Child Care and Afterschool Programs to Receive Billions of Dollars in Relief Funds

Congratulations!
President Biden will soon sign the American Rescue Plan after it was approved by the Senate earlier today. In this plan comes much needed relief for child care and afterschool programs!
We congratulate all of the advocates on the provisions in the American Rescue Plan that provide the billions of dollars in relief for both child care and afterschool.

What does it include for child care?

The total amount of the package is $39 billion in child care relief funding. $15 billion of that is emergency funding for the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program and $24 billion for a child care stabilization fund.
​There is also $1billion for Head Start and Early Head Start.
This is the briefest of overviews. First Five Years Fund breaks it down for you here.

What does it include for Afterschool and Summer Programs?
The American Rescue Plan opens up $30.35 billion for afterschool and summer learning programs. Funds will be provided to state education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs). For LEAs: $21.9 billion and for SEAs $8.45 billion. Afterschool Alliance breaks it down for you here.

What about CACFP directly?
The Afterschool Alliance outlines what is included to address child hunger:

• Maintains and expands the Pandemic-EBT (P-EBT) program by investing more than $5 billion in P-EBT so that low-income families have access to food assistance during both the school year and summer months.
• Includes more than $800 million for the WIC program, which supports low-income women and infants, and boosts the value of WIC Cash Value Vouchers (CVV) for vulnerable mothers and children.
• Temporarily expands the age of eligibility for the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) at emergency homeless shelters, to ensure more young adults can access needed nutrition support.

While this amazing relief package doesn't specifically address the difficulties CACFP has faced in the last year, it is much wanted news to know that the programs and facilities in which CACFP meals are served will be saved and therefore increase access to the needed nutritious meals served by those participating in the CACFP.

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​The National CACFP Forum and CACFP Roundtable the and other organizations hear the needs of CACFP Sponsors and CACFP program operators and we continue to raise your voices and needs to local, state and national policy leaders. We have opportunities in a future relief bill and the upcoming Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act! Share your thoughts, needs and stories with us.

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