HCSD Afterschool Program gets fed funds

HUDSON -- Superintendent Jack Howe announced Tuesday, the New York State Education Department has awarded the Hudson City School District Afterschool Program $3.5 million in 21st Century Community Learning Centers Round 5 grant funds.

Under the direction of Kathy Clark, the HCSD afterschool program will receive a total of $733,000 in federal pass-through money each year, for the next five years. The grant term runs from July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2014.

According to Howe, of the 387 applications submitted from programs statewide, only 60 were funded. The award will allow the district to continue to provide and expand its free afterschool program to 400 HCSD students in grades K-12.

Twenty-first Century Community Learning Centers are funded by NCLB Title IV, Part B.

According to NYSED, "This federally funded program supports the creation of community learning centers that operate programs during non-school hours for students, particularly for students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools, and their families. By providing tutoring and other academic enrichment activities along with a broad array of youth development opportunities that complement their regular academic programs, these centers help students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as English language arts and math. In addition, literacy and other educational services are offered to families of students participating in the program."