Sec. 2. Findings

344 words·~2 min read·/bill/116/s/2784/is/section-2

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Congress finds the following: Schools are shut down for an average of 29 days throughout the school year, which is 2 weeks longer than the typical American with paid leave has in paid holidays and vacation. Moreover, 39 percent of all workers, and 80 percent of low-wage workers, lack access to any paid vacation time. Most schools close at or around 3 p.m., 2 hours short of the standard full-time work day. Fewer than 1/2 of elementary schools and fewer than 1/3 of low-income schools offer before and afterschool care.

In communities across the Nation, 1 in 5 school-aged children were unsupervised after school. In 2014, parents of approximately 19,400,000 children who were not in an afterschool program said that their children would participate if a program were available. If families pay out of pocket for child care to cover the excess school closure days and the hours between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., it would cost an average of $6,600 per year, or 9 percent of an average family’s income. Moreover, 73 percent of families report some difficulty in finding summer care.

Many working parents are forced to make job-related changes during the summer. In 57 percent of families, at least one parent makes a change to their job that is likely to result in a smaller paycheck, and in nearly 1/3 of families, both parents make a job sacrifice. The misalignment of school and work schedules creates a significant strain on working parents and guardians, particularly mothers and Black, Latino, low-income, and single working parents, and those with irregular schedules.

Misaligned school schedules cost the United States economy $55,000,000,000 in lost productivity annually. 1,000,000 women with elementary school-aged children work less than full time because of their caregiving responsibilities. More than 8 in 10 parents of children in afterschool programs agree that afterschool programs help working parents keep their jobs. More than half of families report a desire for their child to participate in a summer learning program. Aligning school and work schedules is both an economic growth and child development strategy.