Trends in Educational Funding - Federal Government In The Child Care Business

The chart shows how annual appropriations for 21st Century Community Learning Centers have risen. The assumption behind this initiative is that idle minds are the devil's workshop and the federal government can do something about it. Brought to life under the Clinton administration, CLCs were embraced by George W. Bush. He appropriated a record $1 billion for them in his 2002 budget.

CLCs provide before- and after-school academic enrichment opportunities to the latchkey generation. The U.S. Departments of Education and Justice report Working for Children and Families¹⁴ points out these statistics to explain the need for afterschool programs: in 69% of married-couple families with children ages 6-17, both parents work outside the home. In 71% of single-mother families and 85% of single-father families, the parent with custody works. There can be a gap of 20 to 25 hours a week between the parental work schedule and the child's school schedule. Studies estimate that between 8 and 15 million latchkey children go home after school to an empty house. The FBI tells us that the time between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. is prime time for juvenile crime and victimization.

Mott Foundation/JC Penney afterschool surveys show overwhelming support on the part of voters for afterschool programs; the federal government has obliged with funding.

Not everyone agrees that government-funded after-school initiatives are a good idea. Opponent Darcy Olsen, writing for USA Today, cites Department of Education and Census data as sources for her objections: "No more than 12% of children aged five through 12 ever care for themselves, and those who do are alone for about one hour per day on average. Data show that a child's age, not the family's income, is the primary determinant of whether a youngster spends time alone… the assertion that there is an urgent need for taxpayer-subsidized afterschool programs is not convincing."

The federal government is also involved in child care and has its own Child Care Bureau. It was created in 1995 to provide a central focus for federal child care programs. Welfare reform legislation of the 1990s required most low-income single mothers to work. According to former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala: "Affordable, accessible and quality child care is critical to help move families from welfare to work." To assist in the cause of welfare reform, the Child Care Bureau distributes block grants to the states: $1.2 billion in 1999 for child care for low-income families. According to www.whitehouse.gov, federal and state governments provide more than $18 billion annually in child care money in one form or another to low-income families. Darcy Olsen weighs in on this issue too: "Child care should remain safe from government intrusion." Her contention: If government really wanted to help families, it would lower their taxes.

Sources: Chart: U.S. Department of Education. Education Budget History Table. Online. Available: from http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/budnews.html#statetables. May 15, 2002. Information on child care funds obtained from various press releases. Online. Available: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/. May 17, 2002. Olsen, Darcy. "Government Should Stay Out of Afterschool Care." USA Today (Magazine) Sept. 2000. Olsen, Darcy. "Government and child care." World and I (March 1998) Vol. 13. No. 3. p.72. "Almanac of Policy Issues: Child Care." Online. Available: http://www.policyalmanac.org/social_welfare/childcare.shtml. May 17, 2002. U.S. Department of Education. 21st Century Community Learning Centers: Providing Quality Afterschool Learning Opportunities for America's Families. September 2000. Online. Available: http://www.ed.gov/21stcclc/. May 17, 2002.