September 15, 2014
By Stephanie West
New York, NY — New York City has now launched the largest ever expansion of after-school programs for the city's school children K-12. The number of seats has nearly doubled to more than 71,000, and with the addition of the Department of Education, District 75 and non-public school sites over the coming months, the total number will exceed 78,000 during the course of the school year. Applications for City-funded middle school and elementary Level after-school programs are ongoing and available at nyc.gov/afterschool.
During a visit to MS 255 Salk School of Science in Manhattan on Friday September 12th, Mayor de Blasio, Chancellor Fariña, and Commissioner Chong met with students participating in a music video club operated by Manhattan Youth, one of more than 100 community-based organizations that are part of the City’s after-school expansion for middle schoolers.
“Learning shouldn’t stop when the school bell rings,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “With today’s transformational expansion of after-school programs to more middle school students than ever in our city’s history, we’re making headway in providing our young adults with an engaging and supportive environment that will keep our kids off the streets and out of trouble between the hours of 3 and 6 PM. Middle school is often a make-or-break time in an adolescent’s life—and we’re determined to use all tools at our disposal to expand learning opportunities for the future shapers of our city.”
The expansion is part of the de Blasio administration’s plan to create more community schools and add educational options for all children. The after-school expansion will provide sixth, seventh and eighth graders with safe, high-quality learning and recreational opportunities during an especially challenging time in their lives.
“Adolescence is such a critical and challenging period for our students, and enriching and engaging after-school programs give them the support they need during this time. Not only do high-quality after-school options keep our students safe and productive during afternoons, they also have a real positive impact on classroom learning. This historic expansion of after-school is going to open new doors for our middle-schoolers, and bring us closer to our goal of meeting the whole needs of every child,” said Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña.
