools and help schools sustain programs that support students' academic recovery from the impacts of the pandemic, a $200 million increase above FY 2023.  Schools are able to spend Title I funds on afterschool and summer learning programs.
   
• Title II-A Funds for Teacher Professional Development: $2.19 billion, level funded with last year.
   
• Title IV Full Service Community Schools: $200 million, an increase of $50 million over FY 2023 enacted funding level, to provide comprehensive services and expand evidence-based models that meet the holistic needs of children, families, and communities. Out-of-school time programs are a key element of community schools.
   
• Title IV Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants: $1.38 billion, level funded with FY 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. 
   
• Education, Innovation, and Research (EIR): $269 million is proposed, which is a decrease of $15 million from FY 2023. EIR funds have been used in past years for STEM education as well as evidence-based, field-initiated innovations that address student social and emotional learning needs. 
   
• Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program: For FY 2025, the Administration requests $80 million for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, an increase of $5 million from the FY 2023 level. The CCAMPIS program helps to ensure that student parents with low-incomes enroll in, persist in, and complete postsecondary education by helping to meet their needs for affordable and convenient child care.
   
• Career, Technical Education (CTE): $1.53 billion proposed, an increase of $72 million is proposed for the Perkins V CTE program. The request would support investment in new models for workforce development and build the capacity of the existing workforce development system. Funding would help state and local workforce training programs deliver on the promise of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act by better integrating academic and career and technical education; and provide work-based learning opportunities and opportunities to gain postsecondary education credit while still attending high school.
   
• TRIO and GEAR UP: The request would provide $1.2 billion in FY 2025 for the federal TRIO Programs, an increase of $20 million over the FY 2023 level, to provide services to encourage underserved individuals to enroll in and complete college and postgraduate education. Additionally, the request includes $398.0 million, an increase of $10 million over the 2024 annualized CR, to assist middle and high school students in preparing for college through Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP).
   
• New program proposed: $8 billion to create the Academic Acceleration and Achievement Grant program. “These grants to school districts would support evidence-based strategies to increase school attendance, provide high-quality tutoring, and expand learning time, including both in the summer and in extended day or afterschool programs.”

And in the Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies:

• Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG): $8.5 billion, an increase of $500 million over the FY 2023 level; the justification notes that of children served by the program 47 percent were 5 years old (11 percent) and older (36 percent).
   
• AmeriCorps: The president’s budget for FY 2024 provides $1.342 billion for AmeriCorps. The FY 2025 Budget will support more than 190,000 AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers in addressing some of our nation’s most urgent needs, including preparing students for success in school. The budget also includes $8 billion in mandatory funding to support an additional 50,000 American Climate Corps members annually by 2031. AmeriCorps and VISTA are a key asset for hundreds of afterschool programs.
   
• Department of Labor Youth Activities: $1.05 billion proposed, and increase of $7 million over FY 2023 level. These grants support a wide range of activities and services to prepare low-income youth for academic and employment success, including summer and year-round jobs. The program links academic and occupational learning with youth development activities.
   
• Youth Mentoring Initiative: $107 million for youth mentoring grants within the Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, a proposed increase of $5 million over the FY 2023 level. These funds include support mentoring programs taking place through afterschool programs.

The budget proposal serves as a spending “wish list” for the administration, and Congress will not develop bills with all of the president’s requests. The FY 2025 appropriations bills are scheduled to be completed before the end of this fiscal year on September 30, 2024, although, realistically, the budget may be finalized much later in the calendar year—after the November elections. This budget proposal and appropriations season comes at a time when voter support for afterschool and summer is at an all-time high, with voters across political affiliations, community types, racial and ethnic groups, and age groups in agreement that elected officials should invest more resources in programs. Now is a good time to reach out to Congress to ask them to support afterschool and summer learning programs in the FY 2024 spending bill expected to be finalized this month.