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Introducted
In 1994, Sen. James Jeffords (I-Vt.) and Rep. Steve Gunderson (R-Wis.), with support from Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Ca.) and others, introduced The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Act. The bill was ultimately folded into The Improving America’s Schools Act, the 1994 reauthorization of the 1965 The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and $750,000 was budgeted for 21st CCLC in FY1995. -
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The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act
21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative would “plan, implement, or expand projects that benefit the educational, health, social service, cultural, and recreational needs of a rural or inner-city community,” and each center had to provide at least four from a list of 13 community resources, including senior citizen programming, extended library hours, parenting skills classes, nutrition and health programming, and technology education. -
The major push for 21st CCLC funding came from the private sector.
In 1997,the Mott Foundation partnered with the Department of Education to provide technical assistance
and training for the sites that received the grant. Mott’s commitment to the 21st CCLC program helped secure $40
million for the initiative in FY 98 -
The push for after-school programming
In 1998, the Department of Education and the Justice Department released a report entitled “Safe and Smart: Making the After-School Hours Work for Kids,” which held up afterschool programming as “the best deterrent against juvenile crime and victimization,” and focused on the many benefits that “children, their families, schools, and the whole community” reap as a result of afterschool care, including “increased safety, reduced risk-taking, and improved learning.” -
Funding Increased
In 1999, Clinton proposed an $800 million increase to 21st CCLC over the next five years, and by FY2001 the program had a budget of $845.6 million. President Clinton praised the ability of afterschool programs to “keep our kids healthy and happy and safe while teaching them to say no to drugs, alcohol, and crime, yes to reading, sports, and computers.” -
Partnering with Organizations such as the YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, and the Girl Scouts
The Department of Education grant application offered a detailed description of what opportunities could be available at 21st CCLC, including drama club, swimming lessons at the YMCA, homework help, computer classes, and ESL classes for parents. The Department envisioned 21st CCLC as “hub[s] of learning, recreation, and community involvement partnering with organizations such as the YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, and the Girl Scouts to provide additional activities for community members. -
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)-Student Focus
NCLB did not dismiss the original purposes of 21st CCLC, but it altered 21st CCLC, adding additional funding, delegating the grant process to states, and changing the focus of the program from providing social services to all members of a community—as was originally intended— to providing academic support, particularly in reading and math, to students. -
Evaluated data from the 2000-2001 school year
In its first-year report, which evaluated data from the
2000-2001 school year, Mathematica ultimately concluded that 21st CCLC programs were not
improving the academic achievement, behavior, safety or developmental-related outcomes of
students. -
Bush administration proposed budget
February
2003, the Bush administration proposed that a 40% (or $400 million) budget cut be made. Due to very strong bipartisan support for the 21st CCLC program, Congress ultimately
rejected the Bush administration’s proposed 21st CCLC budget cuts. -
The Promising Afterschool Programs Study
The study concluded that students who
participated regularly in after-school programs with certain characteristics were more likely to experience improvement with their standardized test scores, academic work habits and behavior. This helped lay a strong foundation for future 21st CCLC policymaking. -
New policy language for 21st CCLC
“The Senate Appropriations Committee passed their
education spending bill (S. 3686) with
new policy language for 21st CCLC allowing State
Education Agencies to sub-grant funds to Local
Education Agencies for a longer school day, along with
a $100 million increase. The full House Appropriations
Subcommittee increased 21st CCLC funding by $35 million. -
Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program comes under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that was signed by President Obama 2015 -
Trump administration also proposed eliminating the after-school funding
In 2017, the Trump administration also proposed eliminating the after-school funding program by 2018, but Congress instead increased program funding by $25 million to $1.19 billion. -
Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers
The House and Senate passed an FY 2020 spending bill which renamed the program as the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers and included a $28 million increase in funding, meaning an additional 28,000 students will gain access to quality afterschool and summer learning programs. -
Trump proposes to eliminate the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative
Trump Administration for the fourth year in a row, proposes to eliminate the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative, which funds local afterschool and summer learning programs in all 50 states and the U.S. territories.