After 117 days without a state budget, the Connecticut General Assembly has passed a veto-proof, bipartisan budget and sent it to Governor Malloy. The state-funded afterschool line is in there for $4.7 million, only a small cut from last year. (Here’s the actual bill that passed.)

As with any budget there are winners and losers, and many valuable programs are being cut or eliminated in this budget. But overall, moving forward with this budget, while difficult, was the right thing to do for the people of Connecticut, and we are extremely thankful for the preservation of the afterschool funding. This has been a grueling process, and the Network wants to thank all of you who called, emailed, visited, tweeted, and wrote letters in support of these competitive grants for after school programs for kids across the state.

After school programs inspire children to learn and connect with each other, provide parents peace of mind while they are at work knowing their children are supervised, and give students the skills they need to land that first job with businesses in their community. Afterschool works, and will continue to work in Connecticut thanks to the Connecticut General Assembly.