Rallying to save NIA afterschool programs at P.S. 229
P.S. 229s brand-new auditorium shook with excitement on May 8, as students, parents, elected officials and community members rallied to save the NIA afterschool program at that location and three others in the area after Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced it would be shut down in September due to budget cuts.
The NIA program runs Monday through Friday from 2:40 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. and throughout the summer. Not only does it provide homework help for nearly 200 students at each school, there is a rotating schedule of nine activities per day.
Its visual arts enrichment. They do drama, creative movement, mythology, literature, said Linda Panza, who runs the NIA program at P.S. 229, adding that the cuts would go into effect on June 30. Our summer camp will be okay, but there will be no afterschool program in the fall.