25 Apr Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Awards the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City a $754,083 21st Century Learning Centers (21st CCL) Grant
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City (BGCKC) was recently awarded a $754,083 grant from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 21st Century Learning Centers to create a new afterschool site at Lee A. Tolbert Community Academy (LATCA).
BGCKC will provide youth development and academic improvement opportunities to middle school students who would otherwise lack access to these crucial services.
The 21st CCLC program will provide afterschool programming to youth in grades seven through eight at Lee A. Tolbert Community Academy in Kansas City, Missouri. Project Learn, an evidence- and research-based afterschool strategy designed to build and reinforce academic skills, will provide the framework and guidance for all afterschool offerings. Project Learn features five components: Homework Help and Tutoring; High Yield Activities; School Day Collaboration; Parental Involvement; and Student Incentives/Recognition. High Yield Learning Activities are afterschool learning experiences that are hands-on, interactive, and linked to specific academic skills. These components directly align with the 21st CCLC goals.
LATCA students have demonstrated a need for supports to increase academic achievement; a safe and supportive environment, positive interactions, and meaningful opportunities for engagement; and enhanced college and career readiness. Currently, the Local Investment Commission (LINC) offers afterschool programming at LATCA. However, these services end after sixth grade, leaving the middle-school-age youth without programming. As a result, LATCA has a great need for afterschool supports and activities that target seventh through eighth grade students.