Thank you for following up on the AP story about the Department of Education’s withholding federal funds appropriated by Congress to pay for summer and after-school programs (Maryland programs scramble after Trump administration withholds millions for schools, July 2, 2025). Cutting this funding threatens to take away one of the few affordable options available to families who were counting on it to provide care for their kids while parents work.

Having been a working parent, I know how vital such programs were when I was trying to do those two jobs at once. Like most jobs, mine didn’t end when the school day did, nor did it offer me the summer off while kids were out of school. When our elementary school started an after-school program, it allowed me to finish my work day knowing my kids were in a safe place with trained teachers.

Summer programs are equally important. Way back in 1965, I had a summer job with “Summer Adventures for Youth,” a Washington, D.C., program offering low-income kids a fun, supervised summer program so they would be safe while their parents worked.

The other purpose of the program? Many kids got their only good meal of the day at school. During the summer, there was no school lunch, so our program provided a free lunch with the fun.

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It’s hard to understand why the “president’s priorities” don’t include helping taxpayers and keeping kids safe. He has created a crisis that falls most heavily on low-income families and the school districts that serve their communities. This is an “education policy” reflecting the bigotry evident in other Trump administration policies.

Linda Cades, Easton

The Baltimore Banner publishes letters to the editor, exclusive to our publication, of no more than 350 words. Letters can be submitted for consideration to letters@thebaltimorebanner.com.