In the wake of Governor Kathy Hochul’s allocation of $3 million in funding targeted at organizations that had not received state monies for afterschool programs for the 2024-2025 school year, Assemblyman William Colton (D—Gravesend, Bensonhurst, Bath Beach and Dyker Heights) has written a letter to the city’s Department of Education, which is charged with distributing the funding, asking for clarification regarding the process it will use and reminding them who the intended recipients are.

The shortfall, which affected long-established and successful programs including those administered by the Federation of Italian American Organizations (FIAO) and the NIA Community Services Network, occurred despite an overall increase of more than $15 million in state funding allocated to such programs. Afterschool programs at numerous local schools were impacted, derailing the assistance they provide to neighborhood families, many of whom are not able to afford to pay for alternatives.

“Any reduction or scrapping of afterschool programs places a terrible burden on working families and single parents in my district,” Assemblyman Colton wrote in his September 23 letter to Education Chancellor David Banks. “Moreover, many of my constituents are 1^st or 2^nd generation immigrants, including Asians and Hispanics. They rely on every program that the public school has to offer to ensure their children have every opportunity for a brighter future. In addition to reducing the opportunities for children, afterschool program cuts leave working and single parents with no alternative regarding childcare during the workday.”

The issue arose because the state’s Office of Children & Family Services streamlined two different funding sources into a single one, the New York State Learning and Enrichment After-School Program Supports (LEAPS). Without the funding, which both FIAO and NIA had received for a number of years, the organizations were forced to curtail their free programs, which families had depended upon for safe and educational afterschool opportunities. As many as 1,300 students were affected.

“My letter to the chancellor is intended to remind the agency that the governor allocated the money to resolve a shortfall that impacted essential programs which area families rely upon,” said Assemblyman Colton. “Since the DOE is charged with distributing the funds, I want them to remember that these worthy programs had qualified for afterschool funding but there wasn’t enough to go around. Now, I want to make sure that the DOE complies with the governor’s intention, and does it rapidly so that those families that already have been inconvenienced can quickly get some relief.”

In the letter, Assemblyman Colton asks what the process for disbursement of funds will be, and also requests that it be expedited to minimize inconvenience to impacted families.

Among the afterschool programs impacted are those at P.S. 95, P.S. 100, P.S. 112, P.S. 177, P.S. 199, P.S 212, P.S. 216 and I.S. 228.