Education

New York City- Tough Road Ahead for After-School

By Nora Fleming — March 08, 2012 1 min read
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The latest proposals for the New York City budget have many out-of-school advocates worried that 47,000 children will lose access to after-school programs and child-care services next year, reports The New York Times.

According to the article, Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposals build on several years of cuts to these programs.

The number of children in the city’s Department of Youth and Community Development’s after-school programs, which I wrote about last spring, dropped from 85,513 in 2009 to 52,000 in 2012, or a 40 percent reduction. The new proposal would cut 420 after-school programs in the city.

On Monday, protestors spoke out against the cuts and the harm they could have on parents and students
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One parent is reported as saying, “I can’t be there when that bell rings at 2:45. Without these after-school programs, I’m going to have to quit my job.”

While cuts have been proposed, the city is also currently putting in place an early-childhood education initiative called Early Learn NYC, which is said will improve the quality of subsidized child care.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Beyond School blog.