NY awards $9M in grants for Long Island after-school programs
David Paterson Elementary School is among three Hempstead school district campuses tabbed for funds from a state grant aimed at enhancing or adding afterschool programs across New York. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa
Seven Long Island organizations will divvy up nearly $9 million in state grants to increase access to affordable after-school programs for children in high-need areas, state officials said.
The state Office of Children and Family Services awarded the grants under the Learning and Enrichment After-school Program Supports — or LEAPS — initiative. LEAPS seeks to support after-school programs that provide academic assistance, social well-being and community engagement for students and their families. Across New York, nearly 240 after-school programs were awarded the funding, which will help serve roughly 40,000 children, according to the state.
"Afterschool programs give our kids outlets to explore their creativity, build their skills and thrive in a supportive environment," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in an announcement earlier this month.
Enhanced programs
On Long Island, the programs to receive funding include the Boys and Girls Club of the Bellport Area, the Economic Opportunity Commission of Nassau County Inc., the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk Inc., Gateway Youth Outreach Inc., Morrison Mentors Inc., Project MOST Inc., and West Islip Youth Enrichment Services Inc.
The Boys and Girls Club of the Bellport Area said they will use the money to continue an after-school program in conjunction with the South Country Central School District.
The club seeks to increase the number of students who attend its program from about 60 to closer to the capacity of 112 children, executive director Kim Livingston said.
To do that, the club seeks to enhance after-school programming by hiring an academic coordinator and increasing access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning through robotics, drone play and other programming. The program costs $30 a day.
"We're actively working on helping them to achieve academically, giving them opportunity and access to programming resources that they may not have because parents don't have time, or maybe don't have the resources in order to do it," Livingston said.
Serving more children
At John M. Marshall Elementary School, nearly 150 students from pre-K to fifth grade participate in the Project MOST after-school program located on the East Hampton campus.
With the LEAPS funding, Project MOST hopes to increase that number to 200 children, according to executive director Rebecca Morgan Taylor. The organization also hopes to increase small-group tutoring for children getting additional support with reading and writing skills, as well as enrichment programs such as art classes or environmental education.
In collaboration with the Patchogue-Medford Union Free School District, the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk will use its grant money to operate after-school programs at Oregon Middle School, South Ocean Middle School and Saxton Middle School.
The programs are free and have a capacity of 70 students per site, according to Cynthia Amato, director of youth and adolescent services at the Council.
In Elmont, three Gateway Youth Outreach programs will receive funding to support after-school services at Clara H. Carlson School, Dutch Broadway School and Gotham Avenue School.
Each site currently has about 200 children attending daily for $450 in annual tuition. The additional funding could more than double capacity and reduce tuition to $200 per year, said Patrick Boyle, executive director at Gateway Youth Outreach.
The funding also will go toward the hiring of a social worker and conducting community service projects that give children a greater sense of belonging in the places they live, Boyle said.
Understanding family poverty
Officials at the Economic Opportunity Commission of Nassau County, which will use its portion of the grant money for three sites, said they hope the additional after-school services will help them get to the root of family poverty.
"Once we help the academic and socialization issues with our young people, then we need to move into the family structure and help develop those," said Sal Bush, director of community action programs at the Commission.
The antipoverty agency hopes to open after-school programs at David Paterson Elementary School, Barack Obama Elementary School and Joseph A. McNeil Elementary School — all in the Hempstead school district.
The organization partnered with the school district to identify locations based on the academic and financial needs of students and their families.
For instance, nearly 80% of the student body at Barack Obama Elementary School during the 2022-23 school year would be considered economically disadvantaged, according to state education data.
The three programs aim to serve as interventions that will give students academic support, nutritious meals and other development. After-school staff will include certified family development workers, a parent liaison and social workers to deal with trauma issues, the state said.
The Hempstead sites, which could open as soon as the end of November, will have room for roughly 300 students.
"We're looking to have a strong and enriched after-school program that enriches not just the social aspect of children and their development but also academic achievement and growth in skills that they will need as they enter into the world and their careers," said Ira Gerald, program director for the LEAPS grant at the Commission.
State awards
- New York State has awarded $9M in grants for Long Island after-school programs in high-need areas.
- The funding is through the state's LEAPS initiative, which stands for Learning and Enrichment After-school Program Supports.
- On Long Island, the programs to receive funding include the Boys and Girls Club of the Bellport Area and the Economic Opportunity Commission of Nassau County.
Education: Howard University
Tiffany Cusaac-Smith came to Newsday in 2023 after being a race and history reporter at USA TODAY, where she wrote enterprise and spot articles examining how the past shapes the present. Previously, she worked as the race and justice reporter at the USA TODAY Network of New York, covering issues such as criminal justice reform, housing, environmental justice, health care and politics. At The Journal News/lohud.com in Westchester County, she covered Yonkers, the state's third-largest city. She also worked at The Associated Press in Atlanta.
Honors and Awards: Criminal justice reporting fellowship with the National Press Foundation; New York News Publishers Association award for distinguished investigative reporting; Contributed reporting for Best of Gannett honor; Member of Table Stakes, a program funded by the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund and managed by the American Press Institute to transform local news.
