21ST century community learning centers program

The Department of Education Iowa received a $7.6 million formula grant award from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education under the Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers Program (CFDA 84.287) for the period July 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026. This grant supports the establishment and expansion of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment and developmental services to school-aged children, particularly those attending high-poverty and low-performing schools. Services delivered through this program include tutoring, homework assistance, mentoring, academic enrichment, and extracurricular activities in arts, music, sports, and cultural areas, operating outside regular school hours to supplement in-school instruction and support student academic achievement and overall development.

The Department of Education Iowa, functioning as the primary recipient and pass-through entity, distributed sub-awards to 21 local implementing organizations across Iowa effective July 22, 2025. Sub-awardees include multiple school districts (Des Moines Public Schools, Cedar Rapids Community School District, Council Bluffs Community School District, Dubuque Community School District, and Clinton Community Schools, among others), community-based youth-serving organizations (Youthport, Boys and Girls Club of the Cedar Valley, St. Mark Youth Enrichment, and Siouxland Human Investment Partnership), and specialized youth services providers (Athletics for Education and Success, Inc. and Homes of Oakridge Human Services Inc.). These sub-grantees collectively deliver the out-of-school time programming to serve students and families throughout the state.