21 st Century Community Learning Centers Program Closing

21 st Century Community Learning Centers Program Closing the Achievement Gap with After School Programs Based on research by the National Community Education Association (NCEA) in 2003; the KU Institute for Educational Research and Public Service in 2003; revised by the Iowa Department of Education in 2005, 2007, and 2009; and revised by Preferred Visions, LLC in 2011.

Why do we need afterschool programs? • ¼ of all children are on their own after the school day ends, and before parents get home from work. • The number of children left alone unsupervised in the afternoons has increased in the last five years from 25% in 2004 to 26% in 2009 or an increase from 14. 3 million children to 15. 1 million children.

Why do we need afterschool programs? • The hours between 3 p. m. and 6 p. m. are the peak hours for juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex. • Only one third of young people graduate high school prepared for college, work and citizenship - we can’t afford to waste the after school hours.

Why do we need afterschool programs? • Today, 30% of middle school students and 4% of elementary school students are unsupervised. • Parents wanting their children enrolled in afterschool programs has risen from 30% (15. 3 million) in 2004 to 38% (18. 5 million) in 2009.

Native American breakdown of afterschool children • 16% of Native American children attend afterschool programs • 24% of Native American children have no adult supervision. • 51% of Native American parents would enroll their children, if afterschool programs were available.

BACKGROUND In 1997, the U. S. Department of Education (ED) engaged in a unique partnership with a private philanthropist, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation of Flint, Michigan.

SHARED VISION is to… • stimulate community-school partnerships around the country, • keep children safe and provide academic support that links with the regular school day, • provide enriching learning opportunities 5 days a week, at least 3 hours a day, holidays and summers, and • ensure access and equity through training, technical assistance, evaluation, identification of promising practices and outreach.

21 st CCLC NATION-WIDE * • Currently there are 4, 023 grants serving about 1. 8 million children (1, 798, 986 children and youth) in 10, 339 school-based and community-based centers across the country. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) • The amount of afterschool programs available today meet only half the demand among elementary and middle school parents. (National Opinion Research Center, August 1998) * Data courtesy of the U. S. Department of Education and Learning Point Associates, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

21 st CCLC NATION-WIDE * • The average first-year grant size in 2009 was $280, 377. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) • On average, there are 3 centers/sites per grant with an annual budget of $109, 096. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) * Data courtesy of the U. S. Department of Education and Learning Point Associates, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

21 st CCLC NATION-WIDE * • The average annual cost per student ranges from $627 to $1, 254. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) • 3 in 5 grantees are school districts and about 1 in 5 grantees are community-based organizations. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) • 9 in 10 centers are located in schools. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) * Data courtesy of the U. S. Department of Education and Learning Point Associates, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

21 st CCLC NATION-WIDE * • 94 percent of centers are open 4 or more days per week. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) • 76 percent of centers are open at least 11 hours per week. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) • Centers are open for an average of 14. 7 hours per week. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) * Data courtesy of the U. S. Department of Education and Learning Point Associates, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

21 st CCLC NATION-WIDE * • The average number of regular attendees per center is 87, while the average number of total attendees per center is 174. • Academic assistance, enrichment activities and recreational activities are the most common services offered by programs. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) * Data courtesy of the U. S. Department of Education and Learning Point Associates, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

21 st CCLC NATION-WIDE * • 2/3 of all centers serve elementary students • 30 percent of centers serve middle school students. • 10 percent of centers serve high school students (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) * Data courtesy of the U. S. Department of Education and Learning Point Associates, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

21 st CCLC NATION-WIDE * As centers mature over time. . . . • they tend to move away from an emphasis on recreation and move toward a greater focus on academic enrichment. • programs that primarily focus on academic enrichment, have a higher rate of average regular attendance than centers that are relatively new. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) * Data courtesy of the U. S. Department of Education and Learning Point Associates, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

21 st CCLC NATION-WIDE * As centers mature over time. . . . • More mature academic enrichment programs have an average regular attendance rate of 71 percent while newer programs average a rate of 48 percent. (Afterschool Alliance, 2010) * Data courtesy of the U. S. Department of Education and Learning Point Associates, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

TRANSITION TO THE STATES • The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 recognizes that improved student achievement occurs when communities implement programs and strategies scientifically proven to be effective, and the 21 st CCLC Program was an essential part of this initiative (Title IV-B). • In 2002, the federal 21 st CCLC funds shifted to states for distribution as competitive block grants.

TRANSITION TO THE STATES * Funding History, 21 st CCLC Fiscal Year Amount 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Appropriated Amount $40 million $200 million $453 million $846 million $1 billion $993. 5 million $991 million $981 million $1. 081 billion $1. 131 billion $1. 166 billion Authorized in No Child Left Behind Act n/a n/a $1 billion $1. 25 billion $1. 75 billion $2. 25 billion $2. 5 billion * Data courtesy of the U. S. Department of Education and Learning Point Associates, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.

TRANSITION TO THE STATES • In 2010, the NCLB of 2001 came under significant revision and redesigned by Congress. Beginning in late 2010 and currently today, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 is being reauthorized and revised to include funding for 21 st CCLC programs are moving from a discretionary program that improves student achievement to an essential component of this new legislation. • At the moment, Congressional action pertaining to ESEA has not been finalized yet nor has guidance by the USDOE been completed.

DEFINITION A 21 ST CLCC program provides academic enrichment opportunities for children, particularly students who attend high poverty and lowperforming schools, to meet state and local standards in core academic subjects. •

DEFINITION A 21 ST CLCC program offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs.

DEFINITION A 21 ST CLCC program offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.

DEFINITION - CONTINUED 21 st Century Community Learning Centers provide students with a broad array of other activities, such as drug and violence prevention, service-learning, counseling, art, music, dance, drama, recreation, mentoring, technology, and character education programs.

21 st Century Community Learning Centers Main Focus • Keeps Kids Safe • Provide Academic Assistance • Support Working Families

WHY INVEST IN AFTERSCHOOL? Kids in afterschool programs… • have better grades, conduct, peer relations and attendance, • are 40% less likely to use drugs and 37% less likely to become teen parents, • have opportunities to explore the arts, music, drama, community service, and technology, and • build higher aspirations for the future.

HOW WILL THE 21 ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP?

HOW? A community learning center assists students in meeting state and local academic achievement standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and mathematics, by providing the students with opportunities for academic enrichment.

ACADEMIC BENEFIT Students – • at least complete homework to turn in the next day in class, • receive small group and individual tutoring, and • experience supplemental learning to classroom concepts and the “AHAH” moment for learning.

ACADEMIC BENEFIT Parents love the fact that– • their children come home with homework completed, or nearly completed, and grades go up. • completed homework provides for more family time. • there is less stress over homework and especially if the homework is even challenging for the parents.

PARENT SATISFACTION Parents love afterschool programs – • 9 in 10 (89%) are satisfied. • 9 in 10 (91%) agree there should be some type of “organized activity” or a place for children and teens to go afterschool every day and provide an opportunity to learn. • 8 in 10 (83%) support public funding of afterschool programs.

PARENT SATISFACTION Top Benefits of afterschool programs – • Social skills. • Keeping kids safe. • Provide opportunity to be physically active. • Helping their child succeed in school.

ACADEMIC BENEFITS Teachers love the fact that – • students come to class with homework completed. • students have the opportunity to get homework assistance and a second chance at learning a concept. • students are more cooperative in class when they feel good about their work.

INTEGRATION • Collaborative efforts between the day school teachers and the afterschool teachers allow for extended learning opportunities for students and support for the regular school day. • This collaborative effort requires good communication between staff.

BENEFITS OF INTEGRATION • Everyone wins with the collaborative efforts. • Students receive additional learning time with enrichment teaching methods. • Day staff receive support from afterschool staff in accomplishing student academic standards.

SCHOOLS BENEFITS School Districts like the fact that – • students are receiving additional learning experiences while involving parents and community members, • happy students, parents and community members are building new bridges of communication for academic support, and • the learning centers act as a springboard to additional community partnerships for solving academic and community needs.

Evaluation Results • Evaluations and teacher reports have revealed positive results in behavior and achievement for students who regularly attend 21 st Century Community Learning Centers. • Annual performance report data from 21 st CCLC grantees across the country demonstrate that regular attendees improve their reading (43 percent) and math grades (49 percent). (Learning Point Associates, 2007)

Evaluation Results • Teachers reported that over three quarters of regular 21 st CCLC program participants showed improvement in homework completion and class participation, while 72 percent of regular participants showed improvements in student behavior. (Learning Point Associates, 2009) • While afterschool participation rates have increased at every level of family income nationwide, lowest income youth have shown the greatest increase in participation. (Harvard Family Research Project, 2006)

Evaluation Results • Students who attend 21 st CCLC programs more regularly are more likely to improve their grades, test scores and overall academic behavior. • More mature 21 st CCLC programs have greater rates of regular attendance and therefore are more effective in improving students’ academic behavior. (Learning Point Associates, 2007)

Evaluation Results • The Promising Afterschool Programs Study, a study of about 3, 000 low-income, ethnically-diverse elementary and middle school students, found that those who regularly attended high-quality programs (including programs funded by 21 st CCLC) over two years demonstrated gains of up to 20 percentiles and 12 percentiles in standardized math test scores respectively, compared to their peers who were routinely unsupervised during the afterschool hours. (Policy Studies Associates, Inc. , 2007)

Economy Taking a Toll on afterschool programs …. • Parents pay an average of $67 per week, up from an average of $44 per child per week five years ago. • 1 in 3 households (31%) report children are spending more time in the care of a parent afterschool now than a year ago. Reasons include: work status changes, availability, and affordability of programs.

Conclusions we can make about afterschool programs • The afterschool hours can be a time for trouble or a time for kids to learn new skills, develop relationships with caring adults and prepare for the future. • American families need quality afterschool programs more than ever especially with 15. 1 million children taking care of themselves after the school day ends.

Conclusions we can make about afterschool programs Two out of three Americans see afterschool programs as an absolute necessity in recent public opinion polls. Do you feel afterschool programs benefit children and family needs today after the school day ends?

21 ST CENTURY COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTERS CLOSING THE > < GAP