S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
8836
I N S E N A T E
March 19, 2024
___________
Introduced by Sen. MYRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Children and Families
AN ACT directing the office of children and family services to conduct a
study to evaluate the feasibility of providing year-round, out-of-
school programming to every child in New York that desires to partic-
ipate
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Legislative findings. The legislature hereby finds and
declares that providing universal, year-round, out-of-school programming
is a public safety and pedagogical imperative. The increased costs of
housing, food, transportation, and childcare have prompted an alarming
exodus of working and middle-class residents from the state, and as
such, the legislature finds that providing a free, safe, interactive and
professional environment for every child after school hours, including
during the summer, might provide well-needed relief for thousands of
working families and communities across the state.
§ 2. Study. The office of children and family services shall, within
eighteen months from the effective date of this act, conduct and
complete a study to evaluate the feasibility of providing universal,
year-round, out-of-school programming to every child and family in New
York that desires to participate. Such study shall examine, at a mini-
mum, the following:
(a) the costs of implementing a year-round, universal out-of-school
program, including but not limited to facility, transportation, labor,
and security costs. The study shall also examine the current funding
structures for after-school programming, including funding structures
for out-of-school school programs, the cost burdens borne by munici-
palities, New York state, and the federal government, and how those
costs might more effectively be shared in a universal program;
(b) per-child pay rates for current providers, as well as the wage
disparities, if any, between out-of-school workers and similarly situ-
ated service professionals. The study shall also make recommendations on
professional development opportunities for out-of-school workers;
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14941-02-4
S. 8836 2
(c) current accessibility to out-of-school programming, including
summer employment and after school programming during the academic year,
and whether inequities exist, and to what extent, in access to current
programming. The study shall consider socio-economic inequities, includ-
ing, but not limited to, racial, ethnic, sex, immigration status, and
socio-economic status disparities that may impose barriers to accessi-
bility;
(d) opportunities for inter- and intra- agency collaboration in deliv-
ering universal out-of-school programming, including but not limited to
opportunities for the department of education, division of criminal
justice services, local youth bureaus, and provider agencies to share
resources, best practices, and relevant information to deliver effective
universal out-of-school programming; and
(e) any other relevant topic areas deemed necessary to assist in
delivering universal out-of-school programming in New York state.
§ 3. Report. No later than ninety days after such study has been
completed pursuant to section two of this act, the office of children
and family services shall complete a report based on such study, which
shall provide recommendations for the completion and implementation of a
universal out-of-school program within the state of New York, and shall
deliver such report to the governor, the temporary president of the
senate, and the speaker of the assembly.
§ 4. This act shall take effect immediately.