New York City parents can now do a happy dance because Mayor Eric Adams dropped a bombshell on Tuesday. He spilled the tea on a brand spanking new plan called “After-School for All” that’s supposed to make childcare more affordable and accessible to regular New Yorkers every single day.
The plan, which is a part of Adams’ upcoming executive budget, involves throwing a cool $331 million at the issue to ensure that after-school programs are available to all public school kids from kindergarten to eighth grade. This is the first time the city is really going all out to beef up and expand after-school programs, with the ultimate goal of giving everyone a shot at participating. You know, just like how former Mayor Bill de Blasio brought in those universal 3- and 4-K programs all over the city.
So, what’s the deal with this new funding? Well, it’s going towards adding a whopping 20,000 new spots over the next three school years. This means that a grand total of 184,000 public school students will have access to universal after-school activities. And get this, the city is dropping a hefty $755 million on this whole shebang every year.
According to Adams, this means that 184,000 students will get to do all sorts of cool stuff like sports, robotics, artsy fartsy things, field trips, and more. They’ll be able to discover what makes their hearts sing and form tight bonds with their fellow classmates. Adams even said, “Our parents shouldn’t have to choose between picking up their child or working a job to put food on the table — and now they won’t have to.” He’s all about making NYC a safer, more affordable place to raise a family, and this after-school plan is a big part of that vision.
