Giving Compass' Take:

• Education Dive discusses the need for federal funding for after-school programs and suggests using a voucher program to cover the costs in order to give working parents the support they need.

• How would a voucher program for after-school activities work — and in what ways would we be able to measure the impact that it has on student outcomes? 

• Read about the potential benefits of after-school voucher programs.

Though the federal 21st Century Community Learning Center grant came through unscathed in the last federal budget, it is set to expire in 2019, and the Trump administration has indicated that it isn't supportive of the program. The reasoning is based on evidence that the program did not improve academic outcomes and had a tendency to worsen student behavior. However, other advocates point out that this evidence is based on older studies that may not accurately reflect new approaches.

For many families, the need for safe, affordable and high-quality after-school care is clear. School days do not usually correspond with work days, and the high cost of after school care means millions of children are left unsupervised after school. According to a 2014 report by the Afterschool Alliance, in 2004, the parents of 15.3 million children said they would enroll their child in an after-school program if one were available. By 2014, that number rose to 19.4 million children.

Read the full article about federal funding for after-school programs by Amelia Harper at Education Dive.