The future of the Lehigh Carbon Community College Carbon and Schuylkill SHINE Afterschool Program just got a little bit brighter.

On Monday, Gov. Tom Corbett and First Lady Susan Corbett announced that 64 school districts and community-based organizations would share in $23.1 million in funding through the federal 21st Century Community Learning Centers grant program. Lehigh Carbon Community College, which oversees the SHINE program, will receive $400,000 the next three years for the program."These grants will provide educational opportunities that are focused on complementing, supplementing and enhancing the work being done in the classroom by teachers and students," Gov. Corbett said. "We know that at-risk students need additional educational resources to be academically successful and this funding will support these efforts."As a requirement of the grant, awardees must offer students a variety of enrichment opportunities that they might not receive at school or at home. Grantees are permitted to provide cultural, social or artistic activities to students, and services to their families.Jeanne Miller, director of the SHINE Afterschool Program, was thrilled by the news."Now we can expand on some really strong programs," Miller said.SHINE serves nearly 500 Carbon and Schuylkill County students on both the elementary and middle school levels. Its goal has always been to create a program that helps at-risk children learn through hands-on projects in high priority occupations in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics; while building social skills and personal relationships and taking the skills back to the classroom.Miller said that all centers are preparing to open for the season and will be held four days a week.Students will be working on a number of hands on projects on both levels, including rocketry, robotics, building a sustainable house, 3D printing technology, and more.Miller also highlighted that the elementary centers will be introducing a new 3D printing curriculum, which she believes is the first in the state on the elementary level.This curriculum will provide opportunities to learn computer animated design, 3D printing, precision machinery and digital graphic arts. The middle school Career Academy already utilizes this curriculum and students have already worked on projects in the health care and engineering fields.In June, the students hosted a number of educators from around the state during a 3D printing conference at Carbon Career & Technical Institute in Jim Thorpe, to show educators the possibilities that 3D printing gives to various occupations.In addition, Miller said that they are hoping to include job shadowing experience, as well as more take your parents to SHINE nights to allow parents to see what their child is learning.The SHINE Afterschool program is a nonpartisan initiative that began in 2002 as the brainchild of the Partners for Progress Carbon County Child and Family Collaborative Board and run through Lehigh Carbon Community College.Since its inception, SHINE has been highlighted in numerous national publications as a model that works.