[3] In addition to the co-chairs, the founding members of Senate and House Afterschool Caucuses were Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and Representative Dale Kildee (D-MI).
Today, these Caucuses serve as a voice on the issue of strengthening and increasing the availability of afterschool programs.
In each chamber, the Caucuses have conducted a variety of activities supporting the goal of quality, affordable programs for all children.
This has included organizing congressional briefings on specific topics such as the role of the STEM fields in afterschool (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education;[6] disseminating letters in support of increased resources for afterschool to the President as well as congressional colleagues;[7] sharing new research on effective programs; and organizing press events around the Afterschool Challenge with celebrity supporters.
The Afterschool Caucuses seek to educate the public on the role that afterschool programs play in the lives of families, and promote the expansion of federal, state, and local support in order to make access to these programs a reality for all interested children and families.