21ST Community Learning Centers

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21ST Community Learning Centers

• Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction
  FY10 New Applicant Overview
• Applicant Process
• Review award Process and dates

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What is the program

• The 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st
  CCLC) program is part of the No Child Left Behind
  Act under Title IV, Part B.
• It is an opportunity for students and their
  families to continue to learn new skills and
  discover new abilities after the school day.
• A comprehensive program of services that benefit
  the educational and related health, social,
  cultural and recreational needs of a community .
• Offers families of children participating in the
  program opportunities for literacy and related
  educational development

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The Main goal

• The goal of the 21st CCLC program is to raise
  student academic achievement through the creation
  and expansion of learning centers that provide
  students with academic enrichment opportunities
  as well as additional activities designed to
  complement their regular academic program.

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21st Century Community Learning Goals

• Increase students skills to proficiency or
  better in mathematics and reading
• Increase students literacy opportunities with
  additional emphasis on writing and language arts
• Provide engaging opportunities for parents to
  increase participation in students education and
  improve parenting skills
• Provide integrated social service, recreational
  and cultural programs
• Improve students health and nutrition standards
• Increase students positive social behavior

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Types of activities allowed

• Each eligible entity that receives an award from
  the state may use the funds to carry out a broad
  array of before- and after-school activities
  (including those held during summer recess
  periods) to advance student achievement. These
  activities include
• Remedial education activities and academic
  enrichment learning programs, including those
  which provide additional assistance to students
  to allow the students to improve their academic
  achievement
• Mathematics and science education activities
• Arts and music education activities
• Entrepreneurial education programs
• Tutoring services, including those provided by
  senior citizen volunteers, and mentoring
  programs
• Programs that provide after-school activities for
  limited English proficient (LEP) students and
  that emphasize language skills and academic
  achievement

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Allowed Activities (cont.)

• Recreational activities that promote academics
• Telecommunications and technology education
  programs
• Expanded library service hours
• Programs that promote parental involvement and
  family literacy
• Programs that provide assistance to students who
  have been truant, suspended, or expelled to allow
  them to improve their academic achievement
• Drug and violence prevention programs
• Counseling programs and
• Character education programs.
• (Any combination of the 14 activities can be
  used)

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Our Vision

• Assist targeted students to meet academic
  achievement standards
• Provide targeted students with enrichment
  activities to complement their regular academic
  program
• Establish locally driven before and after school
  enrichment programs that partner schools and
  communities to provide academic and literary
  support and safe, constructive enrichment
  activities for students

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Funding is intended to

• Provide opportunities for academic enrichment,
  including tutorial services to help targeted
  students, particularly those who attend
  low-performing schools, meet state and local
  student performance standards in core academic
  subjects like reading and mathematics.

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• Offer students a broad array of additional
  services, programs and activities 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 literacy
  education and related educational development.

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Eligible Applicants

• Local Education Agencies (LEAS)
• Community or Faith based organizations
• Institutions of higher education
• City or County government agencies
• Other public or private entities
  

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Target Population

• To serve students who are
• Eligible to receive free and reduced lunch
• Academically underachieving in mathematics/or
  reading/language arts
• Based on performance on state assessment tests
  (Level 1 or 2)
• Title I students

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Hours of Operation

• Programs must operate at least 10-12 hours per
  week and a minimum of 4 days a week
• There are no time requirements for school breaks
  or for summer programming
• It is recommended that during summer that
  programs operate at least four hours per day for
  4-6 weeks.

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Competitive Priority

• Applicants that demonstrate a strong program to
  develop comprehensive after-school programs that
  build and expand upon the regular academic school
  day
• Strong connections between schools and after
  school programs and evidence of strong community
  collaboration is crucial to the success of this
  initiative.
• Quality programs that propose to serve
  middle/high school students.

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Private Schools

• Must consult with any private school in area
  during the writing of the grant and also when
  starting the grant each year to allow eligible
  student to attend the program. List private
  schools that you consulted with.
• Home school students can also attend the program.

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What can you do to get ready?

• Know your community why is the proposed project
  appropriate based on the needs of the local
  community. What other programs are in the area.
  Understand the needs of your targeted
  populations.
• Base decisions on Reliable, Accurate and Current
  data
• What are your goals, objectives and measurable
  outcomes that address the needs of the target
  population.
• How will the program link the school day to the
  afterschool program.

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• Have an advisory committee
• Have a clear communication plan with all
  stakeholders
• How will data be shared between partners
• Know your role, sometimes it better to be a
  partner rather than the grantee.

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Funding

• Only ask for what you need
• Do not pad your budget
• Grant dollars should be focused on services to
  the program designed for the target population
  not on program administration and overhead.
• If existing program make sure that this
  application address how this is different or
  expanded from what you currently are providing.
  You cannot use these funds to do what you are
  currently doing.

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Capacity

• Demonstrate capacity to provide proposed services
• Include realistic plans for hiring
• Applicants should anticipate for unforeseen
  changes such as difficulties in hiring
  personnel, and plan according
• Remember you must have a program in place no
  later than Nov. 2009 or funding will be reduced.

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Less is More

• Cut to the Chase
• Say what you want to do and why
• Remember readers will be reading and scoring many
  grants so dont ramble watch the limit on how
  much text you are submitting.
• You are allowed to upload graphs and charts to
  describe or highlight points or goals. But dont
  exceed more than 3-4 of these items.

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Write for this Request for Proposal

• Make sure all answers are easy to follow and make
  sense
• Tailor applications goals and narrative directly
  to THIS applications purpose.
• Determine if this grant matches YOUR objectives
  or mission

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Careful of Acronyms

• D.N.U.T.U.P.I Do not use these unless
  previously identified
• Do give a brief explanation where necessary
  reviewer may not be familiar with your
  program/service, etc.

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Sustainability

• Begin sustainability planning early
• Develop a vision and mission statement
• Think and plan with a business mind
• Have a strong advisory council to assist
• Build a program infrastructure

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Hints for preparing your grant

• Clear and shared vision of what you want to
  achieve
• Define your scope of activities
• Clearly understand your staffing needs
• Who will you hire to manage the program?
• A dedicated coordinator/directors time is
  recommended
• Who will manage each site?
• at least 25 hours per week is recommended

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Hints continued

• Collaboration
• Community partners provide services and
  activities for students and their families
• Have you met with your local education agency if
  a community /faith based organization?
• Have you met with the feeder schools principal
  and teachers of the students you wish to serve?

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Partners

• You must have a least one partner (more is
  recommended)
• Only one 21st Grant is allowed within a school
  building.
• If more than one agency applies for the same
  student population at a given building reviewers
  will wonder about the collaboration among
  providers and it may mean that neither applicant
  will be funded.

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Hints cont.

• In addition to homework help and academic
  instruction plan to incorporate into your program
  things such as
• Literacy-based programs
• Activities that promote social and emotional
  support
• Service Learning activities
• Drama
• Art
• Music
• Workforce readiness
• Life skill training
• Cooking

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Proposal Trouble spots

• When it is not clear what is being addressed by
  the proposal or why it is worth addressing
• When there is no evidence the proposal has good
  chance of succeeding
• When the applicants are unaware of other efforts
  in their communities
• When the proposal is too expensive for the
  probable gain

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Trouble spots (cont.)

• When the proposal is more appropriately funded
  through other sources
• When the proposal is badly presented and/or
  filled with spelling and grammatical errors
• When the proposal uses portions of previous
  applications without updating

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• Due Date
• 500 P.M. on June 30th, 2009
• All sections of the I-iGrant form 416 or 417( if
  consortium) must be completed for grant to be
  reviewed
• Make sure all sections of the iGrant are marked
  complete or your application will not be
  reviewed.

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Funding

• For Fiscal Year 2010, July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010
• Funds will be made available from the USDOE
  (traditionally this is by early summer)
• Washington is allocated approximately 15 million
  annually
• We should have 5 million for new grants this
  year

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Funding cont.

• For the current funding RFP the dollar amount you
  can request
• Maximum funding 500,000
• Minimum Funding 50,000
• Do not plan for any carryover
• Average cost per regular attendee 1,000 per year
• What is a regular attendee A student that
  attends the program more than 30 times

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Funding cont.

• Awards are based on the quality of the applicants
  Be clear and concise!
• Awards are for five years contingent on funding
  from Department of Education and yearly grant
  performance as stated in your application.

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Child Nutrition Programs

• Snacks
• Participants must be served a snack
• Snacks cannot be paid for with grant funding
• USDA Snack program will pay for all snacks for
  all students if Free Lunch rate is over 50 for
  the district.
• (For More information you can contact Donna
  Parsons at OSPI Child Nutrition Program

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Evaluation

• The goal to design and to implement a
  comprehensive evaluation strategy
• Data drives 21STCCLC improvements
• Good evaluation data helps tell our stories as we
  work on sustainability
• Good evaluation data helps meet funding
  requirements

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Award Notification

• Final decisions will be made by approximately
  August 20th,2009
• Applicants will receive notification of funding
  or if not funded through the iGrant system
• Potential grantees will be called for a pre award
  call/meeting prior to any notification of award
• All notification, records, etc. for this grant
  must be kept for at least 5 years for auditing
  and monitoring purposes, even if there is a
  change in staff

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My advice to you

• Understand that your application is a commitment,
  like a contract, and if you say you are going to
  do it (and you are funded) we will expect you
  to do it.

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Where to find more information

• Legislation, Regulations and Guidance for the
  21st Century Community Learning Center program is
  available online at http//www.ed.gov/programs/21
  stccc/legislation.html
• Pam OBrien, 21st CCLC/WA CLC Supervisor Office
  of Superintendent of Public Instruction
  pam.obrien_at_k12.wa.us 360-725-6052