New Jersey After-School Imperiled

After-school advocates in New Jersey report that the Governor has announced a series of budget cuts to help address the state’s deficit in the current fiscal year. Included in those cuts was the elimination of $5.2 million in funding for New Jersey After 3, funding needed to operate programs this school year. The result will be that 11,000 kids currently served by New Jersey After 3 will lose programming by the end of March.

Advocates report that this cost-effective and cost-efficient statewide after-school system has lost 33% of its state funding over the last two years.

They have started a petition entitled Keep 12,000+ Kids Safe: Save Afterschool Programs in New Jersey! The petition can be found here:
http://www.change.org/njafter3/actions/view/keep_12000_kids_safe_save_afterschool_programs_in_new_jersey