Sunday, June 17

After school programs in trouble citywide


More than 100 schools are slated to lose their after school programs in the fall, the New York Times reports today. Statewide, 207 schools are being forced to cut their after school programs because the federal grant that funds them is running out. By the time schools were informed that they would not be able to renew the after school grants, it was too late for them to find other funding sources. In the city, 118 schools are looking at cutting their programs -- these include IS 238 in Queens, PS 20 in the Bronx, and Lower East Side Preparatory High School, all of which the Times profiles. The Queens Tribune has some backstory on the timeline and blame game of the current funding crisis. We're hoping it gets resolved and schools are able to sustain the after school programs they've developed -- and we especially hope that other schools do not find themselves in the same position next year when their funding runs out.

For more information on this crisis and other after school news, check out the After School Corporation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and sustaining after school programs in New York.

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