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News release

40,000 Emails Tell Congress: Protect Afterschool Programs

March 5, 2008

Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996

MomsRising.org Members from Coast to Coast Join Afterschool Alliance In Urging Congress to Reject Bush Proposal to Cut Afterschool Programs
To support the 40,000 kindergarteners who are home alone after the school day ends, over the last week MomsRising.org has generated 40,000 emails to Congress urging lawmakers to reject the President’s proposal to slash funding for afterschool programs. The online and on-the-ground grassroots organization for moms (and anyone who has a mom) mobilized its more than 130,000 members to join the Afterschool Alliance in urging Congress to reject the President’s proposal to slash federal funding for afterschool programs and turn the federal afterschool initiative into a risky voucher program.
 
“The reaction we’ve had from our members has been extraordinary,” said MomsRising.org Executive Director Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. “They care deeply about providing safe, supervised activities for children after the school days ends, and want Congress to say ‘no’ to the President’s afterschool proposal. They see afterschool programs as critically important to the success of our children and youth, and think there are already too few afterschool programs to handle the number of children who need a safe place to go after the school day ends.”
 
“MomsRising is an incredible partner,” said Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant. “Its powerful grassroots base is making a huge difference on this issue. Its activism, coupled with our own efforts, has meant that every Member of Congress has heard from constituents over the last few weeks. Hearings are being scheduled and Members are vowing not to adopt the President’s plan. Children and families will be much better off as a result.”
 
In February, the President proposed cutting funds for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers afterschool initiative from the $1.1 billion it is receiving this year to just $800 million in FY09. At a time when more than 14 million kindergarten through 12th grade children in the United States are unsupervised in the afternoons, that cut would deny afterschool programs to some 300,000 students. President Bush also proposed to transforming it into a voucher program – a risky and unwise move that Congress is expected to reject.
 

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MomsRising.org is an on-the-ground and online grassroots organization of more than a million people who are working to increase family economic security, decrease discrimination against women and moms, and to build a nation where businesses and families can thrive. Established in 2006, MomsRising and its members are organizing and speaking out to improve public policy and to change the national dialogue on issues that are critically important to America’s families, including criminal justice reform, immigration policy reform, and gun safety. MomsRising is working for paid family and medical leave, affordable, high quality childcare and early learning, and for an end to the wage and hiring discrimination which penalizes women — particularly moms and women of color — and so many others. MomsRising advocates for access to healthy food for all kids, health care for all, earned sick days, and breastfeeding rights so that all children can have a healthy start. MomsRising maintains a Spanish language website: MamásConPoder.org. Sign up online at www.MomsRising.org — and follow us on our blog, and on Twitter and Facebook.