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Youth Entrepreneurship in Community Learning Centers

Full Title:
21st Century Entrepreneurship Act

Summary#

This bill directs the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the SCORE program (Service Corps of Retired Executives) to develop and teach an entrepreneurship curriculum for students served by community learning centers. It formally adds teaching entrepreneurship through SCORE volunteers as an authorized activity for those centers and requires regular reports on implementation.

  • Main change: SBA must create a curriculum and work with the SCORE program and the Department of Education to deliver it in community learning centers that serve disadvantaged students.
  • Statutory edits: The SCORE program’s purpose is expanded to include teaching students entrepreneurship through community learning centers. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s community learning center rules are amended to list entrepreneurship education as an allowable activity.
  • Collaboration: SCORE volunteers are encouraged to work with other SBA programs and the Minority Business Development Agency.
  • Reporting: SBA must report to relevant Congressional committees one year after enactment and every two years after that on use of the curriculum, fund use, training, number of students reached, barriers, and improvement plans.
  • What is unclear: The bill does not set aside specific funding, nor does it spell out volunteer screening, training standards for work with children, or how community learning centers will schedule and staff these lessons.

What it means for you#

  • Students in community learning centers (often low-income or disadvantaged): Could gain access to free entrepreneurship lessons taught by experienced business volunteers. This could expose students to business ideas, basic finance, and mentoring opportunities.
  • SCORE volunteers (retired executives and business mentors): Could be asked or enabled to teach entrepreneurship to youth at community learning centers. This adds a new public-facing role beyond advising adult small-business owners.
  • Community learning centers: Will be able to include entrepreneurship classes taught by SCORE volunteers as an approved activity. They may need to coordinate schedules, space, and any training or supervision for volunteers.
  • Small Business Administration and Department of Education: Must create the curriculum, coordinate implementation, and produce biennial reports. They will carry new planning and oversight responsibilities.
  • Small business support organizations (SBA small business development centers, women’s business centers, MBDA centers): The bill encourages collaboration with these centers when delivering the curriculum.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on estimated public cost or a fiscal note accompanies the bill.

Possible cost or resource needs inferred from the bill (not cost estimates):

  • SBA and Department of Education staff time to develop curriculum and an implementation strategy.
  • Training materials and possible training sessions for SCORE volunteers to teach youth.
  • Administrative time for coordination between SCORE chapters, community learning centers, and other SBA/MBDA programs.
  • Costs associated with preparing the required biennial reports (data collection, analysis, and submission).
  • If no new funds are provided, implementation could use existing SCORE or SBA resources, which might reduce resources available for other SCORE activities.

Proponents' View#

  • The bill appears intended to increase entrepreneurship exposure for children from disadvantaged communities by using experienced volunteer mentors.
  • Supporters may argue this leverages a national volunteer network (SCORE) to provide practical skills and mentorship without creating a large new federal program.
  • The curriculum and required reports aim to track reach and identify barriers, which could help improve program delivery over time.
  • Encouraging collaboration with existing SBA and MBDA programs could connect students to broader local business resources and supports.

Opponents' View#

  • One concern is the bill does not provide specific funding. It is unclear how SBA or SCORE will cover curriculum development, training, or delivery costs. This could shift costs onto existing programs.
  • The bill does not specify screening, child-safety, or minimum training standards for volunteers who will work with children. That raises questions about suitability and liability management.
  • Implementation depends on local coordination; community learning centers and SCORE chapters may vary widely in capacity, so reach could be uneven.
  • Reporting is required, but the bill does not require evaluation standards or outcome measures (for example, long-term effects on entrepreneurship rates), so it may be hard to judge program effectiveness.
  • Expanding SCORE’s duties might divert volunteer time and resources away from serving adult small-business owners, depending on how chapters prioritize activities.