FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Office of Public Instruction Announces After School Program Grant Recipients

June 24, 2019

HELENA—The Montana Office of Public Instruction announced 11 recipients of federal 21^st Century Community Learning Center grants today. The grants fund after school and summer programs. The OPI received 31 applications and awarded over $2.1 million to the 11 successful applicants this year. The grants run for 5 years. In total, Montana now has 29 grantees and 91 centers operating across the state. The 11 new recipients are listed at the bottom of this release.

“Congratulations to the new 21^st Century Community Learning Center grant recipients,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen said Monday. “This year’s grantees represent diverse community partnerships which will serve the academic and extra-curricular needs of local students. I look forward to seeing strong outcomes from these programs.”

This year, there were increased expectations on program outcomes which resulted in larger grant awards than previous years. Grants were also awarded to ensure geographic diversity. Consortia models enabled smaller schools, who otherwise would not have had the capacity, to run a program.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, “This program supports the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The program helps students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and math; offers students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs; and offers literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.”

Summer learning has been a focus of Superintendent Arntzen’s Montana Learn initiative to promote math and literacy achievement while closing achievement gaps. The OPI has made online summer math and reading resources available to students, families, and organizations through our website: http://opi.mt.gov/Families-Students/Summer-Learning-Challenges.

For more information on the 21^st Century Community Learning Center program, visit the OPI’s website: http://opi.mt.gov/Leadership/Academic-Success/After-School-Programs.

2019 grant recipients:

                                                                                                                                                           ###

CONTACT:   Dylan Klapmeier

                       Director of Communications, Montana Office of Public Instruction

                       dylan.klapmeier@mt.gov

                       406-444-3559