Press Release Source: Pennsylvania Department of Education

PA Department of Education Awards $18 Million in Federal Grants to Support 21st Century Community Learning Centers
Friday July 30, 12:14 pm ET

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HARRISBURG, Pa., July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Department of Education is awarding more than $18 million in federal grants to support 58 new sites through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.
"Community Learning Centers bolster student achievement by reinforcing what students learn in the classroom by providing them with additional enrichment opportunities," Secretary of Education Vicki Phillips said. "The fact that we received almost 130 applications reflects the growing demand for these centers among students, parents and communities."

The 21st CCLC program provides funding for the establishment of community learning centers to provide academic, artistic, and cultural enhancement activities to students and their families when school is not in session (before school, after school, and/or during holidays and summer). The primary goal of these centers is to assist students to meet state and local standards for core subjects, such as reading and mathematics, by providing them with academic enrichment opportunities.

In addition to academics, centers may also offer participants a broad array of other services and programs, including art, music, service learning, character education, drug and violence prevention programming, recreation activities, and technology education. Supplementary services for parents, such as literacy instruction, may also be provided.

The amount of funding per grant is dependent upon the scope of services described in the application, the number of participants to be served and the special needs demonstrated by the targeted student population. In order to ensure that grants are of sufficient size and scope to support high quality, effective programs, no award is issued for less than $50,000.

While only first-year funding recommendations have been announced, grantees are selected for a three-year funding period, from October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2007. Second and third-year funding is contingent upon adequate performance and continued federal funding.

Among the organizations that are eligible to apply for the CCLC program are schools and school districts, community-based organizations, city or county government agencies, faith-based organizations, Family Centers, higher education institutions, for-profit corporations and consortia of two or more such organizations.

The following sites will receive grants this fall:

County Applicant Year 1 Funding
Recommendation
Adams Upper Adams School District $ 466,620
Allegheny Allegheny County Dept. Human Services 385,000
Bloomfield Garfield Corporation 308,000
McKeesport Area School District 168,500
Wilkinsburg School District 353,950
Woodland Hills School District 403,510
Youth Places/Tides Center PA 347,199
Bedford Bedford Area School District 184,800
Berks Reading School District 479,814
Blair Blair County Human Services Office 346,500
Bucks Latino Leadership Alliance of Bucks County 92,540
Morrisville School District 473,151
Cambria Greater Johnstown School District 232,434
Centre Cen-Clear Child Services, Inc. 688,022
Chester Coatesville Area School District 165,946
Clinton Keystone Central School District 452,057
Columbia Southern Columbia Area School District 356,673
Dauphin Harrisburg School District 316,800
Retired Senior Volunteer Program of the Capital
Region 96,630
Ronald H. Brown Charter School 268,978
Delaware Chester Community Charter 225,672
Chester Upland School District 838,777
Saint Katherine Drexel School 147,634
Upper Darby School District 148,488
Greene Greene County AVTS 656,531
Fayette Young Inspiration, Inc. 387,227
Franklin Chambersburg Community Improvement Assn. 429,943
Lackawanna Scranton City School District 519,522
Lancaster Lancaster School District 796,746
Lehigh Lehigh Carbon Community College 233,750
Luzerne Central Susquehanna IU/Hazleton AS 269,280
Mercer Farrell Area School District 356,400
Montgomery Pottstown School District 418,631
Montour Central Susquehanna IU/Danville 187,000
Northampton Bethlehem Area School District 413,566
Easton Area School District Philadelphia 152,337
Community Education Alliance
of West Philadelphia 143,288
Congreso de Latinos Unidos 560,700
Discovery Charter School 209,202
First Philadelphia Charter School
for Literacy 352,498
Imhotep Institute Charter High School 261,092
Laboratory Charter School of
Communication and Language 418,000
Leadership Learning Partners
Charter School 298,288
Norris Square Civic Association 75,323
People for People Charter School 215,293
Philadelphia Academy Charter School 280,500
Presbyterian Children's Village Services 299,200
Project H.O.M.E. 200,303
Project Mercy 80,046
Temple University-Center for Social Policy &
Community 388,030
Traveler's Aid Society 194,470
Variety Club of Philadelphia 360,360
The Women's Christian Alliance 68,560
Young Scholars Charter School 122,595
Schuylkill Schuylkill Intermediate Unit 29 299,561
Washington Connect, Inc. 66,100
Westmoreland Monessen Family Center 156,000
York York City School District 472,211

Grand Total $18,290,248

CONTACT: Brian M. Christopher
717-783-9802