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<\/p>\nWashington, DC…U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) on Wednesday introduced the Family Friendly Schools Act<\/i>,\u00a0first-of-its-kind legislation to align the school day with the work day to better support working families.\u201cMy mother raised my sister and me while working demanding, long hours,\u201d\u00a0said Senator Harris.\u00a0\u201cSo, I know firsthand that, for many working parents, juggling between school schedules and work schedules\u00a0is a common cause of stress and financial hardship.\u00a0But,\u00a0this does not have to be the case. My bill provides an innovative solution that will help reduce\u00a0the burden of child\u00a0care on\u00a0working families. It is time we modernize the school schedule to better meet the needs of our students and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Throughout the United States, current school schedules make life harder for working families. Research shows that schools are shut down for an average of 29 days throughout the school year.\u00a0With\u00a0the vast majority of schools\u00a0closing\u00a0at or around 3\u00a0pm, two hours short of the standard full-time work day,\u00a0parents are often left in a bind. Additionally,\u00a0summer breaks\u00a0present a challenge; in fact, three\u00a0in\u00a0four\u00a0parents\u00a0report\u00a0at least some difficulty finding child care during\u00a0that time period.<\/p>\n
The economic cost of this problem is substantial. Schools are closed for two weeks longer than the typical American with paid leave has in paid holidays and vacation. Further, 39 percent of all workers, and 80 percent of low-wage workers, lack access to any paid vacation time. This places a financial burden on parents and caregivers to either pay for additional child care or take leave without pay to care for their child. While the misalignment of school and work schedules\u00a0affects all families,\u00a0low-income households often shoulder the greatest burden especially those with unpredictable or inflexible work schedules.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Family Friendly Schools Act\u00a0<\/i>will create a first-of-its-kind pilot program to give schools resources to stay open during the entire work day\u00a0throughout the school year\u00a0and to invest over $1 billion in enriching summer\u00a0learning\u00a0programs \u2013\u00a0all without forcing teachers to work longer hours or for less pay.<\/p>\n
Specifically, the legislation will:<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Family Friendly Schools Act<\/i>\u00a0received support from the following organizations: American Federation of Teachers, Center for American Progress, CLASP, EdNavigator, First Focus, Institute for Educational Leadership, Main Street Alliance, National Association of Counties, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Summer Learning Association, National Women\u2019s Law Center, and National League of Cities.<\/p>\n
\u201cBy investing in before, and after school programming, summer enrichment and 21st Century Community Learning Centers, this legislation addresses a chronic and long-neglected problem: too many working parents can\u2019t access affordable care for their kids during the workday,\u201d\u00a0said Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers.\u00a0\u201cAfter a decade of disinvestment in public education, more than half of public elementary schools lack the funding to meet kids and families where they are, and offer care beyond traditional school hours. Roughly one million mothers of elementary school children cut their hours at work because of a lack of affordable child care. This bill would enable school districts and communities to find solutions that work for them, and would make sure teachers and paraprofessionals aren\u2019t filling in the gaps without respect and fair compensation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe misalignment between school and work schedules puts working families through unnecessary financial stress \u2013 a burden we know is disproportionately shouldered by Black and Latinx families and families with low incomes,\u201d\u00a0said Catherine Brown, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress.\u00a0\u201cSenator Harris\u2019 proposal would better support families in arranging child care and their work schedules, enabling more parents \u2013 largely mothers \u2013 to work, advancing educational equity and providing a needed boost to our economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) is proud to support Senator\u2019s Harris\u2019 Family Friendly Schools Act,\u201d\u00a0said Olivia Golden, Executive Director at the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP).\u00a0\u201cThe disconnect between school and work schedules can cause unnecessary hardship for working parents and their children. One in six workers report that their schedules vary based on the needs of their employer\u2014 and workers in low-wage jobs are disproportionately represented among those with unpredictable schedules. Given the struggle that many families face when trying to find high-quality, affordable child care, aligning the school day with the work day and expanding resources for afterschool and summer care and learning programs is a positive initial step towards improving job stability, child well-being, and economic security for families across the country. We applaud Senator Harris for introducing this innovative legislation.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to Harris, the bill is sponsored by U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Michael Bennet (D-CO).<\/p>\n
Full text of the bill is available\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n Further background on the bill is available\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n