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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Grace Bodenmann, Chief Education Officer of New York Junior Tennis And Learning, on Summer Rising Program
3:34:50
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4 min
Grace Bodenmann, Chief Education Officer of New York Junior Tennis And Learning (NYJTL), provided testimony on the Summer Rising program, highlighting both the organization's role in youth development and their experiences as a Summer Rising provider. She emphasized NYJTL's impact on underserved youth through tennis and education programs, and shared insights on the challenges and potential improvements for the Summer Rising program.
- NYJTL serves as a Summer Rising provider with 23 sites and approximately 35,100 students enrolled
- Key issues raised include inadequate space in school buildings, enrollment not matching school capacity, and the need for better attendance tracking
- Recommendations included allowing CBOs more control over enrollment, addressing funding disparities between schools and CBOs, and improving support for students with special needs
Grace Bodenmann
3:34:50
Good afternoon, chair Joseph and Chair Stevens and the members of committee of the committee on education and the committee on children and youth.
3:34:58
I am Grace Bodemann, and I am the chief education officer at New York junior Tennis And Learning, NYJTL.
3:35:05
Before I address the summer rising program, I want to thank you for the councils over 5 decades of funding support to NYJTL.
3:35:13
The council as our partner.
3:35:15
We've become the largest the nation's largest tennis and education organization.
3:35:21
As you know, NYJTL provides safe and engaging and much needed physical activity in all five boroughs.
3:35:29
Through our programs, we've reached more than 90,000 underserved under researched resource, sorry, youth, year round at over a hundred sites, including 24 parks across the city.
3:35:43
NYJTL over the past 53 years has introduced tennis to all children, including those with special needs.
3:35:50
And my JTL programs offered the youth of our city much more than the chance just to learn tennis.
3:35:56
They are given the opportunity to become physically fit, the opportunity to reach new educational heights, and the opportunity to expand their horizons beyond their immediate neighborhood.
3:36:07
NYJTL helps young people build self esteem and learn the affirmative values of perseverance, cooperation, fairness, and respect.
3:36:17
Tennis has also been demonstrated to improve work ethic, discipline, and sportsmanship.
3:36:22
Over 80% of young people served by NYJTL are black, Latino Asian, and from immigrant populations.
3:36:30
Over 70% are 10 and under.
3:36:33
Many are from low income families and neighborhoods where youth people, young people typically lack access to the opportunity to learn the sport of tennis.
3:36:43
Thank you for the opportunity to give feedback about summarizing.
3:36:47
NYGTL is a aycd contracted summer rising with 23 sites and 30 and about 35,000 sorry, 35100 students enrolled.
3:36:58
From this experience, we know the pluses and minuses of the program and would like to share some of our experiences.
3:37:05
First and foremost, young people need opportunities during the summer, so they so any effort to provide this up opportunity should be acknowledged and built upon.
3:37:16
Space is simply not adequate.
3:37:18
For example, one of our sites PS 75 was assigned up to 600 summarizing students, but the school building was only able to handle 250 to 300 students.
3:37:31
Building conditions are also a limitation.
3:37:34
Often, the spaces used are too hot for programming.
3:37:38
For the summer, 2025 program, the enrollment needs to match the school capacity and must account for the high temperatures in the summer.
3:37:48
Many students enroll and do not come, likely because they don't want the academic portion.
3:37:54
Thank you.
UNKNOWN
3:37:58
You can finish up.
Grace Bodenmann
3:37:59
Okay.
3:38:00
This frustrates wait listed families and there's no way to account for students who do not show up in the attendance system.
3:38:06
As a CVO provider, we are still beholden to their attendance ROK numbers for this session.
3:38:11
One way to resolve this is to set aside seats for those students who are in the provider's program during the school year.
3:38:17
The ongoing relationship the CBO has developed with families over the year will help reduce no shows.
3:38:24
There should be equity among schools and CBOs for funding.
3:38:27
Currently, schools receive more funding than CBOs even though CBOs engaged kids for longer periods of time.
3:38:34
Despite this, disparity.
3:38:36
Schools often depend on CBO staff to support classrooms during the academic portion when para professional assistance is not available.
3:38:45
We are grateful for the opportunity to share your experiences and expertise, and I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
3:38:51
And we thank the counsel for your commitment to the youth of our city and for your sustained support, Ted, my JTL.