Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Watershed STEM Education

NOAA connects the largest out-of-school program in the nation with watershed education.

The NOAA Office of Education is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Education and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) to implement the Watershed STEM Education Partnership program. This program is a part of U.S. Department of Education’s interagency initiative designed to integrate high-quality STEM programming into Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program sites.

Students have their hands in dirt while planting a raised wildflower garden along the side of a building
Students from the Mountaineer Boys and Girls Club in West Virginia work with Friends of Deckers Creek to plant a raised wildflower garden at the Boys and Girls Club site. Students learned about native pollinators and habitat creation for local species as part of a 2017 NOAA-21st CCLC Watershed STEM Education Partnership Grant. (Friends of Deckers Creek)
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The 21st CCLC program is the largest out-of-school program in the nation, serving over 1.5 million students in all 50 states. 21st CCLCs provide academic enrichment opportunities during out-of-school time for children. Under recent rounds of this partnership, competitive grants issued by NAAEE enabled experienced environmental education providers to work with 21st CCLC sites to deliver authentic STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) experiences emphasizing the unique assets and expertise of NOAA. Out-of-school programs like these encourage student interest in learning and engage students who might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in STEM activities.

Watershed STEM Education projects use the NOAA Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program’s Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEE) model. MWEEs incorporate multi-stage learning both outdoors and in the classroom and aim to increase participants’ understanding and stewardship of watersheds and related ecosystems. 

Evaluation from the 2020-2022 round of program implementation found the following:

  • Youth responded positively to activities that were different from more typical out of school time experiences — specifically being outdoors and engaging in active, hands-on activities.
  • Staff from environmental education organizations and 21st CCLCs leaned into each other’s expertise to create programs and develop skills and expertise:
    • 85% of environmental education organizations' staff increased their organization’s capacity to implement environmental education programming in the 21st CCLC context.
    • 77% of environmental education organizations' staff increased their confidence to incorporate MWEEs into the afterschool context.
    • 94% of 21st CCLCs' staff increased their 21st CCLC site capacity to implement environmental education programming. 
    • 94% of 21st CCLCs' staff increased their awareness of NOAA resources that can be used in instruction with youth.

Read more on NAAEE's website.

Partnership history

Since 2017, B-WET has supported 59 grants engaging 167 local 21st CCLC sites. The partnership has reached over 7,500 students and 1,000 educators and staff at the 21st CCLC sites, supported by more than 250 science subject matter experts who engaged with students and introduced them to STEM topics and careers.

2024-2025 Watershed STEM program, in partnership with NAAEE

NAAEE, in collaboration with NOAA and supported by $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education, is working with 12 environmental education organizations to offer engaging out-of-school watershed-focused STEM projects at 21CCLC sites. These 12 grants serve 11 states, ranging from Hawai'i to Maine. The 21CCLC sites play a crucial role in designing and implementing locally relevant, out-of-school programs that develop students' environmental literacy and leadership skills as they improve their communities.

For more information:

2020-2022 Watershed STEM program, in partnership with NAAEE

The 21st CCLC Watershed STEM Education Partnership Grants, administered by NAAEE and running from 2020–2022, allowed environmental education organizations to collaborate directly with the 21st CCLC sites on the design and implementation of locally relevant, out-of-school projects that develop students’ environmental literacy and leadership skills as they improve their communities. NAAEE awarded $2.45 million to 30 environmental education organizations that partner with NOAA to provide enriching out-of-school watershed-related STEM projects.

These grants supported programming for a total of 100 local 21st CCLC sites and their students, many of whom live in high-poverty and underserved areas. The 30 selected projects served 18 states, ranging from Alaska to Florida.

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2017 pilot program, in partnership with the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation

In early 2017, NOAA’s partner for the pilot round of implementation, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, awarded $500,000 to 17 pilot projects, impacting 37 21st CCLC sites in 15 states and all seven geographic regions served by the B-WET program. Through these projects, 1,609 youth and 184 21st CCLCs’ educators and staff explored and investigated their local watersheds during out-of-school time. Pilot program evaluation showed that participants saw evidence of ways that students’ understanding and awareness of the local watershed had been impacted. Following the MWEE framework ensured that STEM education was contextualized, emphasizing connections with students' lives, choices, and communities. Pilot grantees also forged strong collaborations with local 21st CCLC sites, establishing relationships that showed potential to be sustained beyond the pilot program funding.

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