21ST century community learning centers program

The South Dakota Department of Education received a $6.5 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-based funding to establish and expand community learning centers that deliver academic enrichment and developmental services to school-aged children, particularly those attending high-poverty and low-performing schools. Services include tutoring, homework assistance, mentoring, 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.

The Department of Education distributed these funds as sub-awards to 16 implementing organizations across South Dakota, including local school districts (Sioux Falls School District No. 49-5, Chamberlain School District 7-1, Wilmot School District 54-7, and Dupree School District 64-2), nonprofit community-based organizations (Boys & Girls Clubs of Aberdeen, Black Hills, Watertown, and Northern Plains; YMCA of Rapid City; and Volunteers of America, Dakotas), Native American educational institutions (Red Cloud Indian School and Enemy Swim Day School), and specialized service providers (Three Rivers Special Service Cooperative and Black Hills Special Services). These sub-grantees operate after-school learning centers and complementary programs providing academic support, youth development, mentoring, and community services to serve vulnerable and underserved student populations throughout the state.