FY27 education spending bill passes House subcommittee, maintains afterschool funding

UPDATE: June 10, 2026: Late in the day on June 9, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act by a partisan vote of 34 to 28. The Senate is now expected to take up their FY27 Labor HHS bill in July although that schedule may change. 21st CCLC remains funded at the FY26 level of $1.329 billion. Report language included with the bill addresses 21st CCLC in particular, stating:

The Committee urges the Department to support States in efforts to establish summer reading programs for K–6 students, particularly for students in underserved areas. The Committee is aware of the unique barriers students with disabilities face in accessing after-school programs, which include identifying an appropriate program and experiencing higher-than-average costs. These barriers prevent students from experiencing the many benefits of afterschool programs, such as improved academic performance, social competence, and improved motor skills. The Committee encourages the Department of Education to prioritize funds awarded under the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program to applicants that increase accessibility to high-quality and inclusive after-school programs for students with disabilities.

Additionally the Report Language applying to bill-wide requirements includes the following:

After School STEM.—The Committee recognizes the importance of a strong domestic STEM workforce to U.S. economic competitiveness, national security, and technological leadership. The Committee appreciates the benefits of educators trained in emerging technologies and the impact that informal STEM learning environments, such as afterschool and summer STEM programs, play in strengthening student engagement, improving academic outcomes, and expanding pathways into high-demand STEM fields, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, robotics, advanced manufacturing, and quantum mechanics. The Committee encourages the Department to support evidence-based STEM educator development initiatives that strengthen instructional quality in out-of-school settings, including initiatives that promote partnerships among schools, community organizations, and local STEM-focused industry leaders. The Committee urges the Department to prioritize underserved, rural, and low income communities, where access to robust STEM learning opportunities remain the most limited.

On June 5, the House Appropriations Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Subcommittee marked up its Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) spending bill (bill text) providing $189.3 billion in discretionary funding, which is $5.6 billion (3%) below the Fiscal Year 2026 enacted level. The legislation funds a range of education, labor, and human services programs, including those that support local afterschool and summer programs. The bill provides $70.7 billion in discretionary funding for Department of Education (ED) programs, $8 billion (10%) lower than the FY26 enacted level. While the legislation includes deep proposed funding cuts, dedicated support for local afterschool and summer programs through the 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) initiative was maintained at the previous year’s level of $1.329 billion, falling short of Capitol Hill leaders and advocates’ request for $2.09 billion to meet increasing costs and unmet demand. Funding in the FY27 LHHS bill would support students next summer (2027) and the following 2027-2028 school year.

In April, the White House proposed to eliminate funding for 21st CCLC, as was the case in the FY26 budget proposal, and replace the program with a block grant that would consolidate 17 critical education programs and cut funding for the programs by 69%. The House bill rejects this proposal, and afterschool advocates are grateful to the leadership of House Appropriations Committee Chair Cole (R-Okla.), Ranking Member DeLauro (D-Conn.), and LHHS Subcommittee Chair Aderholt (R-Ala.) for recognizing the importance of local afterschool and summer programs that support students, families, and communities nationwide.

While 21st CCLC funding is protected in the bill, overall, the bill proposes funding cuts and program eliminations that would be devastating to young people and families. This includes cutting funding for Title I grants to school districts by 10% (nearly $2 billion), eliminating Full-Service Community Schools, and eliminating Title II – Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants – all of which can and do support local afterschool programs. The bill also cuts Department of Labor (DOL) funding by $9.8 billion, a $3.7 billion or 27% decrease from FY 2026, including proposed eliminations once again for WIOA Youth Activities that supports youth development programs for students and opportunity youth.

Key proposed funding provisions related to afterschool and summer support in the House bill include the following:

Elementary and Secondary Education Funding

• $1.329 billion for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program (Title IV Part B), which supports before-school, afterschool, and summer learning programs for nearly 1.4 million students. The program would receive the same amount of funding as it did in FY26. The bill does not consolidate 21st CCLC funds into a new block grant as proposed by the President’s FY26 budget request. 
   
• $16.5 billion for Title I, Part A formula grants for Local Education Agencies, a $1.9 billion cut from FY26. These education funds can be used by school districts serving low-income students to support afterschool and summer learning, as well as a wide range of other activities and student supports. 
   
• $1.385 billion for Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants, also known as Title IV Part A, this is an increase of $5 million from FY26. These funds can be used for afterschool science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), physical activity, education technology, and a host of other activities. The bill does not consolidate these funds into a new block grant as proposed by the President’s FY26 budget request. 
   
• Elimination of Full Service Community Schools funding, down from $150 million last year; this funding supports comprehensive services and expands evidence-based models that meet the holistic needs of children, families, and communities, including afterschool and summer learning components. 

Career and Technical Education Funding

• $1.448 billion for Career and Technical Education (CTE) – an increase of $8 million from FY26 levels, which can be used for school community partnerships supporting middle school and high school youth engaged in career-connected learning

Child Care Funding

• $8.84 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant— a $10 million increase above FY26—which helps families across the country find and afford the child care they need. This Department of Health and Human Services program supports school-age children with afterschool and summer programs, in addition to providing child care to infants and toddlers. 

Other Afterschool-Related Funding

• $908 million for Federal Work Study, a cut of $32 million (26%) from last year, which can help support college students working in afterschool and other community-based organizations while attending college.
   
• $552.1 million for AmeriCorps State and National grants – a $5 million decrease from FY 2026. The bill rejects the Trump Administration’s FY 2027 proposal to cut these programs and  eliminate the Corporation for National and Community Service entirely. AmeriCorps members serve in communities across the country and work to address pressing challenges, including supporting afterschool and summer learning programs. 

Congressionally directed funding requests to support education programs, similar to the earmarks of the past, are not included in the House LHHS bill. Congressionally directed funding supporting health related projects were included in the bill. The Report Language for the bill is not yet available and we will update the blog as additional information is released. 

The bill passed the LHHS Subcommittee by a partisan vote (11-7) and now moves to the full House Appropriations Committee for debate, amendments and a vote on June 9. The Senate has not yet begun deliberations on their FY27 LHHS spending bill and the House and Senate will need to negotiate differences before a compromise FY27 LHHS bill becomes law. FY27 begins on October 1, 2026, allowing just four months to negotiate and pass a bipartisan LHHS spending bill.

For local afterschool and summer programs, the same amount of funding as last year represents a cut as costs continue to rise, making it challenging to serve the same number of students in the future and failing to address growing demand for afterschool and summer learning programs.

The voices of programs and program supporters are as important as ever in this process! We know 23 million youth await access to affordable afterschool programs. It is essential to continue reaching out to representatives about the need for dedicated afterschool and summer funding, not just in 21st CCLC but also in the other Education and Health and Human Services programs that provide important supports for students during and after the school day.

It continues to be important for friends of afterschool to let Congress know that robust education funding in FY27 for the 2027-2028 school year is imperative.