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PA Bulletin, Doc. No. 23-1329

NOTICES

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Availability of the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Cohort 12 Grant Request for Proposals

[53 Pa.B. 6060]
[Saturday, September 30, 2023]

 The Department of Education (Department) announces the availability of the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Cohort 12 Grant Request for Proposals (RFP). The Cohort 12 application for the 21st CCLC grant will be submitted by means of the eGrants system starting October 23, 2023. The period of availability is 5 years, which is anticipated to begin March 1, 2024, and end February 28, 2029, subject to availability of funds from the United States Department of Education and satisfactory performance of the grantee in the previous year.

 The Nita M. Lowey 21st CCLC grant is a competitive grant that provides Federal funding to establish community learning centers that provide academic, artistic and cultural enrichment opportunities for students and their families. These opportunities must occur during nonschool hours or periods when school is not in session to help students attending high-poverty and low-performing schools to meet State and local standards in core academic subjects. Centers must also offer students a broad array of activities that can complement their regular academic programs and literacy and other educational services to their families. The 21st CCLC program is authorized under Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, 20 U.S.C. §§ 6301—7981, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Pub.L. No. 107-110) and reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (Pub.L. No. 114-95).

 The 21st CCLC Non-Regulatory Guidance is available at www2.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/legislation.html.

Program Purpose

 The purpose of the 21st CCLC program is to provide opportunities for communities to establish or to expand activities in community learning centers that:

 1. provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet the challenging State academic standards;

 2. offer students a broad array of additional services, programs and activities, such as youth development activities, tutoring, service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs, technology education programs, financial literacy programs, environmental literacy programs, mathematics, science, career and technical programs, internship or apprenticeship programs and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and

 3. offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children's education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

Funding Availability

 The Department will have approximately $25 million available for Cohort 12 grants. Applicants may choose to provide out-of-school time programming (for example, before school, afterschool, holidays, weekends and summer school services) focused on providing opportunities for academic enrichment, including tutorial services to assist students, particularly those who attend low-performing schools and to assist them in meeting the challenging academic standards in kindergarten through grade 12. The performance measures of school attendance, classroom performance, or reduced disciplinary referrals and meeting State and local academic achievement standards in reading, math and science must be addressed by all applicants.

 Applicants may request funds ranging from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of up to $600,000. Programs that propose to provide both school year and summer programming are more impactful for results and data. There will be no summer-only applicants in this grant round. Requests for funding should be based on a maximum per pupil-seat cost of $2,100—$2,548, which includes administrative and transportation costs.

Eligible Applicants

 Public or private organizations that meet the eligibility requirements can apply for 21st CCLC funding. This includes public school districts, charter schools, private schools, nonprofit agencies, city or county government agencies, faith-based organizations, institutions of higher education, Indian tribes or tribal organizations and for-profit corporations. Programs must be implemented through a partnership that includes at least one local educational agency receiving funds under Part A of Title I and at least one nonprofit agency, city or county government agency, faith-based organization, institution of higher education, Indian tribe or tribal organization or for-profit corporation with a demonstrated record of success in designing and implementing before school, after school, summer learning or expanded learning time activities.

 Applicants must target students in the lowest 5% to 10% of Title I schools or those listed as focus and priority schools. To be eligible for this grant, at least 85% of the students an applicant is proposing to serve must attend: schools that are Title 1, TSI, ATSI or CSI.

 A current list of TSI, ATSI and CSI list of schools is available at www.education.pa.gov/K-12/ESSA/pages/accountability.aspx.

 Current Cohort 10 and 11 grantees are eligible to apply but cannot duplicate services of their current grants or propose to provide services to the identical target population of students. Cohort 12 applicants selected for funding are not eligible to amend their target populations to include current Cohort 10 or 11 grant students once funding for previously awarded grants have ended.

Program Conditions

 Programming must be high quality and evidence-based, connected to school day learning and outcomes, conducted in a safe and accessible facility, and offer every participating student a minimum of 300 nonschool hours of programming during the school year.

 Unsuccessful applicants are eligible for due process under 34 CFR 76.401 (relating to disapproval of an application—opportunity for a hearing) of Edgar.

Grant Award Process and Key Dates

 Potential applicants must complete the following steps:

 1. Read grant qualifications—Beginning September 20, 2023, the Cohort 12 grant RFP can be found by visiting the Department's web site at http://www.education.pa.gov and using the search keywords 21st CCLC.

 2. Attend the Grant Writing Webinar (Thursday, September 28, 2023—LEAs, Friday, September 29, 2023—Non-LEAs). Registration for this event is available on the Center for Schools and Communities web site at www.centerforschoolsandcommunities.org.

 3. Notify the Department by e-mail at RA-21stCCLC@ pa.gov of the applicant's intent to submit an application (must be received at the 21st CCLC office by Monday, October 16, 2023). Include in the letter:

 a. The legal name of the entity.

 b. The Administrative Unit Number (AUN) and vendor number for the lead organization (to find the individual AUN, visit the Education Names and Addresses web site at www.edna.pa.gov/screens/wfhome.aspx).

 c. The target population to be served by the program including grade levels and proposed site locations.

 d. Confirmation of school district and schools to be served.

 e. Community-based organization partners.

 f. The name of the agency administrator and any agency signatory authority.

Note:

 Send an e-mailed letter of intent to the 21st CCLC office at RA-21stCCLC@pa.gov by Monday, October 16, 2023. The Department will then create the entity account which will grant access to the Division of Student Services grants.

 4. Confirm the individual's access to the eGrants system (if the individual does not have an AUN number or if the individual has questions regarding eGrants registration, contact Education Administration Supervisor, N. Craig Scott at nscot@pa.gov).

 5. EGrants opens for 21st CCLC Cohort 12 grant applications on Monday, October 23, 2023. Deadline for submission is 12 p.m. on Thursday, November 9, 2023.

 6. Awarded applicants will be notified by Monday, February 12, 2024.

 7. Contract effective date anticipated to be Friday, March 1, 2024. Deadline for programs to begin is Monday, June 24, 2024.

For More Application Information:

 • Visit the Department's web site at www.education. pa.gov and use the search keywords 21st CCLC.

 • E-mail additional questions to RA-21stCCLC@pa.gov or to N. Craig Scott, 21st CCLC Education Administration Supervisor, Division of Student Services, Bureau of School Support, nscot@pa.gov, (717) 346-3251.

 • Department of Education, Bureau of School Support, 333 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17010, (717) 783-6466, fax (717) 783-4392, www.education.pa.gov.

 This message was sent by means of PL-ALL-LEA@ LISTS.PSU.EDU, an e-mail distribution list maintained by the PENN*LINK Service for the Department. To contact the managers of this list, send an e-mail to PL-ALL-LEA-REQUEST@LISTS.PSU.EDU.

DR. KHALID N. MUMIN, 
Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 23-1329. Filed for public inspection September 29, 2023, 9:00 a.m.]


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