RIDE Awards $3M for 21st Century Community Learning Centers

Published on Monday, May 20, 2019

Grants Provided to 16 Organizations for After-School and Summer Programs

PROVIDENCE, RI – The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) announced today $3,077,472 in annual grant awards to 16 organizations that provide high-quality after-school and summer programs for students. This program is federally funded through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative and, contingent on continued funding, grant recipients will receive funds for the next five years, totaling more than $15 million in support.

“Improving outcomes for young people takes all stakeholders at the table, doing their part to support academic, career, and social and emotional growth. That includes families at home, educators at school, and organizations like our 21st Century Learning Centers that provide critical wraparound supports and engaging, challenging programs during out-of-school time,” said Angélica Infante-Green, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. “Learning happens both in and out of the classroom, and we must continue to support after-school and summer programs that support and supplement what students are working on during the school day.”

Programs in the 21st Century CLC initiative offer academic support, enrichment, and family-engagement services, and grants are awarded through a partnership between a local education agency and a community-based organization. The 16 organizations funded through this round of grants, and the target schools that will be served, are:

• Cranston Public Schools / Global Science and Envirotech / Comprehensive Community Action Program: $139,100, targeted for Hugh B. Bain Middle School
• Cranston Public Schools / Roger Williams Park Zoo / RI Family Literacy Initiative: $157,000, targeted for Gladstone Street School
• East Providence School Department / Boys and Girls Club of East Providence: $160,000, targeted for Agnes B. Hennessy School
• East Providence School Department / Boys and Girls Club of East Providence: $159,850, targeted for Edward R. Martin Middle School
• Learning Community Charter School / Save the Bay / City of Central Falls: $120,000, targeted for the Learning Community Charter School
• Newport Public Schools / East Bay Community Action Program: $178,000, targeted for Claiborne Pell Elementary School
• Newport Public Schools / Newport Community School: $175,000, targeted for Frank E. Thompson Middle School
• Paul Cuffee School / Community Boating Center: $135,000, targeted for Paul Cuffee Elementary School
• Providence Public School District / Providence After School Alliance: $315,000, targeted for the Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex, 360 High School, Hope High School
• Providence Public School District / Boys and Girls Clubs of Providence / Providence After School Alliance: $160,000, targeted for Roger Williams Middle School
• Providence Public School District / YMCA of Greater Providence / BellXCEL: $360,000, targeted for Robert L. Bailey IV Elementary, Charles N. Fortes Elementary, Alfred Lima, Sr. Elementary Schools
• Providence Public School District / ONE Neighborhood Builders / Howard R. Swearer Center for Public Service at Brown University: $162,000, targeted for William D’Abate Elementary School
• Sheila “Skip” Nowell Leadership Academy and Rhode Island Training School / AS220: $260,000, targeted for Nowell Leadership Academy, Rhode Island Training School
• West Warwick Public Schools / YMCA of Greater Providence – Kent County Branch: $121,522, targeted for Greenbush Elementary School
• Woonsocket Education Department / Connecting for Children and Families: $160,000, targeted for Kevin K. Coleman Elementary School
• Woonsocket Education Department / Connecting for Children and Families: $315,000, targeted for Woonsocket Hill School, Woonsocket Middle School at Hamlet, Woonsocket Middle School at Villa Nova

With this year’s round of grants, Rhode Island now has 18 agencies operating 21st Century Community Learning Centers, serving a total of 46 schools in high-need communities.

Each of these grantees address either strong foundations or career pathways, two of the state’s key educational priority areas. Through strong foundations, programs develop strategies to ensure young students are on appropriate educational and developmental trajectories, and through career pathways, programs develop strategies to ensure older students have personalized learning opportunities during out-of-school hours that will make them college and career ready.

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