Boys & Girls Clubs of the River Region (BGCRR) intends to apply to the Alabama Department of Education 21st Century Community Learning Centers program grant. In partnership with school administrators, Boys & Girls Clubs of the River Region seeks to support out-of-school time (OST) programming for students and families in need from the following schools:

• Thelma Smiley Morris Elementary School
• Southlawn Elementary School
• Southlawn Middle School
• Davis Elementary School

In addition, Boys & Girls Clubs of the River Region is engaged in a consultative process with private schools located in the catchment areas of targeted public schools in order to ensure equitable access to services.

Community input and collaboration regarding the grant proposal is welcomed from parents, students, teachers, and other community stakeholders invested in positive youth development and academic success. The purpose of the federally funded 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Grant is to support additional learning time for students in grades K-12 before and/or after school and during the summer that provides creative and engaging academic enrichment opportunities that reduce risk of academic failure. The program is designed to help students meet challenging state academic standards; promote literacy and math/STEM learning; and offer students a broad array of positive youth development services, programs, and activities, like service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention, counseling, arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs, technology education, financial literacy, science, college and career readiness. In addition to reinforcing and complementing the regular academic program of participating students; Boys & Girls Clubs of the River Region will offer families of students served by the program opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the River Region will submit the application on or before the deadline of Friday, January 24, 2025. More information about the 21st CCLC Program can be found at https://www.alabama21cclc.org/. Questions or public input regarding the 21st CCLC program and BGCRR’s request for grant funding may be directed to Luella Giles, Director of Development, at lgiles@bgcriverregion.org.