Home > Projects > Afterschool > Policy Recommendations

Afterschool Policy Recommendations

Wisconsin’s children and youth deserve the best chance to learn and grow to achieve success in school and life. Quality after school programs help provide that opportunity. After school programs are widely recognized as an important tool to keep kids safe, help working families, and promote learning. These learning opportunities are also critically important in closing the achievement gap between disadvantaged students, children of color and their peers. Unfortunately, the need for these programs currently far outstrips the available funding and programs.  Lack of funding is the most significant barrier to increasing access to afterschool/extended learning opportunities. Wisconsin does not currently make deliberate investments to sustain or expand these programs.

To ensure that all Wisconsin kids have access to these programs, our state budget should increase funds available to public schools, community organizations, and local units of government  to support existing afterschool learning opportunities and to enable other communities to expand or establish their local offerings. This investment, coupled with funding from federal and local governments and private partners can help ensure access to afterschool/extended learning opportunities for all Wisconsin children.

10 things you can do to promote after school in the state budget