21st Century Community Learning Center Grants Awarded to Six DMPS Elementary Schools

The 21st Century Community Learning Center (21CCLC) after school program is expanding to six elementary schools in 2013, thanks to a grant awarded to Des Moines Public Schools by the Iowa Department of Education.

The 21CCLC program currently exists at seven Des Moines middle schools and four elementary schools.

This new three-year grant totals $2.4 million and will allow the 21CCLC afterschool program to exist at Garton, Hillis, Morris, River Woods, Samuelson, and Willard elementary schools serving an additional 900 students in these schools.

The grant money will be used to provide afterschool and summer programming for students including academic programming in reading, math, and science; and also enrichment programming in the arts, literacy, music and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).

“The 21CCLC grant is a wonderful opportunity for schools to build an extensive out-of-school time program for the students,” said Heidi Brown, 21CCLC district grant coordinator. “The program increases students’ confidence, social skills, and closes the achievement gap in reading, math and science. It provides opportunities for our students to have life experiences, of which they would not otherwise have access.”

The 21CCLC program has been in existence since 2007 and currently provides academic assistance, educational enrichment and family literacy to students and families at Brody Middle School, Callanan Middle School, Capitol View Elementary, Goodrell Middle School, Hoyt Middle School, King Elementary, McCombs Middle School, McKinley Elementary, Meredith Middle School, Monroe Elementary School, and Weeks Middle School.

Find out more about 21CCLC at the U.S. Department of Education.