A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

21st Century Community Learning Centers:
After-School Programs

"We must make sure that every child has a safe and enriching place to go after school, say no to drugs and alcohol and crime, and yes to reading, soccer, computers, and a brighter future for themselves."

- President Clinton

"The period of time between the school bell and the factory whistle is a most vulnerable time for children. These are hours when children are more likely to engage in at-risk behavior and are more vulnerable to the dangers that still exist in too many neighborhoods and communities."

- Vice President Gore

T he 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is a key component of the Administration's effort to keep our children safe and help them learn after school. Congress has supported this initiative by appropriating $200 million for after-school programs in fiscal year 1999, up from $40 million in 1998. This expansion is strongly justified by a recent report by the Departments of Education and Justice on the effectiveness of after-school programs, and on data collected by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation that clearly document the public's strong desire to make quality after-school programs available to all children.

New Grants Will Support After-School Initiatives Throughout the Country

The $200 million will fund about 1,600 Community Learning Centers within approximately 500-600 communities to establish or expand school-based after-school programs for our nation's children. These grants will enable rural and inner-city schools in nearly every state to provide programs that will serve about 250,000 students and members of the community after school, weekends and summers, in safe, drug-free, and supervised environments. These Centers will provide academic enrichment and support; recreational, artistic, sports, and cultural activities; opportunities for children to participate in service learning and community development projects; nutritional and health services; access to technology and telecommunications; and activities to promote parent involvement and lifelong learning that can directly and indirectly benefit their children.

A Huge Demand for After-school Programs

Overwhelmingly, Americans favor providing school-based after-school programs in their own community (92 percent). The reasons why the public supports these programs are clear:

  • Over 28 million school-age children have both parents or their only parent in the workforce.

  • At least 5 million children -- and possibly as many as 15 million -- are left alone at home each week.

  • Experts agree that school-age children who are unsupervised during the hours after school are far more likely to use alcohol, drugs and tobacco; commit crimes; receive poor grades; and drop out of school than those who are involved in supervised, constructive activities.

  • Statistics show that most juvenile crime takes place between the hours of 2:00 and 8:00 pm, and that children are also at much greater risk of being the victims of crime during the hours after school.

Programs are Now Beginning to Operate Across the Nation

In 1998, the first national competition for grants to support after-school programs resulted in the U.S. Department of Education receiving a record 2,000 applications, which in total contained over $500 million in requests for funding. With only $40 million to award, however, only 1 out of 20 applicants received grants. The 99 grants the Department made in 1998 are now supporting 321 Community Learning Centers in high-need neighborhoods across the country.

New Report Shows After-School Programs Can Lower Juvenile Crime and Improve Academic Performance

Safe and Smart: Making the After-School Hours Work for Kids, by the Departments of Justice and Education, shows that high-quality after-school programs work by lowering juvenile crime rates, and tobacco, drug, and alcohol use among young people. The report also shows that quality after-school programs improve academic performance -- helping more children stay in school, increasing aspirations for college, and lowering the number of children who must be retained in grade.

If you have questions or comments, please call Steve Balkom (202-219-2089) or Amanda Clyburn (202-219-2180), e-mail 21stcclc@ed.gov, or visit our website at www.ed.gov/offices/OERI/21stCCLC/


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Last Updated -- December 11, 1998, (BDG)