H 1139

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
  SESSION 2025
 H  1
  HOUSE BILL 1139
 Short Title:   Learning & Enrichment in Afterschool Programs.  (Public)
 Sponsors:      Representatives Hawkins and Baker (Primary Sponsors).
  For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
 Referred to:   Appropriations, if favorable, Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House
  May 4, 2026
1A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
2 AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE LEARNING AND ENRICHMENT IN AFTERSCHOOL
3     PROGRAMS ADVISORY COUNCIL AND GRANT PROGRAM.
4 The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
5SECTION 1.(a) There is established in Article 3 of Chapter 115C of the General
6 Statutes the following Parts:
7"Part 1. Department Administration.
8"Part 2. Learning and Enrichment in Afterschool Programs (LEAP)."
9SECTION 1.(b) G.S. 115C-18 through G.S. 115C-22 shall be located in Part 1 of
10 Article 3 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes, as established in subsection (a) of this section.
11SECTION 2. Part 2 of Article 3 of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes, as
12 established in Section 1 of this act, is amended by adding the following new sections to read:
13 "§ 115C-23.1. Definitions.
14     As used in this Part, the following definitions apply:
15(1)    Children and youth. – School-age children up to age 18.
16(2)    Eligible organizations. – Community-based organizations, statewide
17youth-serving organizations, cities and counties delivering youth programs,
18and schools delivering youth programs outside of school hours.
19(3)    Positive youth development programming. – Structured programs or activities
20with engaged adult mentors and evidence-based or evidence-informed
21practices provided to children and youth before school, after school, or during
22summer. It does not include basic education programming provided during
23school hours.
24 "§ 115C-23.2. Learning and Enrichment in Afterschool Programs (LEAP) Advisory
25Council.
26     (a)     The Department of Public Instruction (Department) shall establish the Learning and
27 Enrichment in Afterschool Programs (LEAP) Advisory Council to provide assistance in
28 implementing the LEAP Grant Program, as authorized under G.S. 115C-23.3. The Advisory
29 Council shall serve in an advisory capacity only and shall not have authority over final grant
30 award decisions, which shall remain with the Department.
31     (b)     The Advisory Council shall include, at a minimum, the following members:
32(1)    A representative of the Department, who shall serve as chair.
33(2)    A representative of the Division of Child Development and Early Education
34of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
35(3)    A representative of the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs.
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 General Assembly Of North Carolina  Session 2025
1(4)     A representative of a community-based organization providing afterschool or
2summer programming, appointed by the Advisory Board of the North
3Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs.
4     (c)     The Department shall convene the Advisory Council on a regular basis, as determined
5 necessary, to carry out its duties. The Department shall provide administrative support to the
6 Advisory Council.
7     (d)     The Advisory Council shall advise the Department on the following:
8(1)    Grant application materials, scoring criteria, and selection processes.
9(2)    Strategies to prioritize rural and underserved communities and strengthen
10partnerships between schools and community-based organizations.
11(3)    Program quality standards, technical assistance, and professional
12development supports.
13(4)    Evaluation findings and improvements to program design and
14implementation.
15(5)    Identifying opportunities to align this program with other State and local
16initiatives, including early childhood, workforce development, and student
17support services.
18 "§ 115C-23.3. Learning and Enrichment in Afterschool Programs (LEAP) Grant Program.
19     (a)     There is established under the control and direction of the State Board of Education
20 the Learning and Enrichment in Afterschool Programs (LEAP) Fund. This fund shall be a
21 nonreverting special revenue fund consisting of any monies appropriated to it by the General
22 Assembly, eligible federal funds, eligible grant funds, and private donations. Any funds received
23 by the State pursuant to litigation against social media companies for harm caused to children
24 and youth, whether the result of a settlement or court award, shall be directed to the LEAP Fund.
25 LEAP Funds shall be distributed through a grant program in accordance with this section.
26     (b)     The Department of Public Instruction (Department) shall establish the Learning and
27 Enrichment in Afterschool Programs (LEAP) Grant Program (Program) to assist eligible
28 organizations in providing high-quality positive youth development programming across the
29 State. To the extent funds are made available for this purpose, the Department shall administer
30 the Program in accordance with this section.
31     (c)     The Department, in consultation with the LEAP Advisory Council, as established
32 under G.S. 115C-23.2, shall develop and publish the following:
33(1)    An application and application time line.
34(2)    Technical assistance guides for completing the application. The Department
35shall also offer further technical assistance for the application process to
36first-time applicants and applicants that serve rural or underserved
37communities.
38(3)    An awardee selection time line and selection criteria. The selection criteria
39shall aim to ensure equitable distribution of funding across the State by
40considering the following in evaluating applicants:
41a.       The extent to which an eligible organization's positive youth
42development programming reflects the needs of the local community.
43b.       Whether the eligible organization serves children and youth in rural,
44underserved, or economically distressed communities.
45c.       The eligible organization's demonstrated experience serving children,
46youth, and families.
47d.       Any existing relationships the eligible organization maintains, as
48evidenced through memoranda of understanding or similar
49agreements.
50e.       The demonstrated need of the community to be served.
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 General Assembly Of North Carolina  Session 2025
1f.      The eligible organization's organizational capacity to implement and
2sustain positive youth development programming, including staffing,
3financial management, and partnership infrastructure.
4(4)     Grant terms and amounts. The Department may offer different terms and
5amounts for different grants, so long as no grant awards funding for more than
6two years per grant.
7(5)     Grant renewal criteria. Grants shall be continually renewable, contingent upon
8meeting renewal criteria and availability of funds. The Department shall
9determine the criteria that must be met to renew a grant. At a minimum, the
10renewal criteria shall include compliance with Program requirements and
11evaluation benchmarks based on the programming evaluation metrics
12developed under subdivision (6) of this subsection.
13(6)     Programming evaluation metrics. An evaluation of the effectiveness of a
14positive youth development program shall include at least the following:
15a.      Attendance and participation rates.
16b.      Development        outcomes,       including     academics,     skills,
17career-awareness, and workforce readiness.
18c.      Community and family engagement.
19d.      Program reach, including the number of Program sites and number of
20children and youth served.
21     (d)    Awards received by eligible organizations shall supplement and not supplant any
22 existing funds used for positive youth development programming.
23     (e)    The Department may retain up to ten percent (10%) of funds appropriated for the
24 Program for administrative costs and support activities, including any of the following:
25(1)     Hiring or contracting for a full-time equivalent (FTE) position to administer
26and oversee the Program.
27(2)     Developing and disseminating programming quality standards, performance
28measures, and evaluation tools to ensure accountability and continuous
29improvement.
30(3)     Providing training, technical assistance, and professional development to
31eligible organizations.
32(4)     Advising eligible organizations on the implementation of evidence-based
33practices.
34(5)     Contracting with the North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs to
35coordinate statewide system-building efforts, conduct research, deliver
36professional development, or provide technical assistance to eligible
37organizations.
38     (f)    The Department may partner with academic institutions, nonprofit technical
39 assistance providers, and other relevant organizations, such as the North Carolina Center for
40 Afterschool Programs, to deliver the services required under this section, including for
41 programming evaluation."
42SECTION 3. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of
43 Public Instruction the sum of nineteen million five hundred thousand dollars ($19,500,000) in
44 nonrecurring funds for the 2026-2027 fiscal year for the Department to establish the LEAP Fund
45 and LEAP Grant Program, as enacted by this act.
46SECTION 4. This act becomes effective July 1, 2026.
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