21ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS

21st CCLC is a critical source of funding for many local after-school programs.

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to supporting local after-school, before-school and summer learning programs. The program was reauthorized in 2015 as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Each state receives funds based on its share of Title I funding for low-income students. Grants support local schools and community-based organizations that provide after-school and summer learning programs to students attending high-poverty, low-performing schools. Programs support:

• Academic enrichment activities that can help students meet state and local achievement standards.
• A broad array of additional enrichment services designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program, such as: drug and violence prevention programs, career and technical programs, counseling programs, art, music, STEM programs, and physical activity and nutrition education programs.
• Literacy and related educational development services to the families of children who are served in the program.

Funding and Advocacy. Conversations about appropriations to 21st CCLC for fiscal year 2020 will start soon. As of October 1, 2018, 21st CCLC is funded at $1.222 billion and serves almost 2 million children and families. This table shows how much funding each state receives, how many students are served, and the impact of eliminating the program. Proposals to eliminate or cut support for 21st CCLC and local afterschool programs will have a devastating effect on more than 11,000 rural, urban and suburban communities nationwide.