The Flint Center for Education Excellence was awarded $971,850 from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP) Jan. 7, 2026. The funds are part of a $73 million Out-of-School-Time (OST) grant initiative that was awarded to 289 Michigan organizations.
“Receiving the 2025–26 Out-of-School Time (32N) Grant supports the Flint Center’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that all Flint students—and the families and communities that support them—have access to safe, high-quality, school-embedded afterschool and summer learning opportunities that help them thrive,” according to Jordan Munerlyn, Director of State and Federal programs.
“This award allows the Flint Center to stabilize and strengthen its Thrive Afterschool model, retain highly trained staff, and continue expanding high-quality learning opportunities for Flint students. It reflects confidence in the Flint Center’s ability to operate compliant, data-driven, and student-centered programs that directly support academic success and youth development,” Munerlyn added.
The MiLEAP grant will have a significant and lasting impact on both the organization and the Flint community. For the Flint Center, funding ensures program stability, staff continuity, and the ability to deepen instructional quality across multiple school sites.
For Flint families and students, the impact is immediate: more licensed afterschool and summer learning seats, more instructional hours, and greater access to safe, structured environments that support academic growth, social-emotional learning, and youth leadership.
“In a community where thousands of children lack access to licensed out-of-school programming, this investment directly addresses a critical systems-level gap,” said Munerlyn.
The Flint Center will use grant funds to expand and sustain licensed out-of-school time programming by:
- Retaining high-quality Success Coaches who deliver daily academic and enrichment programming
- Increasing student access and capacity, including expanded summer programming hours
- Extending summer learning time from three to four hours per day to provide additional hands-on academic instruction
- Supporting literacy acceleration initiatives such as Reading Rangers
- Strengthening STEM, health & wellness, physical activity, mentoring, youth voice, and 21st-century skills programming
- Maintaining licensing compliance, safe staff-to-student ratios, and high program quality standards
Overall, the grant ensures that students receive more instructional time, more individualized support, and more opportunities to thrive beyond the school day.
The grant supports Thrive Afterschool programming at 12 school-based locations across Flint, including:
- Brownell STEM Academy
- Doyle-Ryder Elementary
- DTM Elementary
- Eisenhower Elementary
- Freeman Elementary
- Holmes STEM Academy
- Potter Elementary
- Southwestern Academy
- Dailey Elementary
- International Academy of Flint
- Flint Cultural Center Academy
- McMonagle Elementary
These sites represent a mix of elementary and secondary schools where the Flint Center operates or supports licensed, school-embedded afterschool and summer programs.
Programming at each location is aligned with school goals, staffed by trained Success Coaches, and designed to provide safe, consistent, and academically enriching experiences for students.
