FAQs

21st CCLC Application FAQs

For assistance or more information about the 21st CCLC Grant application, please refer to the Application Information page of the 21st CCLC website at http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/.  For any questions remaining after viewing the Application Information page, send questions via email to [email protected].  Answers will be published here in the FAQs so that all applicants have access to the same information.

Due to recent inquires to the 21stCCLCInbox we have posted additional FAQs concerning the Grant Application process:

49.  Question:  Will there be an official notification listing the reason why a site did not receive an award?       

Answer:  Currently, appointments have been set with applicants for the New FY22 21st CCLC – Yr. 1 award, who are being recommended for approval by the Arizona State Board of Education (SBE). The SBE is the entity with the authorization to award funds. Once the grants are officially awarded by the SBE, all New FY22 21st CCLC – Yr. 1 applicants will be notified whether they received an award or not. Also following the SBE meeting, the applicants will receive the official Grant Award Notifications from ADE and/or the reason for not receiving the grant award through the GME system.

48.  Question:  We submitted applications for three sites for our district.  We have the following questions:  a.  Is each site evaluated separately?  b.  Is it possible to only receive funding for 2 of the three sites?

Answers:  a.  Yes. Each site is scored/evaluated separately.  Per the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New located at: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/  on page 21 under the section on “Application Tips,” it states “An Application can have up to a maximum of 5 sites/schools. If an applicant is applying for more than one school, then each school becomes a separate Site with its own budget and set of Mandatory Downloadable Assurance Forms A- E (Forms A-G for Consortium Applicants).”

b.  Yes. Each site is scored on an individual basis. We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New located at: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/  Page 16  on “Grant Application Scoring Guidelines.”

47.  Question:  When can applicants request comments from the Peer Review FY22 – Cycle 17 Application Grant submission?  

Answer:  Comments for the FY22 – Cycle 17 Grant Applications scored can be requested AFTER October 15, 2021 via email - [email protected]

FAQs may be submitted to the [email protected] until 5:00 pm on Monday, March 8th, 2021. The last day Cycle 17 FY 22 Application FAQs will be posted is Monday, March 8th, 2021. 

46.  Question:  We submitted the application in GME and realized that we forgot to include some information, can the application be resent to me in GME so the information can be added?      

Answer:  Yes.  Requests to return an application that are submitted to [email protected]  no later than 5:00 PM on March 8, 2021, will be accepted and the application will be returned as requested for additions or corrections. Note that all applications must be fully submitted at the LEA Authorized Representative level in the GME system no later than 11:59PM on March 8, 2021.

45.  Question:  Could you confirm that we are able to use a) 2019 AzMERIT data from the school report card and b) the most recent district benchmark data from 2021?

Answer:  Yes.  2019 AzMERIT data from the school report card and the most recent district benchmark data from 2021 may be used.  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New located at: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/ Page 7 under the “Cautions” section.  It states: “All Needs Assessments and School/Community Level Data must be based on the current and prior years’ statistics.”

44.  Question:  Does the ‘Total’ column on the “OCT1 – October 1 Enrollment Report” meet the requirement for ‘total enrollment numbers for Oct. 1, 2019’?

Answer:  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New located at: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/.  Page 2 states that Applicants must use The Oct1 – October 1 Enrollment Report located in the AzEDS Portal in the Grants Management System. Within that Report, Use the “Total Passed by School:” number for the Total Enrollment. This is the official October 1 enrollment count and this official October 1 enrollment number will be verified by ADE.  Caution: Do not use the “Total Enrollments by School:” number because this number includes students who may have been submitted but were not counted towards the official October 1 enrollment due to being counted elsewhere or not passing some other October 1 data integrity rule.

43.  Question:  How do we know if our application is submitted in GME?

Answer:  An application is fully submitted when both “LEA Business Manager Approved” and “LEA Authorized Representative Approved” levels of approval are completed in GME by the applicant.

42.  Question:  Can the Mandatory Forms that are part of the 21st Century New Grant Application be hand-written rather than typed?

Answer:  Yes. It is permitted to complete the Mandatory Forms in a hand-written fashion.

41.  Question:  Is there a minimum requirement for Family Engagement activities (hours/days)?     

Answer:  No.  There is not a minimum of hours/days required for Family Engagement activities.  All activities should help accomplish the primary purpose of the 21st CCLC funding, which is to increase academic growth in the core content areas of math and reading/language arts.  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New located at: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/. Page 23 has information on Adult Family Services.

40.  Question:  ABC School is currently in year 5 of the 21st Century grant.  Are we eligible to reapply for the grant for next year or is 5 years the maximum amount allowed?

Answer:  Yes.  ABC School may be eligible to apply for an FY22 New Grant if the site meets the requirements of the Eligibility Verification Worksheet.  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New located at: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/.  Pages 2-3 has information about Eligibility Verification.

39.  Question:  My Indirect Cost Rate as not been approved by ADE yet.  Where should I put the placeholder in the Grants Management System?

Answer:  The Indirect Costs can be placed in 6600-2100 as a placeholder if the Grants Management System has not loaded the Indirect Costs rates for your district.  Page 15 of the 21st CCLC Grant Application Guidance, states: “Indirect Costs charged to the grant may not exceed the negotiated restricted indirect cost rate. Indirect Costs may not be charged on capital expenditures. If Indirect Cost Rates have not been loaded into the Grants Management System, and the applicant plans to charge the grant, then applicant will write a narrative to this effect in the budget narrative description in the support services supply line (as a placeholder). The narrative should clearly indicate that this is a temporary placement of an allocation for anticipated Indirect Costs, and once the Indirect Cost Rate is approved, the applicant will revise the budget to include the final negotiated indirect costs in the Indirect Costs line of the budget.”

38.  Question:  Can I submit a funding application with a “Warning” in the Validation Messages in the Grants Management System (GME)?  How do I review the reason for the “Warning”?       

Answer:  Funding Applications in the GME can be submitted with a “Warning” messages.  However, Funding Applications cannot be submitted with “Error” messages.  We recommend you click the “Review” link in the Validation Messages in GME.  It should take you to the reason for the hold.  If it does not, then contact the Grants Management Department at 602.542.3901

37.  Question:  Are before school services required?         

Answer:  No.  Before school services are not required.  The 21st CCLC Guidance Handbook (2020-2021), found on our webpage: https://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/federal-and-state-regulations,  Pages 22-23 have a section on “Direct Student Services.”  Should a site be awarded a new grant, “Before School Services” will be required only if it is written into the application and if the additional hours of operation are needed by the site to meet the minimum requirements to align with the intent of the approved grant application.

36.  Question:  Can you please define what are the commitments of a Community Partner?   

Answer:  Community partners provide services that the site and the partner agree on during conversations before signing.  It varies from partnership to partnership.  Form A-Participants Verification Form is where Community partner(s) will sign.  The form stipulates the following: Community Partner Organization(s), they represent have authorized them to enter into a consortium agreement for the purpose of providing Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program educational and related activities that will complement and enhance students’ academic performance and achievement. Each undersigned agrees to comply with applicable state and federal statutes, rules, and regulations.

35.  Question:  Where can we find the Affirmation of Consultation with Tribal Representatives Form?

Answer:  The Affirmation of Consultation with Tribal Representatives form can be found on the 21STCCLC website at: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information under the “Grant Resources” section.

34.  Question:  Should we use free & reduced numbers from 2019-2020 or use an estimate from our district food service department?

Answer:  Yes.  The 2019-2020 School Year Free & Reduced Percentage Report should be used.  No.  Do not use estimates from the district food service department. Percentage will be verified in the Free and Reduced-Price Percentage Report for SY19-20 found at: https://www.azed.gov/hns/frp.

33.  Question:  Is it allowable to use Word versions of Forms A-E?

Answer:  Yes.  It is allowable to convert the PDFs of Forms A-E into Word Documents as long as there are no modifications to the existing forms.  When submitting the forms into the Grants Management System, upload with caution to ensure the forms are complete and have correct signatures.  Per the guidance, only correctly completed forms will be accepted as part of the application.

32.  Question:  Since State Assessment nor incremental data is not available due to school closures, should we use previous year’s data or omit the data in the application?         

Answer:  Yes. Data must be provided because all questions must be answered and not omitted in the application.   We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New located at: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/.  Page 14 has a section on “Complete Application”. Page 30 shares the COVID-19 Flexibility guidance.  Also, look at FAQ #16 on our website which addresses assessment data.

31.  Question:  Do we need to get actual signatures on the 21st CCLC partnership list or will electronic signatures work for this year?

Answer:  Yes.  Both actual signatures and electronic signatures will be accepted this year.

30.  Question:  Is it allowable to complete Form A page 1, and send that to each partner for valid digital signatures?         

Answer:  Yes.  It is allowable to send page 1 of Form A-Participants Verification Form to each external partner for valid digital signatures.

29.  Question:  What are examples of allowable forms of electronic signature on this form?

Answer:  We recommend reviewing pg.10 of the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New located at: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/.  This page includes information about acceptable and unacceptable digital/electronic signatures. 

28.  Question:  Is the nces.ed.gov the only location to obtain Rural status? 

Answer:  Yes.  ADE will verify rural classification labels at: https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/

27.  Question:  Can we target incoming 9th graders during the summer before starting high school?

Answer:  The 21st CCLC Guidance Handbook (2020-2021), found on our webpage:  https://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/federal-and-state-regulations, Page 25 has a section on Summer Programs.  Should a site be awarded a new grant, Summer Programming may be allowable for incoming 9th graders, if it aligns to the intent of the approved grant application.

26.  Question 1:  Does "administrative" cost mean anything that is not function code 1000?

Answer 1:  “Administrative" cost refers to any expense charged to the 21st CCLC grant to effectively manage or run the 21st CCLC grant.  Administrative costs are not in function code 1000.

Question 2:  What function codes are included in "administrative" cost?

Answer 2:  Generally, function codes included in "administrative" cost are: Function Codes 2100, 2200, 2600, 2700, 2300, 2400, 2500 or 2900. “DISCLAIMER: Before submitting the 21st CCLC application, applicants MUST contact their Finance & Accounting Office for guidance on developing the budget and for information on the most current budget coding. In addition, 21st CCLC applicants MUST consult their Human Resources Office for guidance on Salary Placement Schedules and Hiring Procedures.”  We recommend reviewing the CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility-New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/  Page 15 shares the Budget Alignment guidance.

25.  Question:  Who do I contact for questions I may have about the 21st CCLC Grant application?

Answer:  Contact the ADE 21st CCLC Staff via email at:  [email protected] regarding any questions about the Grant application.

24.  Question:  How and will the Free and Reduced Lunch be verified by ADE?    

Answer:  Yes.  PERCENTAGE WILL BE VERIFIED in the Free and Reduced-Price Percentage Report for SY 19-20 found at: https://www.azed.gov/hns/frp.  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility-New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/  Page 30 shares the COVID-19 Flexibility guidance regarding Free and Reduced-Price Percentage Report.  Please view Questions #3, #11 and #15 in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for more information.  

23.  Question:  Can an applicant use either October 1, 2019 or October 1, 2020 school total enrollment numbers?         

Answer:  Yes.  Applicants may use either the site’s October 1, 2019 or October 1, 2020 school total enrollment numbers.  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility-New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/   Page 30 shares the COVID-19 Flexibility guidance regarding enrollment numbers.

22.  Question:  What needs to be provided to private schools that choose to participate - funds and/or services? Is the allocation based on the total number of district or school students enrolled at the private school?

Answer:  Page 2 of Form C-Affirmation of Consultation Form (Participation of Private School) has a list of discussion points.  21st CCLC services may be offered to private school students who qualify for 21st CCLC services.  21st CCLC funds will not be provided directly to the private school.  Pages 1-3 of the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility-New   located at http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/ has information about the 21st CCLC allocation based on the funding formula outlined.   

21.  Question:  If the school does not have a private school in their boundaries, but the district does and the school has students at the private school, does form C need to be completed?

Answer:  Yes.  Form C-Affirmation of Consultation Form (Participation of Private School) needs to be completed and the applicant must check the box on the form and submit the form with the appropriate signature and date. Form C states:  NO. Check if there are no eligible private schools located within the site’s boundaries (signature and date required below).

20.  Question:  Where can more information about the requirements for private school consultation be found?     

Answer:  Information about the requirements for private school consultation can be found on Form C-Affirmation of Consultation Form (Participation of Private School).  We recommend reviewing pgs.11 &14 of the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility-New   located at http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/ which shares information about private schools.

19.  Question:  Where can a copy of the scoring rubric for new applications be found?

Answer:  We recommend reviewing pg. 16-18 of the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility-New   located at http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/ .  These pages include information about the Grant Application Scoring Guidelines, the Rating Rubric, and Scoring Scales.

18.  Question:  Where is the Entity ID Number for a site found?

Answer: The Entity number being requested for each site in the new application is the State issued Site Entity ID number. This information is found in the Free and Reduced-Price Percentage Report for SY 19-20 found at https://www.azed.gov/hns/frp. 

17.  Question:  What is the MAXIMUM number of sites a district can apply for with the 21st CCLC Grant?      

Answer:  A district can apply for a MAXIMUM of 5 sites. We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New  http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/ Page 4 shares information about the Eligibility Verification Worksheet.

16.  Question:  The "Program Need" section of the grant application suggests to use, “…current School Report Card and State Mandated Assessment data and/or other District Mandated assessment data, describe the percentage of the entire student population in the school not reaching grade level benchmarks in Math and Reading/Language Arts.”  Since we do not have state assessments data can we use two district assessment data points?

 Answer:  Yes.  Use the two district assessment data points since you do not have state assessments.  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/  .  Page 30 shares the COVID-19 Flexibility guidance.

15.  Question:  In reference to the free/reduced data for a new grant application, is the grant looking at October 2019-2020 school year or October 2020-2021 year?

Answer:  The Free and Reduced-Price Percentage Report for SY 19-20 is found at: https://www.azed.gov/hns/frp   We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/   Page 30 shares the COVID-19 Flexibility guidance.

14.  Question:  Under the “Adequacy of Resources” section, question 2 states to list all additional funding received. Are we to enter the amount the applying school receives or the amount received by the district in which the school is in?

Answer:  All grants administered through the District should be included; additionally, any grants specific to the school site applying for the 21st CCLC award should be included in the Adequacy of Resources section. 

13.  Question:  Is the 30% of the total current enrollment mandatory for the funding formula?   

Answer:  Yes. 30% of the total current enrollment is mandatory for the funding formula. 

Adequacy of Resources

The total 21st CCLC grant funding request for each site proposal must be justified by the following formula. To calculate the total funding each site application is eligible to request, use this formula:

(a) _____ The projected number of students who will attend 30 days or more (regular attendees)

(b) X 120 days (21st CCLC Funding will be based on 120 days of services per year).

(c) X $10 (dollar amount set for 21st CCLC Funding)

(d) = $ __________Total Funds Needed

The projected number of students who will attend 30 days or more cannot exceed 25% of the most current number of enrolled students at the school.

A number not to exceed 30% of the total current student enrollment at the school site to be served will be used to determine the maximum number of students that may be targeted for 21st CCLC services in the funding formula.

12.  Question:  What is the minimum number of total enrollment requirement to apply for the 21st CCLC Grant?

Answer:  The total enrollment on October 1, 2019 of the school must be greater than 138 students. We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/   Pages 1-3 shares the Funding Formula applicants must use to apply.

11.  Question:  Where can I find my Total Enrollment and Free and Reduced lunch rates?       

Answer:  The projected number of students must be based on October 1, 2019 Enrollment. Applicants must use The OCT1 – October 1 Enrollment Report located in the AzEDS Portal in the Grants Management System.

The 21st CCLC program uses data published on the Health and Nutrition Services website: http://www.azed.gov/hns/frp/ for Free and Reduced Lunch Rate. The information for SY 19-20 should be used.

10.  Question:  Which students from the private school are eligible to attend the program at our public-school site:  all of the private school students or only those who live within the applicant’s public school attendance area?

Answer:  Private school students are eligible to attend the program if:

•        they live within the applicant’s school attendance boundary

•        they fit the needs assessment and targeted objectives of the submitted grant application

9.  Question:  Will there be any changes to the free/reduced threshold for the grant application this year? Since families are getting free meals through NSLP they are not completing the free/reduces apps and our numbers are reflecting this.  

Answer:  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/  Page 30 shares the COVID-19 Flexibility guidance in relation to your question.

8.  Question:  How can I digitally sign the Mandatory Forms?    

Answer:  Please refer to the following link with step-by-step instructions on how to digitally sign the Mandatory Forms.  All forms must be saved on your desktop; to have them digitally signed. Creating and Applying Digital Signatures  

7.  Question:  I'm wondering what the weekly hourly requirements are for running 21st Century programs. I think it used to be 8 hours per week and I want to make sure that's correct. We are looking to apply; so we want to give our sites the right information. I assume the required hours include any weekend activities as well.

Answer:  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/   Pages 21-23 Program Design and Implementation section explains the services a 21st CCLC site must commit to including hours of operation.

 6.  Question:  What is the best data source to use to determine Oct 1 enrollment? My thought was to use the AzEDS Portal/OCT 1 Enrollment Report and include only those students with a “Y” for “Oct1 Eligible” in the total count.

Answer:  The projected number of students must be based on October 1, 2019 Enrollment. Applicants must use The OCT1 – October 1 Enrollment Report located in the AzEDS Portal in the Grants Management System.  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/   Page 30 shares COVID-19 Flexibility guidance.

5.  Question:  How much is each site eligible to apply for? I understand there is funding available of $120,000. However, is that the total funding or is that the funding amount per site? For example, if we submit applications for 5 sites, will the total funding be $600,000?

Answer:  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/    Pages 1- 3 shares the Funding Formula applicants must use to apply.

4.  Question:  Is the application due on March 8, 2021?    

Answer:  Yes.  Please refer to our website for the updated Timeline for Cycle 17-21st CCLC New Grant Application Competition tab at http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/ 

3.  Question:  Are we eligible to apply for 21st Century Grant based on the free/reduced count if it is below 40%?    

Answer:  No.  Any site under 40% free/reduced rate would not be eligible to apply.  We recommend reviewing 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/   Page 13 states: “Each 21st CCLC grant application must propose to serve the students who attend a school where at least 40% of the students qualified for free/reduced cost meals in the previous year.” This will be verified by National School Lunch Program (NSLP) free/reduced-price percentage: http://www.azed.gov/hns/frp/ or other verifiable risk factor data.

2.  Question:  Are students required to attend all 120 days? If there are students who miss days, what are the consequences?

Answer:  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/   Pages 21-23 Program Design and Implementation section explains the services a 21st CCLC site must commit to.  In addition, a regular attendee is a student who attends the program for at least 30 days or more.

1.  Question:  When I attempt to copy and paste my charts and tables from my application word document- they do not show up in the Grants Management System application.  What should I do?

Answer:  At times, tables and charts can cause the application to lock up since very often this type of data can contain inadvertently corrupt data and/or locked or calculated data that the Grants Management System cannot easily convert.  If the information on the tables, charts, or graphs are pertinent to an application answer, it is recommended to enter the information as plain text into the narrative fields.  We recommend reviewing the 21st CCLC FY22 Grant Guidance & Flexibility- New http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/application-information/   Note: “Cautions: Additional attachments uploaded in the Related Documents in the Grants Management System will NOT be considered in the evaluation of the application. Only the Additional Mandatory Downloadable Forms A-E (Forms A-G for Consortium Applicants) will be reviewed.”  Review the entire grant application for accuracy and completeness before fully submitting in the Grants Management System.

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