The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative provides the only federally funded source dedicated exclusively to out-of-school-time programs.
Arizona’s Title IV-B (21st CCLC) program supports student participants in meeting the State’s rigorous academic standards. Funded programs are designed to align with State and school goals and specifically assist targeted students in their school day learning objectives.
In Arizona, 21st CCLC programs build and sustain comprehensive out-of-school-time programs that provide high-quality academic enrichment opportunities for students attending high-poverty, low-performing schools. These programs meaningfully engage adult family members in helping their children succeed academically.
Focus
21st CCLC programs throughout the state maintain a strong commitment to improving math, reading/language arts/literacy, and science. Complementing this primary focus, 21st CCLC programs in the State supplement the students’ regular academic school day by creating a rich variety of classes and activities outside of the instructional day that help students become proficient and connect with learning through project-based, hands on enrichment that is tied to real-world college and career application, and that build career competencies and readiness. This enrichment includes offerings in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), environmental literacy programs, art, music and physical education, mentoring, technology education including coding, and nutrition and health education.
Learning Environment
All of the State’s awarded programs must provide for a safe and healthy learning environment by ensuring that the following components are incorporated in their applications and program implementation:
Healthy food. Provide child nutrition programs including after school snack and summer meals. Most of Arizona 21st CCLC programs also offer free breakfast as part of their program and evening meals are increasingly being offered as well.
Safe transportation from school or an alternative program site if that is part of the program.
Students are served in an easily accessible environment.
What are the general 21st CCLC requirements?
The out of school time 21st CCLC program must complement the regular academic school day.
After school programs must be implemented according to the original awarded grant proposal.
After school program staff should work in close collaboration with the regular school day staff and community-partners.
Partnerships and collaborations are required to provide services outlined in the grant and ensure long-term commitments of resources for sustainability.
Program activities are required to be based on scientifically-based practices that provide evidence that the program activity will help students meet achievement standards.
All academic enrichment activities are to be aligned to Arizona State Standards, using cross-curricular connections to meet multiple performance objectives.
Services to the family members of participating students may include family literacy activities and other educational activities in support of students’ academic success.
For more information about the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant, go to www.azed.gov/21stcclc/
Arizona’s 21st CCLC Vision Team members serve as an advisory group for the Nita M Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Title IV-B grant program in Arizona. Vision Team members are 21st CCLC program leaders and leaders from related fields from all corners of the great state of Arizona.
Vision Team members provide guidance to the Arizona Department of Education and help ensure that the focus of the 21st CCLC program in Arizona is in alignment with current needs in the field.
ADE: Title IV-B 21st CCLC Waiver - Public Comment (09/22/2020)
Given the hybrid approach some local educational agencies (LEAs) are considering in which students are in school part of the week and participating in remote learning during other times, we recognize that students may benefit from dedicated personnel and enhanced technological resources to help them better engage with remote lessons, independent work that is assigned, and other academic enrichment activities during the portion of the week when they are not physically present in school but school is in session remotely for some portion of the day, the U.S. Education Department (ED) is offering flexibility to States regarding the requirement in section 4201(b)(1)(A) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) that a 21st CCLC program operate “during nonschool hours or periods when school is not in session (such as before and after school or during summer recess).”
This flexibility will enable Arizona’s 21st CCLC Title IV-B subgrantees to provide supplemental activities when school is in session but students are not receiving in-person instruction, such as by permitting a teacher to provide additional academic supports during remote learning. All other requirements for a 21st CCLC program continue to apply.
The Arizona Department of Education does intend to apply for this waiver and is providing notice and opportunity for public comment. Comments may be submitted to [email protected]until 09/29/2020
