President Donald Trump’s recently released budget proposal includes an $8.5 billion dollar cut to the Education Department, including the elimination of federal funding for after-school programming.

The Boys & Girls Club in Green Bay fears a loss of federal support which would be devastating to the youth and children in the area.

“To ensure the success of our kids we need to make sure that they’re having opportunities at all aspects of the day,” Eric Vanden Heuvel, Chief Academic Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay said, “and the after-school portion of that is equally important.”

 The after-school portion of a child’s day is the focus at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay.

“We’re providing a safe environment where they can get something to eat and they have an opportunity to participate in programs and enrichment opportunities that they wouldn’t otherwise have,” Vanden Heuvel said.

To provide those opportunities to area students ages seven through 18, a combination of donations and federal funds are utilized.

“We’ve got a formula that is very successful,” Vanden Heuvel said, “so without that federal funding support, the entire thing falls apart.”

The Trump Administration has proposed cutting funding for after-school programs twice before, both times Congress rejected those proposals.