Earlier this month, I talked with Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls about the importance of STEM learning in afterschool and how the burden of the President’s proposed budget cuts would fall largely on the shoulders of young people facing the toughest odds of succeeding in STEM: girls, young people of color, and young people living in poverty. Read more about our conversation here.
Last week, we were heartened by the passage of a spending bill for this year that provides a modest increase to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. We hope the bill signals Congressional rejection of the Administration’s proposal to eliminate the nation’s single largest source of federal support for afterschool programs in the 2018 budget. Thanks to the Afterschool Alliance for its continued leadership in organizing — 1,400+ organizations speaking out and 57,000 calls and emails so far!
STEM Next will continue to stand with allies everywhere as we use our platforms to speak out and support sound advocacy and policymaking paving the way for all our young people to nurture their curiosity, persevere through tough challenges, and tap into their talent and passions as they discover the wonder and beauty of STEM.