21st Century After-school Program

The Idaho State Department of Education awards funds through the federal Title IV-B, known as 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC). The goals of 21st CCLC are to provide academic enrichment to reduce achievement gaps, offer recreation and physical activity as well as social and cultural enrichment after school, and to give the families of students in after-school programs more opportunities for literacy and educational development.

“After-school programs, like the ones funded through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, provide great opportunities for Idaho educators, parents and community partners to work together to raise student achievement,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna.

Structured, high-quality after-school programs are a key component to preventing gang activity, drug use and delinquent behavior. Idaho 21st CCLC after-school programs have demonstrated tremendous success in cultivating academic success among low-performing students.

The competitive grant awards range from $130,000 to $280,000 and are renewable for up to five years. Awards are determined by a statewide review community and based on school and community needs, as well as the overall merit of the program proposed.

The Caldwell School District originally received the 21st Century Grant for the 2002-2003 school year. The grant was written again in 2007 and the Caldwell School District was once again awarded the 21st Century grant. Currently, the Caldwell School District is on the second year of the five year renewable grant.

The Caldwell School District’s 21st Century after-school program serves approximately two hundred fifty (250) elementary and middle school students. There are after-school programs in all six (6) of Caldwell’s elementary schools and in both of Caldwell’s middle schools.

During the 2009-2010 school year Caldwell student’s who participated in the 21st Century after-school program were involved in many different academic and enrichment activities. The academic activities included daily homework help and tutoring, reading instruction, math instruction, special projects about animals, exchanging letters with pen pals in Turkey, and lessons on character development. The enrichment activities included weekly trips to the Caldwell YMCA and weekly training from SideKicks Martial Arts. The students who participated in 21st Century also received art enrichment through an art teacher who engaged the students in projects in painting, sculpting, drawing and tracing. Physical fitness and health education is also incorporated through an integrated curriculum called FAB 5. Field trips were also a common place in our 21st Century After-school programs. Students visited the Boise Zoo, went bowling, visited a local retirement home, and went to different culturally diverse eating establishments.

Another important component of Caldwell School District’s 21st Century after-school program was a service-learning project. The 21st Century students provided support to the local food bank, planned and planted flowers and plants at a Autumn Winds retirement community, wrote letters and baked cookies for military personnel, adopted families to provide food and presents during the Christmas break, designed flower beds, and planted trees.

Community and family involvement was an essential part of Caldwell’s 21st Century after-school program. There were many volunteers who supported the programs and the students. High school students gave many volunteer hours to the after-school programs, helping students with homework and speaking with them about their futures growing up in Caldwell schools. Each program across the Caldwell School District invited parents to special events to speak with them about what their children were working on and learning and to show them the importance of the after-school program.

Caldwell School District’s 21st Century after-school program provides a safe environment for student to learn and grow beyond the school bell. This program has had great impact on Caldwell’s youth and has enriched lives through providing opportunities and experiences that some may not have ever had.

If you have specific questions, please contact the 21st Century director.

21st Century director: Kathleen Vadapalli - kvadapalli@caldwellschools.org