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The State Education Department awarded nearly $95 million in subgrants to school districts, not-for-profits, institutions of higher education, and other community-focused organizations to expand or establish 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (21^st CCLC) across the state, Commissioner Betty A. Rosa announced today. The funds will support 136 programs and will be used by the districts and organizations to provide supplemental services and enrichments for students most in need of additional supports.

“As our students across the state continue to recover from the pandemic, it is important that we encourage and provide resources for schools, in partnership with outside agencies, to deliver supplemental supports for our most vulnerable students,” said Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. “These grants will enable our schools to engage with local partners to expand enrichment activities and services to meet the needs of the families in their communities.”

“For many of our students, their school provides a support system and place to feel safe,” said Commissioner Rosa. “The funding from these grants will allow more schools to work with outside community organizations to provide needed support to even more young people.”

21^st CLCC sites provide opportunities for academic enrichment, offer supplemental services such as youth development programs, after-school activities, health and wellness education, and counseling. In addition, the centers help families of students become more involved in their children’s education.

The Department is the grant recipient and administrator of subgrants through a competitive peer-reviewed process. Funding for the subgrants is distributed across the state among judicial districts (JD) based on the percentage of disadvantaged students that attend schools in each JD.

The grant is an annual award over a five-year period that begins July 1, 2022, and ends on June 30, 2027, subject to the availability of funds from the U.S. Department of Education and the satisfactory performance of the grantee in the previous year.

A full list of school districts and organizations receiving awards can be found on the Department’s website.