TLDR
The 21st Century Community Learning Centers program is authorized under Title IV Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (20 USC 7171 et seq.). The US Department of Education awards formula grants to state educational agencies, which competitively subaward to local educational agencies and community-based organizations. Grantees report against GPRA performance measures covering academic achievement, school behavior, and school engagement, submit the Annual Performance Report through the 21APR system, and conduct an approved program quality assessment. Family engagement and an independent program evaluation are required.
BLUF
21st Century Community Learning Centers is an ESEA Title IV Part B federal formula grant that funds out-of-school-time academic enrichment. State educational agencies receive the federal allocation and run competitive subawards to local educational agencies and community-based organizations. Subawardees report against GPRA performance measures, submit the Annual Performance Report through the 21APR system, conduct an approved program quality assessment, and produce an external program evaluation.
TL;DR
- Authority: ESEA Title IV Part B (20 USC 7171 et seq.).
- Flow: USED formula to SEAs; SEAs competitively subaward to LEAs and community-based organizations.
- Performance: GPRA measures in academic proficiency, school behavior, and school engagement.
- Report: Annual Performance Report through the 21APR system.
- Quality: Youth Program Quality Assessment or state-approved equivalent.
- Required: family engagement and independent program evaluation.
Authority and funding flow
Title IV Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act authorizes 21st CCLC and appropriates funds through the US Department of Education. USED issues formula allocations to state educational agencies based on Title I Part A shares. Each SEA publishes a competitive Request for Application and makes subawards to local educational agencies, community-based organizations, Indian tribes, and other eligible entities. The subawardee operates the program, administers funds, and reports back to the SEA, which aggregates for USED.
Eligible activities
Programs must provide academic enrichment opportunities aligned to state and local academic standards. Allowable activities include tutoring, homework help, enrichment in STEM, arts, literacy, physical activity, college and career readiness, and family engagement services. Activities are delivered primarily during non-school hours (after school, before school, weekends, summer).
Target population
21st CCLC serves students who attend schools with high concentrations of students from low-income families and schools identified for comprehensive support and improvement or targeted support and improvement. State RFAs set specific eligibility criteria that subawardees must meet.
GPRA performance measures
The federal program reports against three measure domains:
- Academic achievement: increases in the share of regular participants reaching proficiency on state reading and math assessments.
- School behavior: improvement in indicators such as classroom behavior and school-day attendance.
- School engagement: improvement in indicators such as homework completion and classroom participation.
Grantees collect participant-level data on attendance, school-day performance, and teacher-reported behavior and engagement. Data flows through the SEA’s state-level system and up to the federal 21APR system.
Annual Performance Report (21APR)
The APR captures program operations, staffing, participant demographics, regular attendee counts, and performance against GPRA measures. The SEA submits aggregated APRs to the US Department of Education after collecting and reviewing each subawardee’s submission. Timing and state-level requirements are set by each SEA.
Program quality assessment
Grantees are required to use a validated program quality assessment to evaluate point-of-service quality. The Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA) from the Weikart Center is widely used; states may approve equivalent tools. Results feed continuous improvement cycles and are referenced in program evaluation and monitoring.
Family engagement and evaluation
21st CCLC requires family engagement activities such as family literacy programs, parent involvement in academic events, and services that help families support student learning. Grantees also commission an independent evaluation of program effectiveness on the schedule their SEA specifies. Findings drive program improvement and feed state monitoring.
Uniform Guidance overlay
Because 21st CCLC funds are federal, 2 CFR Part 200 applies: allowable costs, procurement standards, equipment management, record retention, and single audit obligations when federal expenditures exceed $1,000,000 in a fiscal year. Subawardees that further subaward to partner organizations must also meet 2 CFR 200.331 and 200.332 subrecipient monitoring requirements.
What GrantPipe Does Here
GrantPipe tracks 21st CCLC subaward periods, GPRA measure schedules, and the APR reporting window in the same record as the rest of the organization’s grants and restricted funds, so after-school program leaders do not run two parallel systems for performance and finance. Start a trial.
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Source: US Department of Education, 21st CCLC program page
Source: OMB 2 CFR Part 200
- 21st CCLC
- 21st Century Community Learning Centers, a federal formula grant program authorized under ESEA Title IV Part B supporting out-of-school-time academic enrichment.
DEFINITION
- SEA
- State educational agency, the state-level entity (typically a state department of education) that receives the federal formula allocation and competitively subawards to LEAs and community-based organizations.
DEFINITION
- GPRA measures
- Government Performance and Results Act indicators. For 21st CCLC they track academic proficiency changes in reading and math, school behavior, and school engagement.
DEFINITION
- 21APR
- The 21st CCLC Annual Performance Report reporting system, the federal data collection tool through which states submit grantee performance data.
DEFINITION
- YPQA
- Youth Program Quality Assessment, a validated observational quality assessment tool commonly used to meet the 21st CCLC program quality assessment requirement.
DEFINITION
Q&A
How does 21st CCLC money flow from the federal government to a program?
The US Department of Education issues formula allocations to state educational agencies based on Title I shares. SEAs run competitive Requests for Application to subaward funds to local educational agencies, community-based organizations, and other eligible entities. The subawardee operates the program and reports through the state.
Q&A
What programmatic requirements apply beyond reporting?
Programs must provide academic enrichment aligned to the regular school day, serve students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools, offer family engagement activities, and use a validated program quality assessment. An external program evaluation is required.
Q&A
How do Uniform Guidance rules interact with 21st CCLC?
The subaward is federal, so 2 CFR Part 200 applies end-to-end: allowable costs, procurement standards, equipment rules, subrecipient monitoring (if the grantee further subawards), single audit threshold at $1,000,000 in federal expenditures, and federal financial reporting.
Frequently asked