New VDOE Grant Will Provide ACPS Students with Additional Out of School Time Activities

A three-year grant has been approved by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) to enable the school division and its partners to provide academic, social and emotional and enrichment activities outside of school hours. This grant is allocated in collaboration with the non-profit housing developer Homes for America.

The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant of $223,655 was submitted for Patrick Henry K-8 School (Patrick Henry) and Samuel W. Tucker Elementary School (Tucker). The funding will help provide ACPS students in need of additional support with intensive academic tutoring and homework assistance. This includes project-based learning opportunities, enrichment activities, field trips and social and emotional support services.

This out of school time programming continues to be based at Brent Place Apartments (Brent Place), serving students who reside in the affordable housing community complex and attend Patrick Henry or Tucker. Students in kindergarten through grade five have access to this programming after school each day and throughout the summer. Families are also offered a variety of onsite training designed to increase involvement in their child’s education and improve their overall quality of life.

“Homes for America takes pride in continuing our long-standing partnership with ACPS and other service providers in the City of Alexandria. We are excited to continue such indispensable programming at Brent Place that enriches the lives of youth and their families,” Homes for American Vice President of Service Enhanced Housing Julie McCabe said.

The VDOE identified critical objectives to address learning loss and ensure students’ holistic development in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on student learning. LINK Club, a free after-school program offered by ACPS, provides participating students an integrated approach to education that resonates with the VDOE's emphasis on addressing comprehensive needs.

“ACPS LINK Club serves as an exemplary model of how an after-school initiative can effectively align with and support the goals outlined by the 21st CCLC grant,” ACPS Out of School Time Manager Marisol Morales explained. “Through its comprehensive approach, academic support, project-based learning activities and provision of a safe and engaging space, LINK Club addresses learning loss, holistic development and community building, priorities that resonate deeply with the current educational landscape affected by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

In addition to the three-year grant for the community site at Brent Place, the school division also has CCLC grants with four other sites:

• A partnership between Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School and the Alexandria Redevelopment Housing Authority (ARHA), serving 75 students in grades K-8 who attend Jefferson-Houston and reside in ARHA public housing community.
• A partnership with Community Lodgings, a local non-profit and long-term ACPS partner, serving 90 students in grades one through 12 who attend George Mason Elementary School, Mount Vernon Community School, George Washington Middle School and Alexandria City High School and reside in the Arlandria neighborhood of Alexandria.
• Two additional school-based programs that take place at Ferdinand T. Day Elementary School and Francis C. Hammond Middle School and serve 100 students at each site. Both of these school-based programs are made possible through a partnership with the Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities which provides the after-school wrap-around support at both schools.