21ST century community learning centers program

The Louisiana Department of Education received a $27.7 million Formula Grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education under the Twenty-First Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program (CFDA 84.287), awarded July 1, 2025, with a completion date of September 30, 2026. The 21st CCLC program provides formula funding to establish and expand community learning centers offering academic enrichment and developmental services to school-aged children, particularly those attending high-poverty and low-performing schools. These centers deliver comprehensive out-of-school time programming including 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.

As the state pass-through entity, the Louisiana Department of Education distributed funds through sub-awards to 14 implementing organizations effective September 2, 2025, including local school boards (Union Parish, Sabine Parish, St. Landry Parish, and Pointe Coupee Parish), charter schools (Institute for Academic Excellence and Renew Schools), nonprofit organizations (Educational Solutions of Louisiana, Youth Educational Services! Inc., Youthforce Nola, Young Audiences of Louisiana Inc., and New Orleans College Preparatory Academies), and consulting entities (VVB Consulting LLC and Circle G Educational Services, Inc.). These sub-awardees collectively implement 21st CCLC programming across Louisiana to provide expanded learning opportunities for school-aged children and their families through local community learning centers.