After-School Expanded in New York State

The Advantage After School Program, which provides kids with daily, comprehensive after-school programs, will be expanded in New York State under the budget agreement reached by New York's governor and state legislators this week. Spending for the program, which currently serves about 24,000 students, was increased approximately $5 million from this year's allocation (and from mid-year spending cuts) to a total of $30,563,000. Advantage programs are based on TASC's model for comprehensive after-school. Next year will see the largest allocation of funds in the program's 10-year history.

TASC President Lucy N. Friedman commended Gov. David A. Paterson and state legislators for providing this additional support to parents who depend on after-school programs that meet every day, that accommodate parents' typical working hours and that offer both academic support and enrichments. "Our leaders faced many difficult decisions in allocating next year's budget," she said, "but they put the needs of working families first by investing in high quality daily after-school programs that help parents keep their jobs. Parents across the state will be encouraged by this sign of support. Clearly their voices were heard in Albany."

Other youth development programs funded by the state will have their spending reduced by as much as 10 percent. Earlier versions of the budget, however, had marked those programs, including the Extended Day/Violence Prevention program, and the Youth Development and Delinquency Program, for reductions of 25 percent.