The Assembly and Senate both released their one house budget bills on March 13, 2017. The Network has included the additions and modifications from each house below.

Both the Assembly and the Senate have included the following:

• Restore $5 million to the Advantage After School Program. The Executive Proposal cut this funding by $5 million over last year’s final budget.
• Restore $1.7 million to the Youth Development Program. The Executive Proposal cut this funding by $1.7 million over last year’s budget.

Assembly’s Proposed Modifications:

• The Executive’s $35 million Empire State After-School program is modified to allow the State Education Department (SED) to administer the program, increase eligibility, and allow SED to allocate funding based on need, as opposed to an RFP process.
• Moves Community Schools Aid from Foundation Aid to it’s own independent category, no longer a set-aside within foundation aid.
• Restores $25 million in capital funding for Community Schools in struggling schools. This funding was added last year by the Assembly and cut in the Executive Proposal.
• Restores Title XX funding of $27 million to its original discretionary purposes for Local Social Service Districts by removing the mandate to use such funds for child care only.
• Provides an additional $13 million to support new child care slots, and increases Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) support for child care by $15.7 million.

Senate’s Proposed Modifications:

• The Senate has rejected the Executive’s $35 million Empire State After-School Program proposal.

We will be continuing to gather information in the coming days. Please stay informed by joining the Power of 3:00 campaign.

Governor Cuomo Proposes $35 million for Afterschool Expansion

January 9, 2017 – Governor Cuomo released a proposal today to expand the number of afterschool slots in New York State by 22,000 students. This pilot proposal would provide $35 million in funds to expand afterschool programs in 16 Empire State Poverty Reduction Initiative Areas. Those cities are Albany, the Bronx, Binghamton, Buffalo, Elmira, Hempstead, Jamestown, Newburgh, Niagara Falls, Oneonta, Oswego, Rochester, Syracuse, Troy, Utica and Watertown.

The Network for Youth Success issued the following statement in response to the news from the Governor’s State of the State address.

“There is a tremendous need for additional afterschool slots across New York, with an estimated 1.1 million children in the state who would participate if a program were available to them. Governor Cuomo’s proposal to expand access statewide will help ensure more New York children and families receive the necessary support they need to live healthy and successful lives. High-quality afterschool programs give parents peace of mind while providing a safe place for students to go outside of school hours. When kids are in a safe, structured environment, parents can focus on working rather than worrying.

The Network for Youth Success has been committed to increasing awareness about the benefits of afterschool and expanded learning programs, and we are grateful to see that message has been translated to action at the state level.”

More details on the proposal can be found on the Governor’s website here: http://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-presents-13th-proposal-2017-state-state-expand-after-school-education-children

We look forward to learning more about this proposal in the coming day and weeks.

If you have any questions, please contact Chris Neitzey, Policy Director for the Network for Youth Success at 518-486-8557 or chris@networkforyouthsuccess.org