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BINGHAMTON, N.Y.—ºÚÁÏÊÓƵ Community Schools (BUCS) has received a five-year New York State Education Department (NYSED) contract to operate the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Technical Assistance Resource Centers (TARC). This award is designed to improve the quality of 21st CCLC programs and, in turn, improve academic, social and emotional outcomes of students and the literacy of their families.

BUCS will receive a total of over $2.7 million to support subgrantees in the Rest of State region, while the New York City Department of Education will support 21st CCLC subgrantees in the New York City region. The center is named for Nita M. Lowey, a U.S. Representative from New York from 1989 until 2021.

A Community Learning Center is an entity that assists students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, in meeting state and local academic achievement standards in core academic subjects such as reading and mathematics, by:

• providing opportunities for academic enrichment, including tutorial services to help students meet the challenging state academic standards;
• offering students a broad array of additional services, programs and activities such as youth development activities, service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness, etc.; and
• offering families of students opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education.

The TARCs will provide a variety of technical assistance, resources and professional development activities for the 21st CCLC programs to help them attain the 10 essential indicators of high-quality afterschool programs as identified in the New York State Network for Youth Success Program Quality Self-Assessment Tool.

This initiative is part of BUCS, whose mission is to advance equity and opportunities through collaborative partnerships. The Rest of State TARC will join other BUCS technical assistance initiatives, which include:

• The NYSED Central/Western Regional Community Schools Technical Assistance Center (TAC), representing NYSED’s initiative to build capacity for community schools across the state. This TAC also includes the New York State Cares for Communities initiative, which supports community- and faith-based organizations working with school districts to address barriers of the COVID-19 pandemic for students and families.
• The University Assisted Community Schools Regional Training Center through the Netter Center for Community Partnerships at the University of Pennsylvania, supporting colleges and universities across New York and New Jersey in developing their university-assisted community school models in partnership with regional districts.
• The Regional Network, partnering with districts across the Southern Tier to build capacity for and implement their community school models.

For more information, contact Casey Pulz, director of 21st Century Community Learning Centers, at ny21cclc@binghamton.edu.