Service Starts At Home Act
The Service Starts At Home Act would direct the U.S. Department of Education to implement two main grant-based initiatives aimed at boosting youth engagement in local government and volunteer service, plus a recognition program for schools and higher education institutions. First, it would authorize competitive grants to eligible entities (states or units of local government) to fund paid internships in local government for high school students and eligible college undergraduates, with work-based learning value, accommodations for barriers (childcare, transportation), and alignment with educational standards. Second, it would create a volunteer-service scholarship program funded through state-administered scholarships and a federal supplemental program, rewarding students who accumulate substantial volunteer hours with scholarship support toward college costs. The act also calls for a national recognition program for institutions based on community-service achievements. It includes definitions to guide implementation and would authorize substantial federal funding for these efforts through 2030.
Key Points
- 1Grants to support local government internships: Eligible entities receive competitive grants to place paid internships in local government for secondary students and undergraduates within the state; includes selection processes, pay terms, and cost coverage; accommodations such as flexible schedules and telework are encouraged to meet students’ needs.
- 2Funding and timeframe for internships: Authorizes $50,000,000 per fiscal year from 2026 through 2030 to support these internship programs.
- 3Scholarships for volunteer service (state-administered): States receive allocations based on public school enrollment to award scholarships to eligible students who demonstrate ongoing commitment to volunteer service; renewals are prioritized and use of funds is limited to cost of attendance at higher education institutions.
- 4Federal supplemental scholarship program: Up to 20% of the Sec. 3 appropriation may be used to directly fund a federal supplemental scholarship program for volunteers; funds are awarded competitively and prioritized for students who have not yet received a state scholarship.
- 5Eligibility and scholarship amounts: Scholarships require volunteer hours; ranges are tiered by hours completed in the prior year (from 100 hours up to 250+ hours) with escalating annual amounts (from $1,000 to $3,000); scholarships cover up to 4 academic years and cannot exceed the cost of attendance.
- 6State vs. federal roles: States administer most scholarships and distribute funds to qualified students; a separate federal stream can fund additional scholarships for volunteers not receiving state awards.
- 7Recognition program: The Secretary would recognize schools, local educational agencies, and higher education institutions for notable volunteer-service contributions.
- 8Definitions: Ties terms to ESEA definitions for schools and agencies; defines eligible entity (state or local government), unit of local government, and volunteer service, and excludes certain activities (e.g., religious proselytizing, political lobbying, court-ordered service).