MCCSC students head back to school with Extended Day funded—for now

Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC) students are back in school beginning this Wednesday (Aug. 6).

According to MCCSC, about 10,000 students are enrolled across the district, in 14 elementary schools, three middle schools, and four high schools.

As in years past, children in kindergarten through sixth grade can participate in MCCSC’s Extended Day program. Students in the program can receive supervision before and after school, with activities including academic and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) learning stations, indoor and outdoor activities, and homework time.

The district’s future ability to provide free programming to qualifying families could be threatened by shifts in federal funding.

The Extended Day program costs $8 per half-day, or $16 for care both before and after a school day. Federal funding allows students who are approved for free and reduced meals or On My Way Pre-K funding to attend Extended Day at no cost. Those eligibility requirements translate into an income limit of $59,500 per year for a family of four. According to MCCSC communications director Sarah DeWeese, the number of students who were served at no cost to their families in May 2025 was 251 in the morning and 167 in the afternoon.

The federal funding comes from the federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CLCC) grant program. In July, the Trump administration temporarily froze distribution of the funds that cover the 21st CLCC grant. After almost a month, the administration released funds to states.

On July 22, DeWeese said in an email to The B Square, “MCCSC is waiting on the state to send us a grant award notification of our funding amount. We do not know what date we will be notified of our grant award or when funds will be received.”

MCCSC was awarded a total of $300,000 in 2021 as part of the Indiana Department of Education’s 21st CLCC, with funding running through July 31, 2026.

The district sent a letter to families with children enrolled in Extended Day that said those qualifying for free attendance have received subsidy awards. However, the letter stated, “if MCCSC does not receive state reimbursement as anticipated, support for free Extended Day to families will need to be re-evaluated in the future.” The district did not provide a precise timeframe.