In Bisbee, Arizona, the Copper Queen Library, founded in 1882, is 114 years old — and it shows. The library, on the National Register of Historic Places, a hub for Brisbee families, has a leaky roof, and cracks in the facade. The ceiling in the young adult room collapsed recently, forcing the room to close...

For years, a patchwork of afterschool programs in Dallas have provided care for thousands of children and reassurance to working parents their kids are in a safe place for the hours after classes end. Then the pandemic hit—and like so many other facets of family life in America, Dallas’ afterschool programs felt the effects, closing...