The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program of the U.S. Department of Education was recently honored for its unique partnership with the C.S. Mott Foundation to help establish public schools as community learning centers and offer quality after–school programs for children.

The award is one of eight given out by the Public Employees Roundtable under its 2002 Public Service Excellence Awards.

The 21st CCLC Program is a key component of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act. The focus of the program is to provide expanded academic enrichment for children who attend high–poverty schools, including activities designed to help students meet local and state academic standards.

In addition, 21st CCLC programs provide enrichment and youth development activities such as: art, music and recreation programs; drug and violence prevention programs; opportunities for community service; technology, telecommunications and video production programs; access to caring adults; and counseling and character education.

Research shows that students who regularly participate in quality after–school programs — those that offer an array of enrichment activities – – tend to do better in school than students who do not participate in any extra–curricular activities.

Congress has supported the initiative by appropriating $1 billion for after–school programs in FY 2002, up from $846 million in 2001, while the Mott Foundation has pledged a total of $100 million over several years to provide an array of support services that directly complement — while not duplicating — the federal investment.

While U.S. Department of Education funds provide direct services to children and adults in participating public schools, Mott funds are purposefully designed to ensure quality programming through technical assistance, training, identification of best practices, and rigorous evaluation.

About 6,800 rural and inner–city public schools in 1,600 communities, in collaboration with other public and non–profit agencies, organizations, local businesses, postsecondary institutions, scientific/cultural and other community entities now serve 1.2 million students and 400,000 adults. Under NCLB, the program will become a state–administered program, and will expand eligibility to community-based organizations, as well as faith–based groups.

The Public Employees Roundtable is a non–profit, non–partisan educational coalition of organizations representing nearly one million government employees and retirees. Founded in 1982, the Roundtable rewards excellence in government at all levels and promotes careers in public service through its scholarship program. For more information, visit their Web site at: www.theroundtable.org. For more information on the 21st CCLC program, visit http://www.ed.gov/21stcclc/.

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