(a) The Department of Education, in consultation with the after school committee established pursuant to § 10-16v, may, within available appropriations, administer a grant program to provide grants to local and regional boards of education, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations that are exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended, or any combination thereof, for after school programs that provide direct services and for entities that provide support to after school programs. For purposes of this subsection, “after school program” means a program that takes place when school is not in session, provides educational, enrichment and recreational activities for children in grades kindergarten to twelve, inclusive, and has a parent involvement component.

(b) (1) Applications for grants pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be filed biennially with the Commissioner of Education at such time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes. As part of the application, an applicant shall submit a plan for the expenditure of grant funds.

(2) Eligibility for grants pursuant to this section shall be determined for a two-year period and shall be based on the plan for expenditure of grant funds. Prior to the payment of funds to the grant recipient for the second year of the grant, the grant recipient shall report to the Department of Education on performance outcomes of the program and file expenditure reports pursuant to subsection (f) of this section. The report concerning performance outcomes shall include, but not be limited to, measurements of the impact on student achievement, school attendance and the in-school behavior of student participants.

(c) The Department of Education and the after school committee established pursuant to § 10-16v shall develop and apply appropriate evaluation procedures to measure the effectiveness of the grant program established pursuant to this section.

(d) For purposes of carrying out the provisions of this section, the Department of Education may accept funds from private sources and from any state agency that is a member of the after school committee.

(e) The Department of Education shall provide grant recipients with technical assistance, evaluation, program monitoring, professional development and accreditation support. The department may retain up to four per cent of the amount appropriated for the grant program for purposes of this subsection.

(f) Grant recipients shall file expenditure reports with the Commissioner of Education in accordance with subdivision (2) of subsection (b) of this section and at such time and in such manner as the commissioner prescribes. Grant recipients shall refund (1) any unexpended amounts at the close of the program for which the grant was awarded, and (2) any amounts not expended in accordance with the approved grant application.

(g) Not later than February 15, 2012, and biennially thereafter, the Department of Education shall report, in accordance with the provisions of § 11-4a, to the joint standing committee of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to education on performance outcomes of recipients of grants under this section. The report shall include, but not be limited to, measurements of the impact on student achievement, school attendance and the in-school behavior of student participants.

(h) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, and each fiscal year thereafter, the Department of Education shall award at least ten per cent of the funds appropriated for the grant program to municipalities with a total population of seven thousand five hundred or fewer or local or regional boards of education for towns with a total population of seven thousand five hundred or fewer, except that any such funds not awarded to such municipalities or local or regional boards of education on or before October fifteenth of the fiscal year shall be available to be awarded to any municipality or local or regional board of education.

(i) For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, and each fiscal year thereafter, grant recipients may expend funds for the purposes of providing transportation as part of the after school program.