ACT Now After School Rally
This morning we joined ACT Now for a rally to urge the state to issue afterschool funding, and heard testimonies from impacted programs, community members, students, and parents. The fight is not over!
Last June, federal grants ended for afterschool providers causing tens of thousands of students across the state to lose access to programs and hundreds of staff roles to be eliminated.
In May, we gathered in Springfield, Illinois, to encourage elected officials to develop a new funding line to support afterschool providers. Legislators recognized the benefit of these programs and chose to include $50 million in additional state funding in the Illinois budget to stabilize the field.
By early June 2024, the Governor signed the state budget and the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) voted to release the funds. However, delays in disseminating these funds are forcing programs to shut down.
291 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) throughout Illinois had their grants conclude on June 30, 2024.
- 45% of these programs have shut down and another 48% are operating limited programming and will shut down by the of the year.
- Programs have reported that 13,500 students have already lost access to afterschool experiences. By the end of this calendar year, almost 27,900 youth across Illinois will have lost services.
- Similarly, 1,000 staff positions have already been eliminated and programs indicate that by the end of 2024, 2,000 people will have been laid off.
Students and families across the state cannot wait any longer and availability of programs is shrinking by the day.
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