Purpose
Arizona’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) builds and sustains
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. All funded programs align with State and school goals and specifically assist targeted students in their school day learning objectives. 21st CCLC programs support student participants in meeting Arizona's rigorous academic standards. Authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Title IV, Part B administered by the Arizona Department of Education; the specific purposes of the law are to:
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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;
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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, art, 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;
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Offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related education development.
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 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, parent/guardian-child programming, and other educational activities in support of students’ academic success.
More Information
The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Title IV‐B afterschool program is funded by a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the Arizona Department of Education. For more information visit: http://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/
El programa Nita M. Lowey del Siglo 21 Centros Comunitarios de Aprendizaje (21st CCLC) del Título IV ‐ B programa después del horario escolar está financiado por una subvención federal del Departamento de Educación de los Estados Unidos y administrado por el Departamento de Educación de Arizona. Para obtener más información visite: https://www.azed.gov/21stcclc/
