The view from the Idea Center

Happy Friday! This is Marlene Harris-Taylor filling in for Amy Eddings who returns on Monday.

I can remember when my kids were little and how hard it was to figure out what to do in the hours after they were out of school (around 3 p.m.) And when my husband and I got off work (around 5 or 6 p.m.). It was a struggle rushing from work nearly every day, and we spent a lot of money on after-school care.

Well, a new bill introduced in Congress this week by U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, the Democrat from California, and co-sponsored by Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, could decrease all that stress for some parents.

It’s called the Family Friendly Schools Act. It would give elementary schools money to have a longer school day. This means some kids could be at school from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Now, it might not all be classroom time. The time at school could include doing other activities like sports. But no matter what they are doing in the building, 10 hours is a long time for kids, especially the younger ones. It’s a tough problem because parents have to work and the school day and workday are not equal.

This bill targets schools where there are large numbers of low-income families who may not have the resources to pay for after-school care. The plan is to work with other agencies in the community to provide programming at the schools, so teachers and other staff don’t have to work longer hours. 

It will be interesting to see if this idea gets legs in Congress, or if it’s met by a resounding, “Are you kidding?”
 

Amy Eddings will see you again, bright and early, Monday morning,
Marlene Harris-Taylor

Need to KnOH

Headlines from Northeast Ohio and Beyond

• Electric Truck Start-Up Buys Shuttered GM Lordstown Assembly Plant
• David G. Schilling Nominated As Cuyahoga County Sheriff
• Ohio State Adding Second Student Food Pantry As Demand Doubles
• Cleveland Orchestra CEO Looks Ahead To 2020
• Northeast Ohio Opioid Settlement Money To Fund Peer Recovery Coaches
• Parks, Housing And 'A Smooth Transition' As Woodhill Seeks HUD Funding
• Trump Is Expected To Sign Bill Making Animal Cruelty A Federal Crime

Your ideas

All this week, Morning Edition has been looking back on 40 years on air. The #Noonish team especially enjoyed hearing Bob Edwards back behind the mic this morning reflecting on Morning Edition bloopers. What's your earliest or fondest memory of Morning Edition? Call us at  (216) 916-6476 or comment on  our Facebook page. We'll feature some of your thoughts and comments here in Noon(ish) and on Morning Edition.

Yesterday, in the wake of Bloom Bakery's closing (possibly temporarily), we asked you for your best brownie or oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cranberry-pecan cookie recipe to keep us going until the new version of the bakery opens. 

Susie Gavazzi of our Public Square Facebook group did one better. "I will bake you, Rick and Lawrence some pretty fab oatmeal, ch chip, pecan, cherry/cran cookies. Have no fear. They freeze beautifully so you can each have one a day (or two ;) ) for a while." 

Maybe we should have a Noon(ish) bake sale!