The Connecticut After School Network advocates on behalf of increasing funding for after school and summer programs, as well as for the necessary infrastructure to support quality

State Budget: The Connecticut General Assembly kicked off its 2020 session on Wednesday, February 5, and will finish on May 6. Governor Lamont has released his proposed budget (Click here to see the entire proposal). For CSDE’s After School Grants, the line item would be cut 9%, or $530,000, in   fiscal year 2020-21 if the Governor’s proposal is adopted.

Please note that if you are interested in early childhood funding, the Governor’s budget also cuts $2.7 million from the Early Care and Education line item that would allow School Readiness and Child Development Centers better serve low income families.

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Now more than ever before, members of Congress need to hear from you. The budget proposed by the White House would eliminate afterschool funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, so it’s crucial that we have a diverse and broad set of voices telling Congress that afterschool programs are essential to student success. For all the latest on advocacy at the federal level, check out the take action section of the Afterschool Alliance website.

It’s always a good idea to let your Congressional representatives know you support afterschool and summer programs, and you can reach them via Facebook and Twitter. You can retweet the Network’s posts (follow us @CTASN) or, for example, you could tweet this or something like it:

“For America to compete in the 21st century, @SenBlumenthal we need to invest in the future: our children. #AfterschoolWorks @CTASN @afterschool4all”

Reach Connecticut’s representatives using their Twitter handles: