21st Century Community Learning Centers

Based on a shared vision, the Cumberland Empowerment Zone Corporation (CEZC) and four local school districts, Vineland, Millville, Commercial Township and Bridgeton have established four 21st Century Community Learning Centers through a grant from the NJ Department of Education. These centers provide enrichment, recreation, positive youth development and social services for students in grades 5 through 10 and their families in each of the districts. The four Community Learning Center sites locations are:

• Cherry Street School, Bridgeton
• Landis Middle School, Vineland
• Lakeside Middle School, Millville
• Port Norris School, Port Norris

As part of the collaboration, the CEZC and each of the districts have partnered with the following agencies:

• Cumberland County College Literacy Institute in partnership with Tri-County's Community Action Partnership Literacy Program
• Garden Area Health Education Center (Garden AHEC)
• Tri-County Community Action Agency, Inc.
• South Jersey Youth Alliance
• Young Audiences of NJ in partnership with Millville Development Corp. and the Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts
• 4-H Youth Development Program of Rutgers Cooperative Research and Extension of Cumberland County

Together, the district staff and the partnering agencies have established centers that operate for three hours per day everyday after school and five hours per day, five days per week during several weeks in the summer. Each center offers homework help, math and language arts enrichment, and recreation almost everyday. Beyond these activities, some of the centers offer programs for the students as Girl Power and Gentlemen's Clubs that promote positive self-esteem, character building, student mentors, goal setting and healthy lifestyles.

Through the expertise of our partnering agencies, the centers also offer visual and performing arts, a hands-on science curriculum and career exploration. To address students' academic, social and emotional needs, mentors have been matched with identified students; motivational speakers visit the sites and discuss topics such as anger management, communication, and decision-making; one-on-one goal planning and an incentive program has been established to increase grades and attendance and reduce discipline incidents.

Families are invited to participate in many of the activities of the centers. Special literacy nights are scheduled at each site for families to address topics such as finance, health, and computer literacy. A case manager works with families that are in need of additional services to help establish self-sufficiency. When applying for the grant in Year One, the need for bilingual services was identified for students and families. Sites and providers work together to ensure that these needs are met.

Field trips and family involvement activities ensure that student participants are provided with a variety of educational enhancement and support. The 21st Century Community Learning Center of Cumberland County is committed to "soaring beyond expectations."

AT&T Aspire Program/Communities in Schools

Research tells us that there are many barriers that can keep students from achieving the goal of high school graduation. In April 2008, AT&T launched a grant program targeting high school success for at-risk youth. The focus of the grant is to work with 9th and 10th graders who have been identified as students who may leave school before graduation due to factors such as poor grades, attendance, behavioral and disciplinary issues, poverty, or other non-school engagement or family related issues.

The Cumberland Empowerment Zone’s mission is to bring people and places together in a concerted effort to rebuild neighborhoods, build economies, and strengthen communities. The AT&T four-year grant creates a program that will affect over 300 students by supporting a new Community in Schools (CIS) initiative to work with at-risk youth in the Bridgeton and Millville High Schools.

With recent reductions in school budgets, youth support services have dwindled. This program will help build support for students needing additional services by linking students and their families with existing resources within the community in an effort to provide support to keep the student in school. The partnership between AT&T and CEZC provides funding for a CIS coordinator to work with existing school personnel to add resources from the community, work one on one with student’s needs, and create a comprehensive plan with the goal of promoting student’s high school graduation.

The CIS coordinator meets with individual students and their families to identify the obstacles for that particular student. The coordinator then addresses the issues and works with the student to resolve them. The CIS coordinator and school districts work together to help students recover credits for failed academic courses. This four-year program provides support and guidance to the students until they graduate from high school.

For more information on the AT&T Aspire Program, please contact CEZC at 856-459-1700, extension 4017.