Aside from what Ben Stein stupidly thinks, most Americans are working hard to make ends meet these days. Those who are unemployed are working hard to find work, often having to resort to much less pay than the former positions they occupied and altering their lifestyles accordingly. I know this is true, since I, along with many of former my co-workers, and many of my husband’s former co-workers, have floated along in this boat. Many of our friends and family members sadly still are. It’s not a time to make families struggle even more than they already are—that’s for sure.

So why is Congress now planning on slashing the funding for after-school programs all across the country? Was cutting the schools themselves—and laying off hundreds of teachers and cramming kids even further into overcrowded classrooms—not enough? As millions of children prepare to go back to school this fall, parents may find themselves out of luck when the programs they’ve previously relied upon are no longer available—or affordable.

I was absolutely horrified to learn that there are more than a million kids already on their own after school in grades K-5 because their parents have to work and have no access or cannot afford childcare. This is absolutely terrifying! Could you imagine a six-year-old on his own because his mother has to decide whether to be home and care for him, or to work and make money for his food and medical care? I can imagine it myself, since my husband was in such a situation often as a child when his mother, single at the time, often was forced to work overtime. He was actually picked up by a stranger—thankfully a kindly one, who took him to a gas station; otherwise, he wouldn’t be here with me today. Thinking that there are actually a million other kids in his old shoes just makes me want to cry.

If you’re familiar with my other posts, you already know that I’m not a fan of the public school paradigm that our government maintains. That said, millions of families depend on it, and if we were to yank it—as well as programs like these after-school options—out of the fabric of so many people’s lives right now, so many more young children would be put at risk.

Please write Congress today and ask that they do not make these hard economic times even more difficult on working families by cutting after school programs. On the contrary, they should make these programs more accessible to all families who need it to ensure the safety of all children. I won’t hold my breath on that idea, but not cutting the funds already in the programs is a good start. You can send Congress a message here.