Education Department cuts threaten summer learning programs

Source: Axios

7 hours ago


Uncertainty over Education Department funding won't go on vacation when the school year ends because the cuts also threaten vital summer learning programs.

The big picture: Summer learning programs are essential for kids and working parents alike because federally-funded programs offer enrichment, academic support, social interaction and basic needs, like access to healthy food.

"For every child that's in a program, there's a parent of at least one more that wants their kid to be in a program, but they don't have access," Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Jodi Grant said.

Her group anticipates an "an even larger shortage of summer learning."

Driving the news: Organizers are "very uncertain and anxious" about hosting summer programs while facing upheaval at the Education Department and broad spending cuts, Grant said.

While the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program — a critical funding stream that supports summer, afterschool and before-school programs — remains intact, the first Trump administration repeatedly pushed to eliminate it.

"I'm worried that when it comes to cuts, unless we have a separate funding stream that explicitly goes to afterschool and summer, those programs get cut before any other education programs," Grant said.

Zoom out: The Education Department's halt to pandemic aid reimbursement extensions approved by the Biden administration is already hitting summer and afterschool programs.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon alerted state education chiefs in a March 28 letter that the previously prolonged spending period would end that evening, but individual projects may get extensions.

Department spokesperson Madi Biedermann called the Biden administration's decision to extend the spending deadline "an irresponsible precedent" in a statement to Axios.

She said extensions would be considered "on an individual project-specific basis where it can be demonstrated that funds are being used to directly mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on student learning."

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2025/04/22/trump-mcmahon-education-department-cuts-summer-learning-programs