Sen. Kamala Harris released a plan that would call for schools to operate more closely to the hours of the normal professional day, in order to help working parents.
Harris, a 2020 presidential candidate, is promising to align “school and work schedules” in a way that spurs both “economic growth and child development strategy,” which was first reported by Mother Jones.
The pilot program would provide funding to 500 schools, mainly schools that teach students from low-income families, who change their operating hours to be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Each of the participating schools would receive up to $5 million over a five-year period. The plan also seeks to limit students’ days off when a working parent would not be off, so the only school closures would be on weekends, federal holidays, and emergencies. Events such as professional development and parent-teacher conferences would have to happen while children are in school.
“My mother raised my sister and me while working demanding, long hours,” Harris stated. “So, I know firsthand that, for many working parents, juggling between school schedules and work schedule is a common cause of stress and financial hardship. But, this does not have to be the case.”
Following the completion of the program, the Education Department would release a report about how to move forward with the program and if it should be implemented further.
UPDATE: Harris’s proposal seeks “to provide after school programs and activities for students in addition to the traditional school day,” a member of her office told the Washington Examiner and added that, “Family Friendly Schools may use the extra time for high-quality academic, athletic, extracurricular, or community-based learning opportunities.”
Her office specifically suggested music, arts, wood shop, theater, athletics, writing, engineering as possible examples of programs that schools could implement while also pointing to programs that could help students learn how to cook could be effective as well.
