Frequently Asked Questions and

Corrections to the R.F.A.

Eligibility

1. What is Title I?

Title I is a federal program authorized under the No Child Left Behind Act, 2001, and administered by states to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments. Funds are intended to help schools meet the educational needs of low-achieving children in our Nation's highest-poverty schools, limited English proficient children, migratory children, children with disabilities, Indian children, neglected or delinquent children, and young children in need of reading assistance. Schools that are eligible to receive Title I funds are those in which the percentage of children from low-income families is at least as high as the percentage of children from low-income families served by the local educational agency as a whole.

2. What is Title I “school-wide eligible”?

The “school-wide program” is a subpart of the overall Title I program. “School-wide eligible” are those schools with attendance areas in which not less than 40 percent of the children are from low-income families, or not less than 40 percent of the children enrolled in the school are from such families. “Low income” is defined by the percentage of students who are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals. In this part of the Title I program, a local educational agency may consolidate and use Title I funds, together with other Federal, State, and local funds, in order to upgrade the entire educational program of an eligible school.

Not all schools that are “school-wide eligible” elect to participate as a school-wide program. Regardless of whether or not a school operates a school-wide program, as long as a school is “school-wide eligible” and is on the list published by the Iowa Department of Education on this 21^st CCLC website at , that school is also 21^st CCLC eligible because it defines the eligible student population to be served in a 21^st CCLC site. Every applicant agency must ensure that the majority of students to be served are those who attend a school-wide eligible school.

Federal guidelines require the 21^st CCLC program require states to direct funds to programs that serve students from “Title I school-wide eligible” schools. The list of eligible schools posted on this website under “Grants” as part of the “Overview” document.

3. What if my school is NOT on the list of eligible schools, but 40% or more of our student population is eligible to receive free or reduced priced meals?

The list is based on the 2002-2003 count reported to the Title I office by the deadline date of August, 2003. Schools that achieve eligibility status after that date will become eligible for the next round of 21^st CCLC applications using the state count conducted from 2003-2004.

4. Our school has a high concentration of special education students, but does not reach the 40% level for students eligible for free or educed priced meals, or our school serves students from a neighborhood with a high concentration of students eligible to receive free or reduced priced meals? Can we be eligible for 21^st CCLC?

Only if your school is partnered with an eligible school and the majority of students served are students who are eligible for free or reduced priced meals. Students from your school can be served in a 21^st CCLC program as long as they do not reduce the percentage of eligible students below the majority level.
Non-public school eligibility

5. We are a non-public school. May we apply for a 21^st CCLC grant?

You may apply; however, you must be in partnership with one or more eligible schools.

6. How can a non-public school apply for a 21^st CCLC grant?

First, the non-public school should approach the eligible public school to work with them as a partner. Secondly, the public school would need to have an interest in applying with the non-public school. Finally, the majority of the participants in the after school site would need to be students from the eligible school. Faith-based organizations are eligible applicants and may apply without a partnership with a public school; however, if none of the previously listed conditions apply, the application will be weakened in its competitive position due to its lack of partnership with an eligible public school.

7. If our Federal 21^st CCLC funding has expired or will expire by June 30, 2004, may we apply for funding to continue our current program?

The response below to this question was received from Robert Stonehill of the USDE 21^st CCLC program back in 2003.

“Any grantee funded by the Department -- whether past or current – has always been eligible to apply either to us (when we ran the competitions) or now to the States. If the applicant no longer has an active grant, it's the decision of the funding agency [IA Department of Education] whether what they propose to do, and whom they propose to serve, merits funding. The grant can be similar to the previous work, and as long as they meet all the requirements of the current competition, they can be funded at the State's discretion. For grants that are still in effect, the only caveat is that they do not receive two separate grants to carry out the same work (i.e., no double dipping). So, for current grantees, the State would have to ensure that either the new grant will serve different schools or children, or that the proposed activities are an expansion or a complement to work already funded.”

Federal grantees whose funding under that program has terminated or will terminate by June 30, 2004 may apply for the new funding to continue the program they supported with the “old” federal grant. Current grantees may submit proposals but that enhance or expand current programming or that will serve a new population of students.

Programming

1. What are the required hours for operation of the program and do they include the time it takes to transport students?

The required hours for operation of the program pertain to the hours the program should be open and operating and not to how long students must be in attendance in the program. The operating hours may include time to transport. When making decisions about hours, applicants should give primary consideration to the needs of the community, including those of working parents. Best practice recognizes and supports that three hours after school are needed in order for students to receive adequate exposure (dosage) to program activities to increase the likelihood that they will achieve a program’s outcomes. Safe passage is another important consideration. The program is an extended learning opportunity rather than a childcare opportunity.

Funding

1. Can a district have more than 1 application (we are thinking that we would like to have individual buildings or clusters of buildings apply)?

A district may apply for multiple sites in a single application up to $600,000 with a minimum of $50,000 per site and a maximum of $150,000 per site. See definitions for "Eligible Entities" and "LEAs" on pages 8 and 9 and "Program Site" on page 11 in the Request for Application (RFA). Students from more than one school may be served in a single site, and the multiple schools become part of the collaborative partnership along with the community agencies, etc. The funds are channeled to the program site ($50,000 minimum; $150,000 maximum). If there are competing applications from an LEA and a community organization, the maximum that any district can receive through any combination of successful applications is also $650,000.

Sample Scenarios

Bidders’ Conference and Grant Writing Workshop

1. What is the Grant Writing Workshop and do I need to attend?

Attendance at any workshop is voluntary. The Grant Writing Workshops are intended as services for supporting potential applicants for 21^st CCLC funds. The Grant Writing Workshops will provide an in depth overview of the specific requirements for writing a grant proposal. Participants will leave the workshop with a “recipe” for back home on time completion of their applications and assistance on how to prepare a quality proposal, including development of proposal outlines and budget preparation