Ohio Department of Education Awards $44 million in 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grants to Connect Students with Enrichment Programs

Release date: 9/12/2022

Programs provide engaging, high-quality learning and youth development opportunities

The Ohio Department of Education announced 52 new grantees were awarded $44,864,143 of federal funding for Fiscal Year 2023 for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program. This well-established initiative to support Ohio’s students complements Future Forward Ohio, the state’s strategic priorities to help students recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on students who experienced the greatest disruptions to learning. 
 
The 21^st CCLC grantees create or expand community learning centers that provide academic enrichment and youth development opportunities for students from economically disadvantaged families and attend low-performing schools. In addition to the new awards, 184 grantees received continuation funding based on prior-year grant awards.
 
The 21^st CCLC programs are implemented through a partnership that includes at least one school and one community organization with a demonstrated record of success in designing and implementing before-school, after-school, summer learning or expanded learning time activities. The programs provide students with more access to opportunities that can accelerate learning and support student engagement and attendance in school.

All funded programs must:

• Provide opportunities for academic enrichment to assist students in meeting the state’s learning standards;
• Offer students access to a broad array of additional services, such as those that focus on youth development, student wellness, civic engagement, and nutritional and physical health;
• Offer adult family members of program participants opportunities for educational development and engagement in their children’s education.

“When students have more opportunities to expand their interests, they can create deeper and more meaningful connections to learning,” Interim Superintendent of Public Instruction Stephanie Siddens said. “After the challenges students faced the past few years, the 21st Century Community Learning Centers grantees are strengthening school, family and community partnerships with a focus on high-quality programming to keep students engaged in learning.”

The grant recipients were selected from more than 200 applications through a comprehensive peer review process. Priority was given to programs that serve students in rural schools.

Read more about the program and view the full list of grantees on the 21^st CCLC webpage.