Kamala Harris’ Plan to Extend School Hours Is Good — for White-Collar Parents
If we’re going to make education equal for all, we need to account for parents who don’t work a 9-to-5
Every parent of a school-aged child knows the purgatorial period between the end of the school day and the end of the traditional workday. There’s a short window, from about 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., where parents scramble to fill their kids’ time with safe, affordable aftercare before they’re able to get off work. But for many, the cost for childcare can be prohibitive, limiting the kinds of jobs parents can take.
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris has a fix for that problem — and she’s hoping it will earn her your vote.
Harris released a bill on Wednesday that will extend school hours without necessarily increasing class time. Billed as an “economic growth and child development strategy,” her proposed legislation would establish a pilot program to fund 500 schools with up to $5 million each over five years to operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Schools would be given an intentionally vague directive of how to fill the time — they could feature academic enrichment and athletic programming for students, as well as professional development opportunities. The expectation is that…
