Massachusetts Education Officials Prioritize Funding for After-School Programming
January 1, 2020
Educators in Massachusetts are increasing their commitment to supporting after-school care and services, according to a letter from Ardith Wieworka of the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership published in the Boston Globe. Under the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), local school superintendents have “the ability to direct funds toward after-school programming.” The latest state budget also funds the “Quality Enhancements in After-School and Out-of-School Time (ASOST) grant…at historically high levels,” giving thousands of more students access to such programs.” With data backing up the importance of this programming, more policymakers “have come to the table to champion the cause.”