Dear Coalition Members, Yesterday, March 20th, 2025, the Trump Administration issued an Executive Order (EO) asking the Secretary of Education to take steps to close the U.S. Department of Education. As afterschool programs and community schools are critical, data-driven strategies to support students’ educational success and are funded through this department, ACT Now is closely following this issue. The EO requires the…
Afterschool Programs Zeroed Out In The Governor’s Proposed FY26 Budget Governor JB Pritzker’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Budget leaves a glaring, urgent gap in serving children and families through afterschool that must be addressed immediately. Under the Governor’s leadership, Illinois as a state is doing a great deal to support our most vulnerable populations in the…
Hello Afterschool Advocates! I hope you are all hanging in there. So many of you have expressed interest in our advocacy this year, and we’ve seen more engagement than ever! Since we all can’t be on an advocacy webinar together every single week, we wanted to look for ways to keep you updated with what’s…
In 2013, ACT Now brought together a diverse group of afterschool leaders to review research, state Standards, and feedback from youth development professionals. Their work culminated in the creation of the Illinois Afterschool Quality Standards, which were introduced in May 2016. These Standards were designed to provide a shared definition of program quality and promote…
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