Myrie calls for increased free afterschool programs

September 5, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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FLATBUSH/ALBANY —FREE AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS are crucial to the city’s public school families, but funds must be allocated for them in state and city budgets, writes State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-20) in an Op Ed published in the Daily News on Thursday, Sept. 5. Myrie announced that the state is exploring a universal, free afterschool program to support working families with children. This first-of-its-kind study, included in the 2024-25 State Budget, will examine costs, pay rates for providers and opportunities for collaboration across different agencies, with the aim of guaranteeing a seat to every student who needs one. Myrie points out that, on the municipal level, fewer than half of city schools offer free afterschool programs. There are thousands of students on waiting lists for available slots, and more seats are in danger after City Hall cut further from the current year’s budget.

“Universal afterschool programming would help families fill the gap between school dismissal — often before 3 p.m. — and the end of a typical workday several hours later,” Myrie said. “These programs would extend the learning that occurs during the day, and keep students engaged in academic and recreational programming during the hours violent crime is most likely to occur. They would also signal a serious commitment to New York’s working families.”

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