Family Friendly Schools Act

The Family Friendly Schools Act establishes a federal grant program to help 500 elementary schools align their schedules with typical work hours, directly supporting working families with children in grades K-5. It requires schools to extend hours (typically 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.) without increasing staff workloads, eliminate unnecessary closures (like for conferences), and partner with community organizations to provide free enrichment activities during extended hours. Schools receiving grants must serve Title I schools first and include community input in planning, with a requirement for annual parent surveys on satisfaction. The $5 million per school grant (for 5 years) mandates 10% non-Federal matching funds and focuses on reducing barriers like unsupervised after-school time and misaligned schedules. This aims to address documented challenges such as 1 in 5 children being unsupervised after school and $55 billion in annual productivity losses.