Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC) Grant

Grants to South Dakota nonprofit organizations, school districts, institutions of higher education, tribal schools, for-profit entities, and local government agencies to provide students with academic enrichment activities. Applicants must submit a Notice of Intent and complete the required registration prior to applying. Funding is intended to establish or expand community learning centers in public schools or in facilities that are as available and accessible to the students served as if the program were located in a public elementary, middle, or secondary school.

Centers provide a range of high-quality services to support student learning and development, including tutoring and mentoring, homework help, academic enrichment (such as hands-on science or technology programs), and community service opportunities, as well as music, arts, sports and cultural activities. Centers must provide academic enrichment activities to students that attend high-poverty or Title 1 school-wide schools to help them meet state and local standards in core subjects especially reading, and mathematics. At the same time, centers help working parents by providing a safe environment for students when school is not in session.

The Department shall give priority to applications meeting one or both of the following criteria.

1. Applications targeting services to students attending schools that have been identified as Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) schools or Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) schools. 
2. To increase geographic diversity amongst grantees, the state will offer preference points on applications that propose to serve eligible schools in a South Dakota public school district that have not been served with a 21CCLC grant or subgrant funds since the 2020- 2021 school year.
3. Proposed programming that emphasizes evidence-based practices for increasing student attendance and engagement, reducing rates of chronic absenteeism, and enhancing connections between students in middle grades and high school and their school, family, and program partners.
   

Applicants must propose inclusive and supervised services that include expanded learning opportunities (such as enriched instruction, tutoring, or homework assistance) for children. These activities must work toward achieving the three goals listed below.

1. Provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students meet the challenging state academic standards.
2. Offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities. These include but are not limited to youth development, health and nutrition, counseling, art, music, financial literacy, etc.
3. Offer families of students served opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children's education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational support.

To receive a grant under this program, applicants must provide services that address the absolute priority (#1) and supplement with other program activities (#2), as described here: https://doe.sd.gov/21CCLC/documents/GY24-Guidelines.pdf#page=7

For information about selection criteria, see: https://doe.sd.gov/21CCLC/documents/GY24-Guidelines.pdf#page=12