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About 21st CCLC
The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program is authorized under Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The program provides federal funding for the establishment of community learning centers that provide academic, artistic and cultural enrichment opportunities for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools, in order to meet state and local standards in core academic subjects such as reading, math and science. This program is also intended to offer students a broad array of activities and to include families and the community in the educational process.
Program Goals
1. To assist youth in meeting state standards for core academic subjects by providing students with academic enrichment opportunities before school, after school and during holidays or summer recess.
2. To offer participants a broad array of other services and programs, such as art, music, recreation activities, character education, career and technical training, drug and violence prevention programming, and technology education.
3. To provide educational services for families of participating students, such as literacy instruction, computer training and/or cultural enrichment.
4. To ensure that both youth and their families have decision-making roles in the creation, operation and evaluation of every 21st CCLC in Pennsylvania.
5. To mobilize school, community, and private sector social and health services support and resources in order to remove barriers that impede students’ learning.
Apply for a 21st CCLC Grant
The 21st CCLC grant is a competitive grant that provides federal funding to establish community learning centers that provide academic, artistic and cultural enrichment opportunities for students and their families. These opportunities must occur during non-school hours or periods when school is not in session to help students attending high-poverty and low-performing schools to meet state and local standards in core academic subjects. Centers must also offer students a broad array of activities that can complement their regular academic programs and literacy and other educational services to their families.
Visit the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant webpage for more grant information and how to apply.