SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill that will provide priority access and waive fees for state-funded after-school programs for homeless and foster youth.
Assembly Bill 1567, authored by Assemblymember Nora Campos, D-San Jose, also will ensure that after-school programs will use all federally funded resources available to prevent hunger and support healthy outcomes. Brown signed the legislation Wednesday.
“The signing of AB 1567 will help improve school success among our state’s most vulnerable children,” said Campos said in a statement. “Giving kids access to afterschool and summer programs helps children escape poverty by caring for their basic needs and improving their access to a true quality education.”
More than 1 in 4 California children live below the poverty line, according to Campos’ office. After-school programs offer a safe places for kids to get vital support, such as homework assistance, snacks, and meal programs.
In the statement, Jessica Bartholow, a policy advocate for Western Center on Law and Poverty that co-sponsored the bill, said that she was very pleased about the bill’s passage.
“We have represented homeless families who could not access these programs because they simply didn’t have the $10 fee,” she said. “AB 1567 will eliminate the fee for these families and give them priority enrollment. We are thrilled.”
