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The Afterschool for Children and Teens Now coalition, known as
ACT Now, is asking for the Illinois State Board of Education and
Gov. J.B. Pritzker to distribute the funding to after-school
providers as soon as possible.
Susan Stanton, executive director, said more than 27,000
students across Illinois have lost access to after school
programs as a result of the delay.
“Fifty-million dollars was appropriated in this year’s budget
for after school programs and hasn’t been released yet,” said
Stanton. “This funding became available on July 1, 2024. We need
this funding released immediately because many programs recently
had to shut their doors due to a lack of" funding.
Stanton adds that the coalition is planning to send a letter
with more than 300 signatures to the governor’s office asking
him to release the funding. Stanton added that she hopes to
receive an update by the end of the week.
State Sen. Celina Villanueva, D-Chicago, has sponsored
legislation to secure after school funding in future state
budgets.
“This is about prioritizing as we’re having the conversations
now because we’re also talking about next year’s budget, so it's
kind of a two-fold approach,” said Villanueva.
The budget for fiscal year 2026 begins on July 1 and ends on
June 30, 2026.
The Illinois State Board of Education said the agency is waiting
for guidance from the General Assembly regarding the
distribution of the funds.
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