Rep. Davids proposes bill to enhance after-school care access

Kansas Congresswoman Sharice Davids visited Emerson Elementary School in Kansas City, Kansas after she introduced the Afterschool ACCESS Act to make afterschool care more accessible for working parents.

“We’ve been in this childcare deficit for a long time,” she said.

“We got to we’ve really got to start thinking outside the box to try to solve these issues.”

If passed, the bill would incentivize public-private partnerships by changing the tax code, giving companies charitable deductions if their property or transportation is used part-time for afterschool programs. Davids says the bill helps eliminate some of the barriers to after-school care access, like a lack of transportation, cost and availability.

At Emerson, their afterschool program, KidsZone, is coordinated by Mechelle Wortham.

“There’s definitely a great need,” she said on Wednesday.

“We do have some grant funding, but it’s not enough because, like, imagine a family with three or four kids in the program.”

She says they have to turn parents away each year. A report from the Afterschool Alliance says that three out of every four children whose parents want afterschool care in Kansas can’t access it, that’s more than 170,000 kids.

“I would imagine for a parent it’s priceless,” Wortham said.

“You know, your child is somewhere safe. They are building rapport with other caring adults in their lives. They’re getting to experience things that they may not otherwise be able to experience, like scouts, sports programs.”

The bill has already been introduced in Congress and has been referred to the Ways and Means Committee. It has received bipartisan support from Congressman Ryan Mackenzie from Pennsylvania.

“It’s also exactly the kind of stuff that should be bipartisan,” Congresswoman Davids said.

“It turns out everybody’s having kids. It turns out everybody needs childcare.”

While the program could provide a broader range of after-school activities, Wortham thinks it could provide parents with more options when it comes to childcare.

“If the program allows other programs to open as well, parents will have options for a safe space for their children. So, I just hope that they are bursting at the seams.”

The bill was last discussed in Congress on January 15.