Giving Compass' Take:

• Andre Perry, education policy expert, reports on the necessity for free, high-quality after-school care that should come from the Department of Education. 

• There is evidence that after-school care can benefit children, but only with the correct approach. What would this look like? 

• Read more about Andre Perry's thoughts on how vouchers can help provide after-school programming. 

Dr. Andre Perry, a well-known spokesman on education policy, writes for The Hechinger Report on the need for free, quality after-school care, recommending that U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos support a voucher program for after-school care rather than for school choice options.

Meanwhile, there are still 11.3 million children who are unsupervised after school and who don't get to benefit from the safety and academic enrichment opportunities after-school care can offer.

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.

When properly operated, after-school care programs offer benefits and make a difference in students' lives. They can keep students safe and support them academically while allowing parents to work without worrying about their kids being on their own.

Read the full article about after school care by Amelia Harper at Education Dive