Funding Purpose
The purpose of the 21st CCLC program is to provide students enrolled in and attending a public school in grades pre-kindergarten to grade 12 who are at-risk of academic failure with access to opportunities for academic enrichment, personal enrichment, and other activities intended to enhance the students’ regular academic program. Another component of the 21st CCLC program is the engagement of adult family members of student participants through educational and personal development opportunities. 21st CCLC programs offer safe environments for students during extended learning time (before and after school hours, weekends, holidays, and summer), and may have one or multiple centers/sites which may be located in schools, community facilities, and/or faith-based facilities. All centers must offer an assortment of high-quality services to support student learning and development.
In accordance with Federal guidance from the U.S. Department of Education (USED), the District of Columbia (DC) Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) requires applicants to assure that the program will be carried out in active collaboration with the Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) that participating students attend, all participants of the eligible entity, and any other partnership entities in compliance with applicable laws relating to privacy and confidentiality. The program must also be carried out in alignment with DC’s challenging academic standards.
The 21st CCLC program is funded to provide opportunities for communities to establish or expand activities in community learning centers that—
- provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet the challenging state academic standards;
- offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities, service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs, technology education programs, financial literacy programs, environmental literacy programs, mathematics, science, career and technical programs, internship or apprenticeship programs, and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and
- offer families of students served by the community learning centers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development. ESEA, Section 4201 (a), as amended.
Please note that current 21st CCLC subrecipients in the first and second year of funding are ineligible to apply for the SY 2018-2019 program period. This does not apply to 21st CCLC subrecipients whose awards end Sept. 30, 2018. Current subrecipients can check to see when the next period of eligibility to apply is on OSSE’s 21st CCLC webpage. Current subrecipients serving more students than projected as documented in quarterly reports may seek supplemental funding subject to availability of additional funds.
Individual schools in an LEA are not eligible to apply directly for funds and cannot sign partnership agreements. All applications and school partnership agreements must be submitted and signed by the LEA on behalf of the school. Organizations that do not have prior experience in running after school programs can enter into agreements with an agency that has demonstrated success in providing educational and related activities that will complement and enhance the academic performance, achievement, and positive youth development of the students.
Additionally, organizations must demonstrate that they are financially sound. 21st CCLC payments are based on a reimbursement system through OSSE. Organizations must demonstrate that they have sufficient funding and resources to maintain a 21st CCLC program during the reimbursement process. OSSE anticipates that payments will be issued approximately 30 days from the day a reimbursement is submitted. Applicants should be aware that new funds must be used only to supplement, not supplant, any Federal, state, or local dollars available to support activities allowable under the 21st CCLC program. This means that funding may not be used to replace already existing funding for the same activity targeting the same population.
Contact Information
For further information regarding this RFA and the associated competitive process, please contact [email protected] or
Myles Cliff
21st CCLC Program Analyst
Phone: (202) 442-3255
Email: [email protected]
Sheryl Hamilton
21st CCLC State Director
Phone: (202) 741-6404
Email: [email protected]
Application Information
The RFA is attached below and the application will be live on OSSE’s EGMS website on Friday, May 4.
For additional information about the application process, contact (202) 442-3255 or [email protected].
Related Content: Title IV Part B - 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC)
