Savannah-Chatham County Public School System is proud to announce that the Georgia Department of Education has awarded its 21st Century Community Learning Center Program $1,457,600 for the 2010- 2011 school year. ‘

The grant, which will cover the next three years of programming, provides a total of $4,257,600. SCCPSS received four grants out of the 27 awarded by the GDOE.

The grant application which was made in partnership with the YMCA of Coastal Georgia and the Chatham-Savannah Youth Futures Authority, will establish eight new sites in addition to the eight currently in operation. The new sites are Butler Elementary, Juliette Low Elementary, Myers Middle, Southwest Elementary, Southwest Middle, Thunderbolt Elementary, West Chatham Elementary, and West Chatham Middle.

Seven criteria were used to evaluate applications for funding: need for project, quality of project design, adequacy of resources, quality of management plan, quality of project evaluation and quality of partnerships and collaboration. Reviewers independently rated each application. The funds were awarded based on highest ranking scores.

The Title IV, Part B, 21st CCLC Program’s purpose is to provide opportunities for academic enrichment and tutorial services to help students meet state and local performance standards in core academic subjects; to offer students a broad array of additional services, program and activities to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and to offer families of 21st CCLC students opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

For more information on this grant or the 21st Century Community Learning Centers, contact Program Director, Aldric Dekle at (912) 395-5686.