CONTENT SUBMITTED
The Ohio Department of Education announced Horizon Education Centers and their partners were awarded seven Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Center afterschool grants. The awards provide for five years of free before and after school programming at selected schools across Western Cuyahoga and Lorain Counties, and together amount to more than $5.9 million dollars over the next five years.
The seven schools awarded the 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants with Horizon Education Centers are Clara E. Westropp (Cleveland Metropolitan School District), Constellation Schools – Lorain Community, Constellation Schools – Old Brooklyn Community Middle, Constellation Schools – Westpark Community Middle, Hamilton Elementary (Elyria City School District), Maple Elementary (North Olmsted City Schools), and Wilbur Wright (Cleveland Metropolitan School District). Horizon’s community partners include Constellation Schools, West Park Kamm’s Neighborhood Development (Clara E. Westropp), and Westown Community Development Corporation (Wilbur Wright).
This year’s new grant cycle saw 52 grants awarded throughout the state, totaling $10.4 million in new awards for the current school year. Horizon Education Centers’ 21st Century Community Learning Center programs feature extensions of school day learning, tutoring from schoolteachers, college and career readiness programming, and social-emotional learning and development.
“We’re very excited to bring Horizon’s 21st Century afterschool to Maple Elementary,” says Tom Herbster, Vice President of North Olmsted Board of Education. “The new grant will allow students at our Maple Elementary school to not only have access to afterschool care, but high-quality support that will improve learning outcomes, social-emotional development, and provide new opportunities for family and community engagement. And at no cost to our families!”
The new programs will begin in early October, and continue through the 2026-2027 school year. Horizon Education Center’s community partners will support the programming with neighborhood and local business engagement, service learning opportunities, and other community supports.
About Horizon:
Horizon Education Centers’ mission is to provide high-quality early childhood education, care, and youth development programs to the youth and families of Lorain and Western Cuyahoga Counties in Northeast Ohio. Founded in 1978 as an afterschool program in North Olmsted, Ohio, Horizon has since grown to offer high-rated preschool programs, toddler and infant care, and 21st Century, Say Yes, and other high quality OST programs through its 14 high quality licensed centers and 17 mixed funding school-based sites.
Horizon’s new 21st Century Grants will bring fun educational programming and family engagement events like this one to seven new schools.