While New York City is Making Major Investments in Afterschool, New York State is No Longer in the Top Ten States Nationwide
Today's release of America After 3PM reveals that New York State has stalled in meeting the demand for afterschool programs over the last five years. 1.1million of New York's children and families are still without afterschool opportunities--the same number as in 2009. The New York State Afterschool Network (NYSAN) is calling for substantially increased investments in afterschool programs so that these opportunities are available to students across New York.
When the survey was last conducted by the Afterschool Alliance in 2009, New York ranked third in the nation as an afterschool leader, based on a combined quality, participation, and parental satisfaction score. In 2014, however, New York is not even in the Top Ten.
New York State's drop in the America After 3PM rankings coincides with significant cuts to state funding in the recession, with funding 35% lower now than it was in 2009. Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a major new investment of at least $160 million annually in last year's Executive Budget to address New Yorkers' need for more afterschool programs statewide; unfortunately, however, no new statewide funds were added in the final state budget for 2014-15.
Moreover, America After 3PM highlights a growing gap in the availability of afterschool programs between New York City and the rest of the state. This year's survey found that 21% of New York students are enrolled in afterschool programs, a number unchanged from 2009. If New York City's higher than average participation rates are removed, only 15% of students participate in afterschool. This gap is increased by New York City's investment of $338 million in afterschool and summer programs this year, including the launch of 271 new middle school afterschool programs this fall. These programs started after the America After 3PM data was collected and are not reflected in the report.
"Outside of New York City, New York has actually fallen behind nationally on afterschool. This is a tremendous disservice to children and families across the state," said Nora Niedzielski-Eichner, Executive Director of NYSAN. "Five years ago, New York was seen as a national model for effective afterschool programs, and must again take leadership in this critical area. We applaud New York City's major investment in afterschool programs and hope to see similar program growth across the state over the next five years."
The Campaign for Children, a coalition of more than 150 early childhood education and after-school advocacy and provider organizations in New York City, said, "New York City is clearly leading the way when it comes to investing in high-quality after-school programs -- even more so now that tens of thousands of new slots have been added for middle school students since the data for this report was collected. We also know that there is much more work to be done to meet the demand across New York State, as well as within New York City, where 67% of children not in an after-school program reported that they would enroll if one were available to them. We look forward to continuing to work with City and State officials to ensure that all children have access to safe, affordable, and educational after-school programs."
Research suggests that regular participation in high-quality afterschool programs over several years can help close the achievement gap between low and high-income students. It has also been found to increase school engagement and school attendance, reduce risks of substance abuse and involvement in juvenile crime, and increase access to adult mentors. 85% of New York parents support public funding for afterschool.
Afterschool programs are also a tremendous relief to New York's working parents, who are otherwise faced with the nation's highest average costs for afterschool care--leading to an estimated 584,000 children being unsupervised every day across the state.
America After 3 PM can be accessed at http://www.afterschoolalliance.org/AA3PM/.
- This article is reprinted with permission of the New York State Afterschool Network (NYSAN).
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