The 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) initiative is a key component of the No Child Left Behind Act. Authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the specific purposes of the federal law are to:

Provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet state and local student academic achievement standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and mathematics.

Offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, art, music, and recreation programs, technology education programs and character education programs, that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students.

Offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for literacy and related educational development.