The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program provides federal funding to establish or expand community learning centers. These centers provide students with opportunities for academic enrichment, youth development and family support during non-school hours or during periods when school is not in session. 21st Century Community Learning Centers provide a broad array of services, programs, and activities that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students. Such activities/programs may include:
- Academic enrichment
- Well-rounded education activities, including credit recovery or attainment
- Literacy education
- Healthy and active lifestyle
- Services for individuals with disabilities
- Activities for English learners
- Cultural programs
- Telecommunications and technology education
- Parenting skills and family literacy
- Expanded library service hours
- Assistance to students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled
- Drug and violence prevention and counseling
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), including computer science
- Career competencies and career readiness
In addition, community learning centers may offer opportunities for literacy and related educational development to family members of participating students including school readiness activities for younger siblings of students being served.
Absolute Priority: Grants can only be awarded to programs that primarily serve students who attend schools with a high concentration of low income students. To be eligible for this designation, at least 40% of the students attending the school must qualify to receive free or reduced-cost meals through the National School Lunch Program.
Priority will also be given to applicants proposing to meet all of the following:
- serve students who may be at risk for academic failure, dropping out of school, involved in criminal or delinquent activities, or who lack strong positive role models;
- serve students who primarily attend schools that are implementing comprehensive or targeted support and improvement; and
- serve the families of students described in parts (A) and (B).
Competitive Priority I (5 points) Competitive priority is given to applications that both propose to serve students who attend schools identified as a Priority School (pursuant to Section 1116 of Title I) and that are submitted jointly between at least one LEA receiving funds under Title I, Part A and at least one public or private community organization. To receive Priority Points, the proposal and the collaboration form should clearly describe the partnership between a community-based agency and a school/district as evidenced by:
- Collaboration in the planning and design of the programming;
- Each partner has a significant role in the delivery of programming; and
- Each partner plays a role in the management of the program.
Competitive Priority II (5 points) Competitive priority points will be awarded to applicants that propose to do one or more of the following:
- Provide work-based learning opportunities for students during extended learning/out of school time
- Provide opportunities for students to prepare and sit for industry-recognized certification exams
- Provide opportunities for career exploration
Competitive Priority III (10 points) Competitive priority points will be awarded to applicants proposing to address adolescent physical health issues. Applicants must describe in detail how health will be a priority. This can be through activities, staff development, health and wellness curriculum, family engagement, food and nutrition focus, or others.
Competitive Priority IV (3 points) To expand the geographic distribution of programs, priority points will be awarded to applications that propose to serve students in the following counties: Benton, Chester, Dickson, Franklin, Houston, Meigs, Montgomery, and Moore. Students in these counties have limited or no access to a 21st CCLC or LEAP program.
Competitive Priority V (5 points) The department's commitment to ensuring that all students have access to a quality education regardless of where they live includes access to quality extended learning programs. To that end, priority points will be awarded to programs that will serve students in the following distressed counties: Lake, Hardeman, Perry, Clay, Grundy, Bledsoe, Morgan, Scott, Hancock and Cocke.
Competitive Priority VI (2 points) Competitive priority is given to programs serving middle and high school students.
The 21st CCLC Profile and Performance Information Collection System Database is available at https://21apr.ed.gov/login.
Programs that operate for 15 or more hours per week will work with the department's early learning division to receive a certificate of approval for operations. All programs must be fully operational and serving students by Oct. 1. The target participation for elementary school students is 90–180 hours of programming per year. For middle and high school students the target participation is 45–90 hours per year.
Applicants choosing the expanded learning time option must upload a detailed plan in their application describing how the three components referenced above will be met.