R.I. awards $2.3M for local ‘learning centers’

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Deparment of Elementary and Secondary Education has awarded 13 grants, totaling $2.3 million, to expand or establish community learning centers in five school districts.
The grants, part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Initiative, were announced late yesterday. They will help provide before-school, after-school, vacation and summer programs for local children.
The new grant winners are:
• The Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program, in partnership with Dorcas Place, Providence. $151,384
• Newport Community Schools, at Rogers High School. $200,000
• Newport Public Schools, at Cranston-Calvert Elementary School. $200,000
• New Urban Arts, at Central High School, Classical High School, and Textron Chamber of Commerce Academy, Providence. $126,105
• Pawtucket School Department, at elementary- and middle-school sites. $200,000
• West End Community Center, in partnership with the Providence After School Alliance, at Gilbert Stuart Middle School, Providence. $175,000
• YMCA of Kent County, at John F. Deering Middle School, West Warwick. $194,620
• CVS Highlander School, in partnership with City Arts, Providence. $200,000
• Providence Housing Authority, in partnership with the Providence After School Alliance, at Oliver Hazard Perry Middle School. $175,000
• John Hope Settlement House, in partnership with the Providence After School Alliance, at Samuel W. Bridgham Middle School. $175,000
• Blackstone Academy Charter School, Pawtucket. $135,585
• North Kingstown School Department, at elementary- and middle-school sites. $200,000
• YMCA of Greater Providence, at Anthony Carnevale Elementary School. $185,612.
The new awards will bring to 24 the number of agencies operating such learning centers in Rhode Island, serving eight communities and the students of 55 schools.
Money for the grants comes from the federal Title IV program, under the No Child Left Behind Act. The Education Department administers the learning centers program and provides technical and development assistance to grant recipients, to ensure that programs meet state standards and are linked to academic achievement.