[Federal Register: December 20, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 243)] [Notices] [Page 71263-71266] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr20de99-134] [[Page 71263]] _______________________________________________________________________ Part VI Department of Education _______________________________________________________________________ 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program; Notice [[Page 71264]] DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFEDA No. 84.287] 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program AGENCY: Department of Education ACTION: Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2000. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Purpose of Program: The 21st Century community Learning Centers Program was established by Congress to award grants to rural and inner- city public schools, or consortia of such schools, to enable them to plan, implement, or expand projects that benefit the educational, health, social services, cultural and recreational needs of the community School-based community learning centers can provide a safe, drug-free, supervised and cost-effective after-school, weekend or summer haven for ch8ildren, youth and their families. For fiscal year (FY) 2000 we encourage applicants to design projects that focus on the invitational priority in the PRIORITIES section of this application notice. Eligible Applicants: Only rural or inner-city public elementary or secondary schools, consortia of those schools, or LEAs applying on their behalf, are eligible to receive a grant under the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program. An LEA considering serving more than one school is encouraged to submit a consortium application on their behalf. Applicants must demonstrate that they meet the statutory program purpose as being either a ``rural'' or ``inner-city'' school or a consortium of such schools. Applications Available: December 20, 1999. Deadline For Transmittal of Applications: March 20, 2000. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: May 19, 2000. Available Funds: Approximately $185,000,000. Estimated Range of Awards: $35,000--$2,000,000, depending on the number of Centers included in each grant application. Estimated Average Size of Awards; $375,000, for a grant that will support 3 Centers. The average funding for a single Center is $125,000. Estimated Number of Awards: 350-500, but the actual number will depend on how many awards will assist multiple Centers. Project Period: Up to 36 months. Please note that all applicants for multi-year awards are required to provide detailed budget information for the total grant period requested. The Department will negotiate at the time of the initial award the funding levels for each year of the grant award. Note: The Department is not bound by an estimates in this notice. Page Limit: The application narrative (Part III of the application) is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria reviewers use to evaluate your application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to limit Part III to the equivalent of no more than 20 pages. Applicable Regulations; (a) The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99, (b) the regulations in 34 CFR part 299. Priorities The Absolute Priority and Competitive Priority 1 in the notice of final priorities for this program published in the Federal Register on December 2, 1997 (62 FR 63773) and repeated below, apply to this competition. In addition we give preference to applications that meet Competitive Priority 2 (34 CFR 75.105(c) (2) (ii) and 34 CFR 299.3(a)). Absolute Priority Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(3), we consider only applications that meet the absolute priority in the next paragraph. Activities To Expand Learning Opportunities: We fund only those applications for 21st Century Community Learning Centers grants that include, among the array of services required and authorized by the statute, activities that offer significant expanded learning opportunities for children and youth in the community and that contribute to reduced drug use and violence. Invitational Priority Within the absolute priority, Activities to Expand Learning Opportunities, we are particularly interested in applications that meet the following invitational priority. Projects in which schools (elementary, middle, or high schools, or some combination) and community-based organizations collaborate to plan and provide services in communities with conditions associated with high drop-out rates, such as high poverty, weak economic and community infrastructures, large or growing numbers of limited English proficient students and adults, and low levels of parental education. Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1) we do not give to an application that meets the invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications. Competitive Priorities Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(2)(i), we give preference to applications that meet one or both of the competitive priorities in the next two paragraphs. Competitive Priority 1 Projects designed to assist students to meet or exceed State and local standards in core academic subjects such as reading, mathematics or science, as appropriate to the needs of the participating children. We award up to five (5) points for projects that address this priority. These points are in addition to the 100 points an application may earn under the selection criteria that will be included in the application package. Note: It is our experience that successful applicants address the needs of potential drop-outs and students otherwise at risk of academic failure, including students living in poverty and students with limited English proficiency. Competitive Priority 2 Projects that will use a significant portion of the program funds to address substantial problems in an Empowerment Zone, including a Supplemental Empowerment Zone, or an Enterprise Community designated by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development or the United States Department of Agriculture. We select an application that meets this priority over an application of comparable merit that does not meet this competitive priority. Note: A list of areas that have been designated as Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities is published as an appendix to this notice. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program is authorized under Title X, Part I (20 U.S.C. 8241 et seq.) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Grantees under this program are required to carry out at least four of the activities listed in section 10905 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 U.S.C. 8245), as listed below: (1) Literacy education programs; (2) Senior citizen programs; (3) Children's day care services; (4) Integrated education, health, social service, recreational, or cultural programs; (5) Summer and weekend school programs in conjunction with recreation programs; (6) Nutrition and health programs; (7) Expanded library service hours to serve community needs; (8) Telecommunications and technology education programs for individuals of all ages; [[Page 71265]] (9) Parenting skills education programs; (10) Support and training for child day care providers; (11) Employment counseling, training, and placement; (12) Services for individuals who leave school before graduating from secondary school, regardless of the age of such individual; and (13) Services for individuals with disabilities. Applicants should propose an array of inclusive and supervised services that include extended learning opportunities (such as instructional enrichment programs, tutoring, or homework assistance) but may also include recreational, musical and artistic activities; opportunities to use advanced technology, particularly for those community members who do not have access to computers or telecommunications at home. Grants awarded under this program may be used to plan, implement, or expand community learning centers. Geographic distribution: In awarding grants, the Secretary assures an equitable distribution of assistance among the States, among urban and rural areas of a State, and among urban and rural areas of the United States. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amanda Clyburn, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., room 5W240, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 260-3804. E-mail: 21stCCLC@ed.gov. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339. FOR APPLICATIONS CONTACT: Education Publications Center (ED Pubs), P.O. Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398. Telephone (toll free): 1-877-433-7827. FAX: (301) 470-1244. If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call (toll free): 1-877-576-7734. You may also contact ED Pubs at its Web site: http://www.ed.gov/ pubs/edpubs.html. Or you may contact ED Pubs at its E-mail address: edpubs@inet.ed.gov. If you request an application from ED Pubs, be sure to identify this competition as follows: CFDA number 84.287. Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Individuals with disabilities also may obtain a copy of the application package in an alternative format by contacting that person. However, the Department is not able to reproduce in an alternative format the standard forms included in the application package. Electronic Access to This Document You may view this document, as well as all other Department of Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at either of the following sites: http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm http://www.ed.gov/news.html To use the PDF you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with Search, which is available free at either of the previous sites. If you have questions about using the PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530. Note: The official version of this document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at: http:// www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html. Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 8241-8247. Dated: December 15, 1999. Michael Cohen, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education. Appendix--Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Empowerment Zones (EZ) California: Los Angeles, Oakland, Santa Ana, Riverside County Connecticut: New Haven Florida: Miami Georgia: Atlanta, Cordele Illinois: Chicago, East St. Louis, Ullin Indiana: Gary, East Chicago Kentucky: Kentucky Highlands (Clinton, Jackson, and Wayne Counties) Maryland: Baltimore Massachusetts: Boston Michigan: Detroit Minnesota: Minneapolis Mississippi: Mid-Delta (Bolivar, Holmes, Humpreys, LeFlore, Sunflower, Washington Counties) Missouri/Kansas: Kansas City, Kansas City New York: Harlem, Bronx North Dakota: Lake Agassiz Ohio: Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus Ohio/West Virginia: Ironton/Huntington Pennsylvania/New Jersey: Philadelphia, Camden South Carolina: Columbia/Sumter South Dakota: Oglala Sioux Reservation in Pine Ridge Tennessee: Knoxville Texas: Houston, El Paso, Rio Grande Valley (Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy Counties) Virginia: Norfolk/Portsmouth Enterprise Communities (EC) Alabama: Birmingham, Chambers County, Greene County, Sumter County Arizona: Arizona Border (Cochise, Santa Cruz and Yuma Counties), Phoenix, Window Rock Arlamsas: East Central (Cross, Lee, Monroe and St. Francis Counties), Mississippi County, Pulaski County California: Imperial County, Los Angeles, Huntington, Park, San Diego, San Francisco, Bayview, Hunter's Point, Watsonville, Orange Cove Colorado: Denver Connecticut: Bridgeport, New Haven Delaware: Wilmington District of Columbia: Washington Florida: Jackson County, Miami, Dade County, Tampa, Immokalee Georgia: Albany, Central Savannah River (Burke, Hancock, Jefferson, McDuffie, Taliafero, and Warren Counties), Crisp County, Dooley County Georgia: Albany, Central Savannah River (Burke, Hancock, Jefferson, McDuffie, Taliafero, and Warren Counties), Crisp County, Dooley County Hawaii: Kaunakakai Illinois: East St. Louis, Springfield Indiana: Indianapolis, Austin Iowa: Des Moines Kansas: Leoti Kentucky: Louisville, Bowling Green Louisiana: Macon Ridge (Catahoula, Concordia, Franklin, Morehouse, and Tensas Parishes), New Orleans, Northeast Louisiana Delta (Madison Parish), Ouachita Parish Maine: Lewiston Massachusetts: Lowell, Springfield Michigan: Five Cap, Flint, Muskegon, Harrison Minnesota: Minneapolis, St. Paul Mississsippi: Jackson, North Delta Area (Panola, Quitman, and Tallahatchie Counties) Missouri: East Prairie, St. Louis Montana: Poplar Nebraska: Omaha Nevada: Clarke County, Las Vegas New Hampshire: Manchester New Jersey: Newark New Mexico: Albuquerque, La Jicarita (Mora, Rio Arriba, Taos Counties), Deming New York: Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Buffalo, Newburgh, Kingston, Rochester North Carolina: Charlotte and Edgecombe, Halifax, Robeson, and Wilson Counties Ohio: Akron, Columbus, Greater Portsmouth (Scioto County) Oklahoma: Choctaw and McCurtain Counties, Oklahoma City, Ada Oregon: Josephine County, Portland Pennsylvania: Harrisburg, Lock Haven, Pittsburgh, Uniontown Rhode Island: Providence South Carolina: Charleston, Williamsburg, Florence County, Hallandale South Dakota: Beadle, Spink Counties Tennessee: Fayette, Haywood Counties, Memphis, Nashville, Rutledge Tennessee/Kentucky: Scott, McCreary Counties Texas: Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio, Waco, Uvalde Utah: Ogden [[Page 71266]] Vermont: Burlington Virginia: Accomack (Northhampton County), Norfolk Washington: Lower Yakima County, Seattle, Tacoma, Collie West Virginia: Charleston, Huntington, McDowell County, West Central Appalachia (Braxton, Clay, Fayette, Nicholas, and Roane Counties) Wisconsin: Milwaukee, Keshena [FR Doc. 99-32920 Filed 12-17-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000-01-M