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Fiscal Year 2014 Fund Code 647-B1B
Grant Information Session
May 29, 2013
1:30 –3:30PM at the Department in Malden
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• General Grant Overview
• Purpose/Priorities
• Eligibility
• Funding/Fund Use
• Lessons from the Field
• Questions
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Prepare all students for success after high school by:
– Strengthening curriculum, instruction, and assessment
– Improving educator effectiveness
– Turning around the lowest performing districts and schools
– Using data and technology to support student performance
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That is the Intent of the
Massachusetts 21 st Century Community Learning
Centers Program Grant
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The MA 21 st CCLC approach to learning focuses on strategies that engage & support students with different learning styles in gaining a greater understanding of classroom content in an atmosphere the fosters creativity.
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Coordination between core content instructional time and academic enrichments and supports, with shared learning goals, teaching, and support strategies.
A school and communitybased infrastructure with established procedures that improve student outcomes.
Development of
College and
Career
Readiness
Skills (includes analytic reasoning, critical-thinking, problemsolving).
Development of a tiered system of support.
A system that evaluates program effectiveness through data collection and analysis.
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By embedding academics into engaging projects we not only give students a richer and more in-depth learning experience but we are also are helping them to develop self-expression, critical thinking, problem solving skills and positive relationships.
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• Inquiry-based learning- The instructor guides the students in the
process of finding the answers themselves and encourages them to ask new questions along the way.
• Project-based learning-instructional approach built upon authentic learning activities that engage student interest and motivation. With this type of active and engaged learning, students are inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the subjects they're studying. Learning through questioning, inquiry, and critical thinking.
• Media technology -as a means to develop students into healthy consumers, innovative producers, and critical thinkers.
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• Incorporate technology to enhance learning.
Emphasizes project-oriented, inquiry-based learning. The philosophy and techniques of inquiry-based learning are particularly well suited to media technology because they inspire exploration.
Encourages Collaboration. Builds essential teamwork skills.
• Service-learning - teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful service with instruction.
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 Offering hands on, project-based, experiential learning activities that complement and support the school day and enable students to become more active & engaged learners.
 Focusing on projects such as digital story telling that cut across content areas to enable students to see the connections between different domains (ELA, Math, Science & Technology, History and
Social Sciences).
 Providing the opportunity to understand how the content learned in the classroom connects to everyday life ( E.g., connection between sports and math, science and art, service-learning and literacy).
 High quality professional development that connects to needs identified through data sources.
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 All grantees are required to engage students in at least one service-learning project each year. Training will be provided.
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 Service-learning is:
 A teaching and learning methodology
 A way to “bring learning to life”
 A student engagement strategy
 Service-learning is NOT:
 A one-time community service project
 An “add-on”
 An adult-driven activity
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• Primary purpose: To support additional leaning 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 will help to close proficiency gaps, and support college and workforce readiness and success.
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 School districts, cities and towns, community-based organizations (CBOs), other public or private entities, or a consortium of two (2) or more of the above.
 CBOs must have a partnership with a public school.
 Applicants must have (or plan for) a local council with one of its primary functions the coordination of the 21 st CCLC program.
 District/communities that currently receive 21 st CCLC grantees are among those eligible to apply, as part of the competitive process, provided they meet this grant’s eligibility requirements and are applying for a site that did not receive any 21 st CCLC funding during FY2013.
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Eligible applicants must meet at least one (1) of the criteria listed below:
Primarily serve students in schools designated as
Title I school-wide programs.
AND/OR
Serve students in districts/schools with 20% or more low-income families as indicated on the ESE’s
School and District profiles page. http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/
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ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY PARAMETERS:
 Applicants may not propose more than one site.
 Entities may not be the lead applicant on more than one proposal. However, entities may be a partner on more than one proposal
NOTE: Applicants should be aware that due to limited available funding, the
Department does not plan to fund more than one program in any given school district/community.
 Applicants may not propose sites that were included in an
FY14 21 st CCLC-ELT Fund Code : 647-B1A grant proposal.
 District/communities that currently receive 21 st CCLC grantees are among those eligible to apply, as part of the competitive process, provided they meet this grant’s eligibility requirements and are applying for a site that did not receive any 21 st CCLC funding during FY2013.
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Applications from agencies and organizations o ther than a school district, city, or town will be screened for capacity to administer the program based on the applicant's:
• Proven fiscal responsibility, for example, as demonstrated through an annual audit;
• previous experience with similar amounts of funding at the state or federal level through government, foundation, or private grants;
• documentation of linkage with the school site; and
• documentation of a clear plan of communication and linkage with the school site for purposes of completing required Survey of
Academic Youth Outcomes (SAYO) teacher surveys and access to pertinent student data.
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Competitive priority will be given to applications that meet the following:
• Propose to serve youth in schools/districts designated as
Level 3-5.
• Districts/Communities that have not received MA 21 st
CCLC funding in the past five years (FY2009-FY2013).
• Applications that are submitted in full partnership by a school district and community-based organization(s) or other public or private entity(ies). Application was jointly developed.
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 Implement the ESE-developed Survey of Academic Youth Outcomes
(SAYO) evaluation tool.*
 Implement Assessment of Program Practices (APT) observation tool.*
 Submit data to ESE three times per year on students who are enrolled in programs and services funded by this grant.*
 Submit data to USED once a year on hours of operation, staffing, partnerships, and activities.*
 Attend 21 st CCLC coordinators meetings and trainings.*
 Offer at least one Service-Learning project each year.*
* Training provided by ESE.
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Title IX (Uniform Provisions) of the No
Child Left Behind Act
 School districts are mandated to consult with non-public school administrators about the non-public school students’ needs and how those needs can be best addressed by federal programs. This must occur in a timely and meaningful way during the design and development of the program.
 Schools/districts must provide equitable services to non-public school students and their families, if those students are part of the target population.
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FUNDING
FY2014 Competitive Grant
Between $900,000 & $1M is available through Fund Code
647-B1B for implementing FY14 school year and summer programs.

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 Funds must support the allowable purpose and priorities (see Funding
Opportunity RFP for more details).
 Services must be only during non-school hours.
 At least five (5) percent of the total budget must be set aside to support family involvement. This may include a part-time Family
Engagement/Outreach Liaison if one does not currently exist.
 No more than 20% of the total budget may be used for program coordination and administration and no more than 10% may be for program materials.
 FUNDS CANNOT be used for overhead costs, rental of space or utilities including phones and cell phones, capital expenses, or educational materials that are used as part of the school day curriculum.
 Indirect costs are frequently referred to as overhead costs. If you opt to take indirect, use your most recently approved rate. If the approved rate is higher than 5.0%, the agency can use only a maximum rate of 5.0% for this grant. ( for details.
Any entity that wishes to include indirect costs in the budget and does not have a current approved rate see Funding Opportunity RFP
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 Each 21 st CCLC site offer at least 448 hours per year.
 Programs offering before-school services during the academic year must run for at least one (1) hour each morning that the component is offered, and conclude that component before the school day begins.
 Participating students must attend during the school year a minimum of
100* hours on average for elementary schools, 90 for middle school and
80* for High School.
 Programs must offer a daily, nutritious snack (and breakfast if offering a morning program) that meets the requirements of the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) National School Lunch Program for meal supplements.
*NOTE: Hours of participation are based on MA 21 st CCLC statewide data.
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Pending budget appropriation, continuation of funding will be available for a total grant period of 3 years.
 Continued funding in years two (FY 2015) and three
(FY 2016) will be based on meeting all grant requirements including:
 submission of yearly progress updates;
 timely submission of required forms and data;
 the ability to use data to inform and demonstrate continuous program improvement;
 maintenance of attendance levels and program quality;
 evidence that the grantee is working towards sustaining the program beyond the grant period; and
 submission of a yearly reapplication.
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 Must be held to the same standards as the fiscal agent (e.g., administrative costs, materials/supplies, indirect costs must be calculated at the same rate as fiscal agent).
 Application must include budgets and budget narratives for each individual contracted provider .
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Survey of Academic Youth Outcomes
Evaluation System
• Uses brief pre and post-participation surveys to collect data from school-day teachers and after-school staff.
• Programs collect data on selected outcomes that are aligned with their goals and program practices.
• Each outcome area is measured by asking school-day teachers and after-school staff to respond to four or five questions related to observable youth behaviors.
• Enables the 21st CCLC programs to capture information reflecting changes that are (a) associated with participation in a high-quality after-school program and (b) likely to occur over a one-year period.
• Customizable to meet district / school needs.
• Programs select from a list of outcomes and measure what best reflects the focus and goals of the programs.
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 Measures program quality.
 Helps programs strengthen how they work with youth in order to enhance their experiences and promote SAYO outcomes.
 APT-O
 Guides observations
 Snap shot of your program “in action”
 APT-Q
 Examines aspects of quality that are not easily observed –
“behind the scenes”
 Guides reflections of practices
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 Program climate
 Relationships (staff:youth and peer:peer)
 Program practices
 That support individual interests and needs
 That promote youth engagement and stimulate thinking
 Youth participation
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 Student Name
 SASID (state assigned student ID number)
 21 st CCLC Site
 Hours of service (enrolled and attended)
 Demographic
 Gender, grade, race/ethnicity
 LEP, Low-Income, and SPED status
 MCAS
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Hints
Be very realistic about the number of students you will serve.
Describe the specific strategies you will use to engage hard to reach populations.
Be clear in addressing HOW specific activities : will connect to and support learning. will assist students in their area(s) of need.
Merely asserting that the project will assist students in academic areas does not provide the reviewers with a full understanding of how this will occur.
Be succinct and to the point and careful not to overwhelm the reviewers with too many facts and figures.
Highlight innovative practices…..
Our best innovations come from changing the way we do things.
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Assembling Your Application
Remember peer reviewers are reading multiple applications so make your application as easy to read as possible.
Pages numbered, single-spaced, and printed on 1 side only.
Font - no smaller than Arial 10 pt.
Respond to each question as listed, do not answer multiple questions in one.
Make sure the question to which you are responding is written directly above the answer to your question.
Keep to the page and additional non-required information to the limit
(10 pages in total not including required forms).
If including additional information, provide enough of a synopsis in the body of the application for the reader to get the point.
Do not spend unnecessary time or money on frills like binders.
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5:00 P.M.
There will be no extensions.

Create an open climate for questioning deeply ingrained assumptions about out-ofschool programs. Think “DIFFERENT” in terms of designing a creative and responsive program because:
Learning happens by design not by mistake.

Karyl Resnick - Coordinator
21 st Century Community
Learning Centers
781-338-3515 kresnick@doe.mass.edu