Two New After-School Sites Coming to Manhattan, So Far

Forty new after-school sites will be coming to the five boroughs this fall, but only two of them will be located in Manhattan, according to Mayor Eric Adams. The after-school programs will be open for children attending kindergarten through fifth grade.

The Manhattan sites will be located at Global Community Charter School (2350 Fifth Ave.) and The Equity Project Charter School (153 Sherman Ave.)

It’s the first $21-million tranche of a $331-million investment secured in the fiscal budget, meaning that additional sites could be on the way, some of which may be in Manhattan. It’s being described by the Adams administration as an “immediate investment.” The largest expansion of sites will be occurring in the Bronx and Queens, city officials say, due to a relative lack of preexisting options there.

The expansion is being linked by Adams to his April pledge to create 5,000 new after-school seats for students. Indeed, that’s exactly how many seats city officials say will be added across the 40 sites. The total $331-million investment intends to create 20,000 seats overall by 2027. Officials project that the expansion will eventually serve 184,000 public school students.

At an announcement event for the new sites, which was held at a public school in the Bronx, Mayor Adams elaborated on his push for the expansion: “It’s critical not only for the children, but also parents, parents who want to use those extra hours to go back to school themselves, to just have some personal time for their personal development, or do some form of employment.” The program will also hike the pay for workers at the after-school programs.

”We will raise the provider rates for the nonprofit workforce and take care of our children every day. They have gone 10 years without an increase in pay, and that changes now. Additionally, we will form a commission consisting of providers and community stakeholders to develop a sustainable, quality after-school system,” Adams added.

Fittingly, Adams was introduced by a student at the school, Amadou. “In my after-school debate club, I learned how to listen to others’ opinions and respond respectfully,” he said. “Even when I disagree, it helped me become a better writer and speaker because I had to organize my thoughts and explain my ideas clearly.”

Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Keith Howard was also on hand at the event. The DYCD, an 80-year-old agency, takes point over the city’s Department of Education on after-school programs. “I just want to thank the mayor again for his investment as a father, understanding the importance of after-school programming, taking my kids to the YMCA, running from work, picking them up,” he said. “As a working parent, I understand the value. $331 million dollars. What an investment.”

Adams recently touted other related educational initiatives that made it into the fiscal budget, which he has dubbed the “Best Budget Ever,” including the creation of a $10-million “child-care pilot” for low-income families with children aged 0-to-2. Officials say that they “expect” it to begin in January 2026. There’s also $70 million that will go toward supporting pre-K special-education students, such as those who require speech therapy or occupational therapy.