Take Action to Support Afterschool Funding Today!
ACT Now is spearheading a sign on letter to Governor JB Pritzker to encourage him to fund afterschool in the FY 26 state budget. To ensure more equitable funding for afterschool and youth development programs in Illinois, we are urging the Governor to work with ISBE and the General Assembly to release the $50 million from the FY 25 budget for afterschool programs and include the following in his FY 26 State Budget:
- Maintain the $50 million annual appropriation to fund community learning centers supporting afterschool programs and community schools. The $50 million appropriation from FY 25 has still not been released by ISBE. It is imperative that this funding becomes a sustained investment to ensure the sustainability of afterschool programs in Illinois.
- Increase Teen REACH funding to $27.3 million. Teen REACH programs have not received rate increases to address the increased costs associated with inflation, materials, and the number of youth they serve and funding was reduced in FY 25.
- Fund the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) at $3.2 billion, with at least $55 million designated to cover an expected increase in CCAP participation.
- Maintain funding at $6 million for After School Matters. This funding line will enable After School Matters to continue supporting teens across Chicago with paid opportunities to develop critical skills for work, college, and beyond.
- Allocate $25 million to the Illinois State Board of Education’s After School Programs line.
- Appropriate $202 million for ICJIA’s Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) program.
We encourage you to sign on to our letter to the Governor here! The full draft of the letter is attached. We also encourage you to share the sign on letter with your program administration, community members, and other advocates for afterschool! Please sign on by January 31st, 2025!
Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns! My email is hartnette@actnowillinois.org. Thank you so much!
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