After School and Mentoring

In the hour after the school bell rings, violent juvenile crime soars and the prime time for juvenile crime begins. After-school programs that connect children to caring adults and provide constructive activities during these critical hours are among our most powerful tools for preventing crime.

For more information on our state-specific work, please visit our state pages.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program is the federal government’s principal after-school program investment. It awards grants to establish and run after-school programs that provide academic enrichment opportunities for elementary and secondary school students and their families and offer students youth development activities, counseling, art, music, recreation, technology, and character education programs.

Since being funded at $1 billion in FY 2002, there have been only modest funding increases for 21st CCLC. 21st CCLC is funded at $1.166 billion for FY 2010 and the Administration has proposed an increase to $1.266 billion for FY 2012 (* FY 2011 is operating at FY 2010 levels currently)

Congress is likely to reauthorize 21st CCLC as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS recommends that Congress reauthorize and substantially increase funding for 21st CCLC in order to improve quality and expand access to this program, improve the effectiveness of programs funded by 21st CCLC by requiring more of them to be evidence-based (including, but not limited to, extended learning time approaches which collaborate with community partners, as appropriate), and direct substantial new funding toward programs serving at-risk middle and high school students who now experience the greatest unmet need.