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Abstract

Young people spend just 20 percent of their waking hours in school. Nationwide, 28 million children between the ages of 6 and 17 have parents who work outside the home. These children need care and supervision before and after school, over the summer, and during school breaks. Often, the supply does not meet the demand, and many of the children are not able to get the care and supervision they need. In fact, lack of funding is causing many school-age programs to reduce services or to shut down completely. The lack of care is not without consequences. This paper examines PA 116, a policy that has had a significant influence on regulating after school program services in the state of Michigan and the impact of tying child day care licensing to after school funding. Three central questions are at the heart of the policy debate surrounding the regulatory oversight of after school programs in the state of Michigan: First, what is the purpose of after-school programs? Second, how do we define and measure quality? Third, how do we structure funding to support after school program services? These questions are explored in depth and the analysis concludes with a set of recommendations regarding the regulation of after school programs in the state of Michigan.

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