On Wednesday, October 30, Policy and Advocacy Associate Caitlyn Passaretti submitted testimony to the NYC Council’s Committee on Education and Committee on Children and Youth for an Oversight Hearing on Summer Rising. On behalf of CCC, the testimony offers recommendations on how to improve systems that support the Summer Rising program, including switching to a year-round model, baselining funding for the program, and supporting a model that empowers community-based organizations to run successful programs as in years past. The testimony also addresses other recommendations and related bills that CCC supports.

Read the testimony below.

Testimony of Caitlyn Passaretti
Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York
Committee on Education and Committee on Children and Youth
Oversight Hearing on Summer Rising
October 30^th, 2024

Since 1944, Citizens’ Committee for Children of New York has served as an independent, multi-issue child advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring every New York child is healthy, housed, educated, and safe. CCC does not accept or receive public resources, provide direct services, or represent a sector or workforce; our priority is improving outcomes for children and families through civic engagement, research, and advocacy. We document the facts, engage and mobilize New Yorkers, and advocate for solutions to ensure the wellbeing of New York’s children, families, and communities. CCC is also a steering committee member of the Campaign for Children (C4C), a coalition focused on securing universal access to early education and youth services.

We would like to thank Chair Stevens, Chair Joseph, and the Committee on Education and Committee on Children and Youth for hosting this oversight hearing on Summer Rising. As you consider models for summer programming, we would like to underscore the importance of moving the city to year-round youth services. This would permit providers to have year-round staffing, as well as create a more seamless system for standing up summer options, enrolling children early and on-time, and better supporting staff, families, and youth through consistent programming throughout the year. This would require a new RFP to usher in year-round contracts.

We believe every New York child deserves access to enriching, engaging, and fun summer programming. Summer programming can offer art and culture, sports, experiential learning and academic support essential to children’s social-emotional development, health and wellness, and academic success across age ranges. It is also a lifeline for working parents who deeply value having their children engaged in programming while they are at work. The primarily models available for families in New York City are Summer Rising and programs at various Cornerstones, COMPASS, and SONYC sites. There has been an 8% increase in Summer Rising participants since FY2022 due to expanded capacity and increased funding, yet still demand has outpaced available . There is a clear need for additional summer programming to match the needs of parents and youth people.

CCC believes providing families with free and affordable, high-quality options for summer programming for their children is essential. While we value the expanded access to Summer Rising services that has occurred, it is also important to acknowledge and address the operational challenges associated with this program. Below we outline operational changes that would enhance the Summer Rising experience.

To ensure Summer Rising effectively supports both participants and providers, we recommend the following:

• If Summer Rising continues, the City must baseline the entirety of both the Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) portions of the program, enabling providers and schools to plan long before summer begins to ensure a successful summer programming session.
• Develop an information-sharing system to ensure community-based organizations (CBOs) have access to information regarding students’ Individualized Development Plans (IDPs), health issues, and the educational curriculum.
• Ensure the DOE provides paraprofessionals upon request for students with disabilities who require those services enrolled in Summer Rising.

For many young people and families who do not need academic support, their desire is for an engaging and enriching summer experience, rather than an academic model. We feel that families should not be confined to a model that requires participation in academic programming in order for a child to access services. Additionally, we are concerned about the lack of data on how the academic portion of Summer Rising is rolling out and urge the administration to be more transparent about the curriculum.

Supporting More Comprehensive Models of Summer Programming

CCC advocates for families to have a choice in the programs they enroll their children in. Summer Rising alone cannot accommodate all interested families in the city, nor can it meet the needs and preferences of all families seeking summer programming. CCC would like to uplift the effectiveness of summer programming prior to the pandemic and the introduction of Summer Rising. At that time, Community Based Organizations were given flexibility to enroll and administer the types of summer programming that worked best for youth and families in their communities. We urge the City Administration and City Council to look to the City’s prior summer model and consider supporting models that enabled CBOs to directly meet the diverse needs of their communities with full-day enrichment.

Additionally, other programs such as SONYC, COMPASS, and Cornerstone continue to offer vital summer and afterschool programming, yet frequently lack adequate resources to meet the demand. In particular, COMPASS underwent a $6.9 million reduction in the previous year’s budget. We urge City leaders to ensure these programs have sufficient funding to meet demand.

Hearing Bills

Regarding Int 0729-2024 which would require Beacon Community Centers and Cornerstone Community Centers afterschool programs to provide mental health services, CCC strongly supports additional mental health supports for all young people. However, we believe it is imperative that any mandate around increased services be accompanied by robust and adequate funding to ensure providers can attract and retain needed workforce or partner with other organizations who can provide support services needed to implement the requirement and reach young people.

We also support Int 0794-2024, which would enhance youth representation and experience on the youth board.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony.