Education Department funding freeze targets summer school and language programs that are lifelines for families

Arlington VA CNN Desperation crept into Sylvia s voice as she rattled off all the procedures her life would become more arduous if a free learning undertaking that her son attends during the summer shuts its doors A single mother Sylvia works as a janitor and is the sole breadwinner for her family which includes her -year-old as well as her ailing mother I cannot sleep at night revealed Sylvia who spoke to CNN through a translator as she picked up her son Gabriel at the end of a long shift Gabriel is asking Mom why you are crying Why are you crying mom She has been crying she commented because she knows that the glue that keeps it all together a nonprofit operation that allows her son to have a safe place to stay warm meals and a chance to learn English is being targeted by the Trump administration She declined to give her last name citing privacy concerns amid the current political atmosphere Aspire Afterschool Learning where Gabriel spends his days during the summer school break in Arlington Virginia is one of more than summer and after-school programs across the country that has been pushed into a state of perilous uncertainty after the Department of Teaching abruptly paused the grant it depends on to keep things running The fund called st Century Group Learning Centers st CCLC is a federal project that was among a huge swath of nearly billion of development grants that the department suddenly froze this month with little notice An OMB spokesperson informed CNN on Saturday after the publication of this article that the programmatic review is over for st CCLC Funds will be distributed to the states Guardrails have been put in place to ensure these funds are not used in violation of Executive Orders the OMB spokesperson revealed without providing other details on the freeze or the other grant money that was frozen The halt came amid a review that alleged the money was being used to promote leftwing ideologies It comes as the Trump administration is seeking to dismantle the Department of Training with mass layoffs underway and severe funding cuts under consideration Much of the money goes towards programs that serve particular of the US poorest children On Monday specific two dozen Democratic-led states sued the Department of Learning in federal court to release the funds which had already been approved by Congress and were supposed to have been disbursed to the states on July st But the squeeze is already forcing a large number of summer programs to scramble to stay open even as schools and educational schemes are bracing for deeper impacts in the fall Sudden freeze immediate impacts The pausedfunding for K- programs included money for professor teaching and recruitment English language programs novice enrichment and nonprofit learning centers that partner with schools among other initiatives They are delivered through grant programs like st CCLC with state learning agencies distributing the money to grantees including school districts and nonprofits that run free enrichment programs or work with schools to put on activities throughout the year One day prior to the date the funds were to be distributed the Department of Instruction instead sent a letter saying that money is not coming pending a review The Department will not be issuing Grant Award Notifications obligating funds for these programs on July prior to completing that review it reported The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer support are spent in accordance with the President s priorities and the Department s statutory responsibilities The impact of the freeze is already being felt as it has caused a great number of programs to question whether they will be able to stay open this summer It feels like we re punishing a whole lot of students mentioned Paula Fynboh who runs Aspire which provides services throughout the year She is cobbling together money to keep the summer school running through student-run lemonade stands and other fundraising efforts But if the money continues to be withheld come the fall she will have to tell families now in the scheme that their children will not be able to return A large number of nonprofits are facing similar odds They can try and keep their doors open an extra inadequate days and extra limited weeks and maybe if they re lucky they have rainy day fund but you know that s a Band-Aid that isn t going to last forever declared Jodi Grant executive director of the Afterschool Alliance a national nonprofit advocacy organization If these funds are blocked the fallout will be swift and devastating mentioned Jim Clark president and CEO of the Boys Girls Club of America the nation s largest after-school youth operation Numerous sites are also in the midst of running their summer camps and programs and nearly a fifth of the Boys and Girls Club structure is funded by the st CCLC grant according to the Afterschool Alliance Up to Boys Girls Club centers serving more than kids could be forced to close if the funds are not disclosed Clark commented Various of them are from underserved communities and will lose access to essential supports like healthy meals caring mentors and safe spaces during the the bulk vulnerable hours of the day he added Addie Nardi who runs a Boys Girls Club in a rural part of Maryland about minutes from Washington DC disclosed the sudden funding freeze this month felt like a kick to the gut but the shock was secondary almost to the concern of how we were going to be able to continue to serve these kids If the funds don t come through the site will likely permanently close leaving elementary students and their families without one of their only options for aid in the area Nardi stated There is no timeline for when the Department of Learning review will be completed and if the money will ever start up again The impetus for the pause came from the White House Office of Management and Budget OMB which described it as part of an ongoing programmatic review of tuition funding In a message OMB raised concerns about how selected of the funds may have been used by schools Initial findings show that several of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda In one circumstance NY society schools used English Language Acquisition funds to promote illegal immigrant advocacy organizations In another Washington state used funds to direct illegal immigrants towards scholarships intended for American students In yet another School Improvement funds were used to conduct a seminar on queer resistance in the arts OMB did not provide documentation about their proposes when questioned by CNN Grant of Afterschool Alliance says the move feels extreme Nobody even knows what they re reviewing Grant reported If there s a specific plan that they re concerned about they should be exploring that campaign but not holding up funding for all of these other kids across the country Randi Weingarten president of the American Federation of Teachers union explained the freeze of funds already approved by Congress for this summer is particularly damaging The Department of Learning s move is hurting children and creating chaos she revealed More troubles ahead Beyond the immediate threat to summer schools vying to stay open now school districts and nonprofit mentoring programs are bracing for more hardship into the school year According to an analysis by the New America Foundation a Washington DC think tank school districts will lose an average of if the funds continue to be withheld Specific stand to lose millions with the poorest districts suffering the greater part Districts serving high-poverty trainee populations those where over percent of children live in poverty will lose over five times as much funding per pupil as low-poverty school districts those where fewer than percent of children live in poverty according to New America s analysis The school districts facing the biggest cuts on a per-pupil basis have an average child poverty rate of percent much higher than the national average of percent Countless school districts work with outside organizations to use federal grants to run after-school care or offer academic backing for children from low-income families Aspire in Virginia for example runs after-school programs at a population center and two local schools that serve plenty of low-income families Ninety-nine percent of Aspire s students are from families of color and more than are living below the poverty line Over three-quarters speak a language other than English at home Colorful posters line the walls at the society center where Aspire holds its programs available to kids from rd to th grade In one room an arts and crafts project making masks was taking place and in another it was pirate day where teachers dressed as pirates were fielding questions Particular students and former students who have come back as participants are serving snacks On the day CNN visited it was pineapples and blueberry muffins The operation regularly wraps up and discreetly sends home any leftovers to families in the operation who would otherwise go without food Kids who participate in the venture earn points for academic and social achievements and the difference it makes shows I feel like happy because I now I know how to read shared Monserrat a little girl from Bolivia who is entering th grade in the fall She joined Aspire a year ago when her family moved to the US She likes Aspire more than her regular school she announced because she feels more competent and gets extra backing April a rising th grader mentioned that Aspire helped her with her English and now she even helps translate for her parents April and Monserrat s parents urged that their last names not be used to protect their privacy When appealed for thoughts on their experiences at Aspire the girls raised both arms high above their heads with two enthusiastic thumbs-up flashing wide smiles The states suing the Department of Training are asking the court to issue a preliminary injunction to unfreeze the funds right now in at least specific states Fynboh declared she fears the day Aspire will have to close Walking by an empty classroom every day is going to be hard commented Fynboh We know these kids and we know their parents their faces their names their stories their gifts their talents and we know which ones are going to lose access to the effort And that s just heartbreaking