DOE grant will support after school programs for five more years

Superintendent Debra Livingston is pleased to announce that the Manchester School District 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program has been awarded a grant from the New Hampshire Department of Education to continue high-quality afterschool programming in three Manchester schools for another five years.

In a highly competitive review process, the Department of Education awarded $243,750 to programs at Beech Street, Northwest, and Wilson elementary schools, noting that the “family literacy strategies are exemplary.” The nine other 21st CCLC sites – Bakersville, Gossler Park, Hallsville, McDonough, and Parker-Varney elementary schools, and all four Manchester middle schools – are in their second year of a five-year funding cycle.

The goal of Manchester’s 21st CCLC afterschool program is to inspire all students to reach their full potential academically, personally, and socially. During the out-of-school hours, students have the opportunity to participate in STEAM-focused (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) enrichment activities that facilitate new skills development while inspiring creativity and learning.

“Families have come to depend on the safe, affordable, and engaging afterschool experience that 21st Century Community Learning Centers provides to our children, and we’re thrilled to keep it going,” said Livingston. “The connections students make and skills they develop in this program benefit them academically and socially well beyond their elementary and middle school years.”

21st CCLC serves more than 2,000 students in Manchester across 12 schools, grades K-8, per year. Program partners include community-based organizations that bring high-quality STEAM clubs to the 21st CCLC school sites: University of New Hampshire (UNH) 4-H Cooperative Extension for SeaPerch, Stream Safari, Makey-Makey, and Scratch; Student Conservation Association (SCA) for Nature Explorers; Bedford Youth Performing Company (BYPC) for singing, acting, dancing, and instrumental instruction. Age appropriate skill-building activities continue to increase levels of engagement in learning, greater satisfaction with program, and opportunities to develop leadership skills.

For more information about the 21st Century Community Learning Centers in Manchester, please go to: http://www.mansd.org/21st_century, or visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/21stCenturyManchester.