21CCLC Blog

New government reporting mandates go into effect in July 2021, and 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC)-funded after-school and OST programs will be significantly impacted by the changes.  

AfterSchool21 (AS21) keeps parents and out-of-school-time (OST) program staff safe while preserving the accuracy of attendance records with new user-friendly, mobile drop-off/sign-in and sign-out functionality.     

After-school and out-of-school-time (OST) programs offer more than just childcare. Research consistently finds that they promote social skills, bolster students’ connection to school, increase school attendance, improve grades and academic achievement, and reduce problem behaviors. Better data enables these programs to improve student outcomes by focusing on services that offer the most value to participants. Many after-school programs rely on the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC) program to fund their services. The grants this program funds require annual reporting that includes data on attendance, outcomes, academic achievement, participant demographics, and more. Use the easiest to use and most cost effective 21APR reporting software to meet federal grant requirements.

After-school program directors use grants to fund many aspects of after-school and out-of-school-time programs (OST), from paying staff to planning recreational activities for students. Some directors also use grants to realize operational efficiencies and identify opportunities for improvement by investing in technology upgrades.

This blog was published in 2020 and updated on May 24th, 2023.

High-quality after-school programs serve an important purpose in our communities. Research shows they improve everything from educational outcomes and school attendance to social and emotional learning. 

This blog was updated on July 25th, 2023.

After-school enrichment programs offer many benefits, such as:

• Building on different skill sets
• Inspiring future career paths
• Improving school-day attendance

In fact, nine in ten adults say after-school programs are important to their community. This article highlights a few ways that after-school enrichment programs help today’s youth.

Download our Guide to Creating a Successful Educational Grants Management Plan for Your After-School Program

Securing funding to keep an after-school program alive and thriving is challenging. Long-term thinking is essential for securing funding and sustaining after-school programs. By focusing on what is ahead—and putting a plan in place to manage grant funding—after-school program directors can give their programs a strong foundation for the future. This article explores the importance of long-term thinking when it comes to creating grants management plans for after-school programs.

An after-school business plan helps support the long-term sustainability of a program. As programs grow and evolve, it makes sense to revisit funding strategy, particularly the funding sources that are needed to sustain a program as various grants end.

It’s no secret that attendance, both during and after school hours, has close ties to student success. Research has long shown that when students regularly participate in quality after-school programs, their school-day attendance, classroom work habits, and decision-making skills all improve.

TransACT’s AfterSchool21 Program Data Management Software team is joining the National AfterSchool Association (NAA) to celebrate the professionals that are at the heart of after-school programs during “Afterschool Professionals Appreciation Week” April 24-28, 2023.