About Us

Initiative Overview

Lincoln’s Community Learning Centers provide a delivery model to support youth, families, and neighborhoods as they strive to be successful, thriving, and strong. CLCs are about the process of people and programs working together to create a culture of learning that serves our entire community. CLCs in Lincoln are funded through support from Nita M. Lowey 21st Community Learning Centers grants, LPS Title I funds and matching resources from local funders and community-based organizations. The CLC initiative supports 31 schools in the development and implementation of high quality extended learning opportunities, weekend and summer enrichment programs and other supportive services for children, youth, families, and neighborhood residents.

Lincoln CLC has won many awards including the Neighborworks award, Engage Every Student award, Saratoga safe routes to school award, & Community Health Endowment’s Pioneer Award.

Our Principles

Collaboration

Partnership, a commitment to mutual relationships and goals that are the best way to maximize resources and create synergy. Community partners will work for and with families and neighborhoods to ensure that local strengths and needs are considered.  

Lifelong Learning

People learn and grow differently. The professional CLC staff accounts for these different learning styles and will promote learning opportunities for all children, youth, families and neighborhood residents.

Integration

CLC services will be connected and purposefully coordinated with the school and community to assure an efficient, respected use of partners’ expertise and resources.

Outcome Focused

CLCs have greater impact when providing services that are aligned with CLC initiative goals. Service effectiveness will be measured by improvements in student learning and development, stronger families and healthier neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Based

All neighborhoods have unique strengths and needs. CLCs value the uniqueness of each neighborhood and adapt services and opportunities so that the neighborhood capacity is optimized.

Community Leadership

Leadership and accountability are shared among all stakeholders. Parents and neighborhood residents have multiple opportunities to partner in decision making to determine service opportunities most beneficial to them.

Strategic Plan Goals

  • Continue to develop and strengthen the collaborative leadership ecosystem in Lincoln by expanding and diversifying the community wide leadership group, strengthening the role of the lead agencies as co-intermediaries and building communication and alignment with site – based leadership teams (SNAC)
  • Engage the Community in drafting a CLC policy at the district level that crystalizes the strategy by developing common language, clear expectations and communicating a set of indicators which align to a shared vision.
  • With a growing demand for more schools adopting the CLC strategy, the Community-wide leadership group will develop an expansion plan that uses an equitable approach for adding additional Lincoln Public Schools to the partnership.
  • At the site level, build upon the success of CLC’s expanded and enriched learning opportunities afterschool, creating a shared set of practices that continue to extend throughout the school day. This may include reframing the role of coordinator and creating a set of shared expectations across lead agencies.
  • At the systems level, build upon the governance structure and expand the leadership council to include youth and family leaders, additional community organizations and local coalitions with an aligned vision while working towards a policy that solidifies shared language and implementation expectations while diversifying the blended and braided funding structure that will support an equitable and sustainable expansion.

Established in 2024