About the Program

President George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) into law on January 8, 2002. This amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and reauthorized the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Program under Title IV Part B (the program was authorized in 1994 under Title X Part I). From 1995-2001 21st CCLC was a Federal program administered by the U.S. Department of Education. This reauthorization converts the program from Federal to a State formula grant.

The 21st CCLC Program is a key component of NCLB. The program will give students and their families an opportunity to continue to learn new skills and discover new abilities after the school day has ended. Congress has supported this initiative by appropriating $1 billion for after school programs in Fiscal Year (FY) 2002 (up from $846 million in 2001). Under this reauthorization funds will flow to States based on their share of Title I, Part A funds. Of the $1 billion appropriation, approximately $325 million will be available for new grants nationwide; Indiana's projected allocation for fiscal year 2005 is $11,964,017. Part of this amount will be used to continue funding grants previously awarded. Around $5 million will be available for statewide grants during the current competition cycle.

The focus of this program is to provide expanded academic enrichment opportunities for children attending high poverty and low performing schools. Tutorial services and academic enrichment activities are designed to help students meet local and state academic standards in subjects such as reading and math. In addition 21st CCLC programs provide youth development activities, drug and violence prevention programs, technology education programs, art, music and recreation programs, counseling and character education to enhance the academic component of the program.

If you have questions, refer to the contact information on the 21st CCLC home page.