Lists of Eligible Schools

Instructions

Checklist and Application Forms (in Word)

The following are the instructions necessary to apply for a grant under the New York 21^st Century Community Learning Centers Program.

The purpose of this program is to create or expand Community Learning Centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities outside of the regular school hours primarily for children who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools, as well as literacy and other educational services to their families. Priority will also be given to programs that serve middle level and/or high school students.

Collaborative development of proposals submitted by local education agencies and other eligible agencies and organizations with experience or promise of success in providing before- or after-school services is required. To further emphasize the importance of collaborative development, the major partners must submit a signed Memorandum of Understanding or a signed Partnership Agreement. In addition, a Private School Consultation Form must be completed.

Please submit one original and six copies of the proposal (facsimiles will not be accepted), as follows:

Questions may be directed to emsc21stcclc@mail.nysed.gov. All questions and answers will be posted at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/funding/currentapps.htm.

Over the last ten years, a growing body of research studies and evaluations has assessed the characteristics and benefits of after-school programs. National foundations and universities, as well as federal, State and local agencies, have invested considerable resources into assessing whether well-designed and well-implemented after-school programs can have measurable effects on student academic performance and behavior. Accumulating evidence strongly suggests that after-school programs, if done well, can improve in-school outcomes and behaviors of regular participants. In particular, the literature shows that these programs can improve student academic performance, improve attendance and graduation rates, and reduce risky behaviors.

The 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (21^st CCLC) program supports after-school programs and other extended learning opportunities for students and community members. The 2001 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, commonly known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), transferred responsibility for administering this program from the United States Department of Education to state education agencies. Although several important changes have been made to the program, the fundamental goal of providing a comprehensive array of programs and services through collaboration between schools and community partners is maintained. In addition, the relationship of New York 21^st CCLC to education reform will be stressed. By providing academic enrichment and positive youth development opportunities to students, as well as family literacy and other educational programs for families of these students, these programs can make a significant contribution to closing the achievement gap in our neediest schools.

Starting with an appropriation of $40 million, the program has grown rapidly and is now funded at $1 billion. Evaluations of these programs reinforce the research findings previously noted. In terms of student achievement, grades in Math and English increased for 40 percent or more of the participants. Teachers surveyed concerning student behavior report that approximately 75 percent of these students have shown improvement in terms of regular classroom attendance, behavior in class and timely completion of homework.

According to the U.S. Department of Education publication Working for Children and Families: Safe and Smart Afterschool Programs, there are eight components that are generally present in high-quality after-school programs. These include:

The following section contains more specific details about the program and its requirements. Additional information and resources are available at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/sss/21stCCLC/.

• provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet State and local student academic achievement standards in core academic subjects such as reading and mathematics;
• offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, art, music, and recreation programs, technology education programs, and character education programs, that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and
• offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

• be eligible for schoolwide programs under Title I, Section 1114 of the No Child Left Behind Act, or
• have at least 40 percent of its students eligible for free or reduced lunch. (New York City requires that 40 percent of a school’s students be eligible for free lunch.)

• previous experience with similar amounts of funding at the State or federal level through government or foundation grants, or
• other relevant information, and
• proven fiduciary responsibility as demonstrated through annual audits.

• proposing to target services to students who attend schools that have been identified as in need of improvement under NCLB, Section 1116, and
• submitted jointly by eligible entities consisting of not less than one local education agency receiving Title I, Part A funds and a community-based organization or other public or private entity.  (The only exception to this joint submission rule is for LEAs that do not have qualified community organizations within reasonable geographic proximity.)

A. What are the safety and health requirements for 21^st CCLC activities?

The applicant must demonstrate that its proposed program meets all applicable Safety and Health regulations for the care of children in after-school and extended day programs. In addition, the applicant must address how students will travel safely to and from the center and their homes.

If the applicant is a school district, BOCES, charter school or nonpublic school, the applicant must adhere to New York State’s SAVE laws including provisions related to fingerprinting of staff. Programs located in school buildings will be governed by the district’s School Safety Plan and any related building-level plans. If the proposed program is located at a site other than the school building, the provisions detailed below for community organization applicants shall apply.

If the applicant is a community organization, college or university, or other eligible entity and proposes to serve children under the age of 13, the applicant must obtain a School Age Child Care (SACC) registration in accord with New York State OCFS Regulations at 18 NYCRR Part 414 to operate an after-school program. Whether the program(s) operates in a school building or community site, it must meet SACC requirements pertaining to buildings and equipment, discipline, fire protection and safety, sanitation, staff background checks and clearances, staff to child ratios, staff credentials, staff training and supervision of children and youth. Programs with a mixture of children and youth under and over 13 years of age must complete the SACC registration process and all children and youth, including those over 13 years of age, will be considered part of the program. This provision applies to after-school programs whether situated in schools or community locations.

Applicants are urged to contact the OCFS Bureau of Early Childhood Services (BECS) regional office staff for SACC registration information. Applicants are also advised to consult with their local childcare resource and referral agency. A list of the OCFS Regional Offices is attached in Appendix 3.

This registration process must be completed prior to receiving 21^st CCLC funds and prior to providing services to students. Applicants are encouraged to notify the appropriate regional OCFS office of their intent to seek registration once proposed sites have been identified. This will expedite the approval process subsequent to award notification.

If the applicant is a community organization, college or university, or other eligible entity and proposes to serve only children ages 13 and older, it is recommended that the applicant work with its partnering school(s) to ensure the safety and health of all participants, including reasonable staff to student ratios and background clearances for staff.

B.  What is the role of School Emergency Response Plans in ensuring the safety of all children?

If the 21^st CCLC activities take place in a school building, all staff must be trained in and familiar with the School Emergency Response Plan, particularly in regard to emergency procedures.

• percentage whose math/English grades improved from fall to spring.
• percentage who meet or exceed the proficient level of performance on State Assessments in reading/language arts and mathematics.
• percentage whose regular classroom teacher reported (on a non-electronic survey) improvements in homework completion, class participation and behavior.

Funds will be allocated to each geographic area based on its relative share of the allocation of Title I funds to New York State schools.

Awards will be made in the full amount of the budget (as adjusted) within each geographic area in rank order of score using the following groupings. Placement of applicants into one of these groups will be made at the discretion of the reviewers and Department staff after initial reviews have been completed.

First, to applicants that:

• include not less than one local education agency receiving Title I funds and a community-based organization or other public or private entity (the only exception to this joint submission rule is for LEAs that do not have qualified community organizations within reasonable geographic proximity), and
• primarily target services to students who attend schools that have been identified as in need of improvement under Title I, Section 1116, and
• primarily target services to middle level students or high school noncompleters.

until funds allocated to that geographic area are insufficient to fund the next ranking applicant in full.

Second, to applicants that:

include not less than one local education agency receiving Title I funds and a community-based organization or other public or private entity (the only exception to this joint submission rule is for LEAs that do not have qualified community organizations within reasonable geographic proximity), and

primarily target services to students who attend schools that have been identified as in need of improvement under Title I, Section 1116.

until funds allocated to that geographic area are insufficient to fund the next ranking applicant in full.

Third, in the event funds remain after funding all ranking applicants above, the remaining applicants will be funded until funds allocated to that geographic area are insufficient to fund the next ranking applicant in full.

In the event that two or more applicants have the same final average score but remaining funds cannot fund all of them, the State Education Department will select the applicant to receive funding. First priority will be given to the applicant that will serve a SINI school with a middle-level program or high school program. If two or more applicants meet these criteria, the Department will then determine which program will serve students who have lower levels of academic achievement and higher levels of poverty.

For-profit applicants will be reviewed and ranked separately from all other applicants. Up to $450,000 will be set aside per year to be shared among for-profit awardees.

Each accepted application from a for-profit applicant will be reviewed and rated individually by three program reviewers according to the points for "for-profits" indicated on the first four items of the Program Narrative. Subsequently, the reviewers will meet as a team to discuss their scores and make adjustments as needed. Final scores from each reviewer will be used to compute the final average technical score of up to 80 points.

The remaining 20 points allowable for the "Adequacy of Resources" section which addresses the proposed budget will be evaluated and scored separately according to cost by the SED’s Contract Administration Office.

The final score awarded will be the total of the final average technical score (up to 80 points) and the "Adequacy of Resources" or cost score (up to 20 points) determined by the Contract Administration Office.

For–profit applicants will be ranked separately from all other applicants according to their final score from highest to lowest. For-profit applicants will not be separated into three separate geographic regions.

Awards will be made to for-profit applicants in rank order of score and according to the first, second and third priority groupings used for all other applicants until an insufficient amount of the $450,000 set aside for for-profit applicants is available to fund the next ranking for-profit applicant in full. If more than one for-profit applicant receive the same score, the applicant with the lowest cost would be selected.

A. What are the formatting requirements for the application?

There is only one acceptable style for submitting a New York State 21^st CCLC proposal: Times New Roman, standard style in 12-point size, double-spaced with one-inch margins. Appendix 5 provides a sample style sheet from the reviewers’ guidebook to help you ensure that your proposal meets the specifications. Formatting errors will result in considerable penalties, e.g., the proposal will not be reviewed in its entirety or the proposal will be rejected.

Additionally, charts and graphs may be used only to exhibit data and schedules. Charts cannot be used for narrative purposes. Charts may be single-spaced, but must be in standard Times New Roman 12-point.

B. Is there a page limit? What about appendices?

Yes. The Program Narrative cannot exceed 25 pages, formatted as described above. Appendices are limited to the budget narratives and memoranda of understanding/ partnership agreements. No other appendices will be reviewed.

• one (1) original Capacity Determination Form
• one (1) original Payee ID Form (not required for LEAs or for-profits)
• one (1) original and six (6) copies of all other components of the application.