August 5, 2014

21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) after-school program grant Request for Applications has been released by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). Approximately $21 million will be awarded through this grant each year for the next three years. The RFA is available here.

According to the RFA: “The purpose of the program is to establish or expand community learning centers that provide students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools with academic enrichment opportunities by Expanding Learning Opportunities during non-school hours along with activities designed to complement the students’ regular academic program…”

This application requires an external, or third-party, evaluator.

Via Evaluation is an external evaluator that has evaluated dozens of 21st CCLC grants since 2001, all for multiple years, throughout New York State, and is now providing evaluation services outside New York.

Via Evaluation is a well-known and respected external evaluator, and all evaluators are members of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). Our evaluators have presented at many AEA national conferences, the National 21st Century Community Learning Centers Summer Institute, and many other conferences. It has also provided 21st CCLC clients training on using program quality improvement tools.

Via Evaluation adds value to your application by utilizing our decade long experience with the grant, and writing the draft of the evaluation section, worth 22 points in this proposal. Via Evaluation has been on many successful 21st CCLC grant writing teams, including 14 in 2013 alone. Our evaluation sections often score the maximum number of points.

Via Evaluation is an evaluation firm that works with community based organizations, schools, and others to improve quality of life in communities. Our experience includes a variety of projects relevant to after-school programs. Please contact us if you would like to talk about evaluation for your 21st CCLC grant, and proposal. We look forward to hearing from you.