New Free After-School Programs Announced for City Kids

Mayor Eric Adams revealed on Tuesday that numerous sites will soon provide free after-school programs for children in the city.

This initiative includes 40 new locations, backed by a significant $331 million investment in Universal after-school services that was negotiated during this spring’s budget talks.

“Now, children from working-class families can take part in after-school activities that offer them a chance to learn and, most importantly, to flourish,” Adams stated at PS 152 in South Bronx.

This expansion is part of a larger vision to achieve free after-school programming for all students from kindergarten to eighth grade, according to the mayor.

Among the new sites are 37 public schools and three charter schools, which will collectively add 5,000 after-school seats for K-5 students, costing about $21 million beginning in September.

Over time, the remaining funds are expected to create seats for nearly 20,000 additional students by the fall of 2027, increasing the total number of children served to 184,000 at an annual cost of $755 million.

The administration highlighted that this marks the first significant expansion of the program in almost a decade.

Keith Howard, the commissioner for the city’s Youth and Community Development Department, emphasized that expanding after-school opportunities aims to support working parents, especially in lower-income areas.

Priorities for location selection included existing after-school programs, low-income neighborhoods, areas with high crime rates, and communities with a significant number of disabled individuals and English learners.

“We select schools in collaboration with New York City public schools, focusing on the city’s greatest needs,” Howard remarked.

The list of new locations features 14 public schools in the Bronx, 12 in Queens, nine public schools and one charter school in Brooklyn, as well as two public schools on Staten Island and two charter schools in Manhattan.

This expansion will bring the total count of free after-school programs in New York City to around 1,050 in the coming year.

One of the first providers involved in the expansion is the New York Junior Tennis and Learning program, which will operate out of PS 152, as noted by President and CEO Udai Tambar.

“We firmly believe that while talent is universal, opportunities are not. After-school programs like this create chances for young people to fulfill their potential,” Tambar added.