March 8, 2013

Rallying for Youth Services

Right before the City Council Hearing on the City’s proposed budget for Youth Services, youth, parents, providers, advocates and elected officials gathered on the steps of City Hall for a press conference protesting the Mayor’s proposal to cut over 37,000 after-school program slots.

Last year, the City Council restored an unprecedented $120 million for child care and after-school programs, saving these services for more than 47,000 children. Unfortunately, the Mayor’s FY14 Preliminary Budget fails to restore funding for any of the Council-funded slots, in addition to proposing a new $10 million cut to the OST after-school program. In addition, the Preliminary Budget proposes to cut over $7 million from Runaway and Homeless Youth programs.

Councilmember Lew Fidler, chair of the Youth Services Committee, explained that the City’s budget is a reflection of its priorities, making these cuts unacceptable for the future of New York City. Many City Councilmembers echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that these services should be a stable part of the City’s budget, and that children, parents, and providers should not have to depend on the City Council to step in and restore funding from year to year. Several youth also spoke at the press conference- showing first hand how after-school programs had made a difference in their lives.

The Campaign for Children has once again come together to fight these cuts, presenting CCC’s chart that shows we have already lost 35% of the OST slots that were once in the system. Read more in the Campaign’s press release.

Many of the youth providers and CCC then testified before the Council Youth Services committee about how detrimental cuts to youth services programs are to children, youth, families and communities.  Read CCC’s testimony.

CCC will continue working with the Campaign for Children to fight the cuts to child care and after-school programs! Want to help too? Send a letter to the Mayor and the City Council urging them to save child care and after-school for 47,000 children!

Tags
After-School Programs, Campaign for Children, Education, Youth

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