“It’s free. The time to act is now. Sign up now.”
These are the words Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed, signaling he’s still on his mission to get parents to sign up their children for his after-school program. This time, it’s not his signature education program, universal pre-kindergarten, but School’s Out New York City, the city’s largest after-school program for middle school students. He has invested $145 million in tax dollars to expand the program citywide.
Speaking at a press conference last week Friday, de Blasio said 562 middle schools will offer the program this school year for five days per week for 36 weeks during the school year. The ultimate goal is to serve all middle school students—sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders—and expose them to science, technology, engineering, art and math, or STEAM, physical fitness and literacy-related subjects outside of the traditional educational setting, he said.
“Kids don’t stop learning when the bell rings at 3 p.m.,” said de Blasio. “As middle schoolers are looking ahead to high school and adulthood, this is a great way to secure their educational gains. For many children, it’s a tough time because of the things happening around them, including profound challenges, whether it’s the streets they’re walking on are not safe and gangs in their neighborhood. After-school is a safe space. We need to reach as many children as we can to engage them.”
School’s Out New York City is spearheaded by the Department of Youth and Community Development and operated under the newly renamed Comprehensive After-School System of NYC, which has more than 800 programs for students enrolled in grades K-12.
According to Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Bill Chong—who joined de Blasio, School Chancellor Carmen Farina and other elected officials for the launch at Salk School of Science in Manhattan, which builds its curriculum on STEAM activities—while partnering with community-based groups, more than 1,100 students signed up last Friday alone. More than 24,000 are enrolled in total, while the number of seats have doubled to more than 71,000, he said.
While echoing the importance of student enrollment in the program, Farina said there aren’t many programs in the city that allow middle school children to “build a social network, navigate social skills and develop self-esteem.”
“After-school programs give [students] the opportunity to explore the talents and skills they have,” she said.
When asked if after-school will help students and teachers better adapt to the much-debated Common Core, de Blasio said, “The chancellor and I believe that Common Core represents the reality of life today. But what was missing previously in this town and other places was the devotion to put in the time and resources to prepare both teachers and students to align with the Common Core.”
He added, “That alignment is starting to happen. [The city is] putting our supports in place to get ready to live by a Common Core curriculum.”
Applications for School’s Out New York City are available at nyc.gov/afterschool. Parents can also call 311.