Children "at risk": constructions of childhood in the 21st Century Community Learning Centers federal after-school program.

In 2001, the U.S. government allocated $4.5 billion to after-school programs through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) grant directed at high-poverty, low-performing schools (U.S. Department of Education [DOE] 2003b). Since 2003, 6,800 rural and urban public schools have been served around the country, at county, city, and district levels as well as some organizations that work with, but are not directly administered by, the public school system (Fashola 2002; DOE 2003a). This is an impressive and impactful policy, with a wide scope and a dedication to ...