Chicago – May 28, 2025
The “REACH Afterschool Program” offers students a host of enriching activities that educators in this low-income community say they couldn’t otherwise afford, including outdoor adventure, sewing, chess, robotics, theater and cooking.
But the program faces an uncertain future: In hisinitial budget proposal, President Trump has called for consolidating and eliminating several federal education grants. And while the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) grant that pays for REACH and many other programs around the country is not specified by name, advocates for afterschool programs believe it could be among those on the chopping block if Congress follows the President’s lead.
NPR reached out to the U.S. Department of Education multiple times for comment about which federal grants are proposed for cuts, and the rationale behind efforts to shrink the federal role in schools. Officials there did not respond.
In an earlier statement, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon wrote, “President Trump’s proposed budget puts students and parents above the bureaucracy … We must change course and reorient taxpayer dollars toward proven programs that generate results for American students.”
