Millions of dollars were given to districts around the country to fun community learning centers through the 21st Century grant. But, the Taylor Independent School District (TISD) was faced with a problem when it realized its grant wasn't approved for renewal this year.

The news was a shock not only for parents but to the community members who relied on this program.

TISD’s after-school program is called Duck University. Its coordinator, Clarence Wooldridge, explained parents’ reaction to the thought of losing it.

"They would be kind of disappointed and they'd say, 'Oh, you guys didn't get the grant?' And we'd say, 'No, we didn't get it this year,' and then they'd ask, 'Well what are we going to do?' And I'm like, 'Well, we're going to try, we're going to try to do something.'"

Word spreads fast in the town of Taylor. The thought of losing this Duck University for their kids was overwhelming for working parents who love it.

Parent Trisha Copeland said the Duck University program is unique and parents didn’t want to see it disappear.

"It was devastating,” she said. “We [parents] all were [devastated]. Me and all of my friends were wondering what we were going to do now because there is nothing out there like this program."

Copeland works at a pharmacy, and her hours at work make it so she's not always able to pick up her daughter right as school ends. She said an after-school program is crucial.

But instead of just an after-school day care, the kids who attend Duck University engage in learning activities after school which tie into what they learn during school.

"It's a little extra than what they'd get in any other after-school program,” Wooldridge said.

And that was all free, until the five-year grant used to fund the program ran out and was not awarded again.

Now this year, things will run a little differently. Every student will have to pay $25 per week to cover the cost.

Duck University Director JoAnn Barcak said the cost is essential for the program to function.

"We're not trying to make money,” she said. “We're trying to provide a service to continue the success of what we have going."

It's a price parents say is worth it.

"It doesn't matter about what it would cost, if it would be the same price,” Copeland said. “We [parents] were all willing to do whatever we could to keep the program going because our children just loved it that much."

They're hoping the cost will pay off because if there's a lack of interest in this new pilot program, Duck University, and a program parents like Copeland rely on, could be no more.

The district is still searching for alternative forms of funding and is also accepting donations for the program.

Those donations will be used to fund tuition for students whose parents can't afford the costs.

In Part 2 of News 8’s Back-to-School series, Jennifer Borget will show us an online program created to help parents keep tabs on their students. Check it out Tuesday on News 8 Austin and News8Austin.com.