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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Robin Veenstra-VanderWeele, Associate Executive Director for Youth Services at Queens Community House
6:20:24
ยท
159 sec
Robin Veenstra-VanderWeele testifies about the funding crisis for after-school programs in New York City, highlighting the urgent need for increased rates for DYCD Compass and SONYC programs. She emphasizes that current funding levels, set over a decade ago, are insufficient to meet the actual costs of running these essential programs for youth development and working families.
- Current rates: $2,800 per participant for over 60% of COMPASS contracts
- Proposed increases: Elementary school programs from $2,800 to $6,600; middle school programs from $3,200 to $5,500
- Community-based organizations across the city are unable to sustain programs without rate increases, as the gap between city funding and actual costs continues to grow
Robin Veenstra-VanderWeele
6:20:24
Good afternoon, chair Stevens and members of the committee.
6:20:26
Greetings from your friends at Queen's Community House.
6:20:29
My name is Robin Veenstravanderweil, I'm the associate executive director for youth services at Queen's Community House.
6:20:35
I'm here today to talk about a crisis for community based organizations like ours regarding the funding provided for after school programs across the city.
6:20:43
The Department of Youth and Community Development, DYCD, Compass and Sonic programs are funded to provide after school and summer programming to thousands of school aged youth across the city.
6:20:53
These hours of learning and growth and development are an essential investment in equity for our youth, and they also provide the critical childcare that working families need in after school and summer hours.
6:21:05
In January of twenty twenty five, after school providers received communication from DYCD that their current Compass and Sonic contracts would be extended through the summer of twenty twenty eight.
6:21:17
While this is good news for current providers across the city to seek contract extensions, it is a devastating blow to see contract extensions without any increase to the rate per participant.
6:21:30
The rate those rates for participants were agreed to by by CBOs over a decade ago.
6:21:35
This contract extension would include no increase to the rate per participant, leaving the programs across the city stuck with a funding formula that has not kept up with inflation or the actual cost of running an after school program in 2025, much less an after school program in 2028.
6:21:52
Today, over 60% of the city's COMPASS contracts provide a rate per participant of $2,800 per participant In order to assess the true cost of providing after school services that both meet the contractual requirements of DYCD as well as the realities of providing after school programming in this post pandemic era, United Neighborhood Houses engaged in assessment of how providers are funding their after school programs and what the costs are that are not covered by contracts with DYCD.
6:22:21
Based on this assessment, the city would need to increase Compass Elementary School programs from 2,800 to 6,600 and middle school programs from 3,200 to 5,500.
6:22:33
Across the city, CBOs are coming together to say we cannot sustain our programs without an increase to these rates.
6:22:39
We cannot afford to cover these costs with other funds and the rate the distance between what the city funds and what we need to run these programs is growing every year.
6:22:47
You heard from my colleagues from other organizations and from our member organization, United Neighborhood House
Althea V. Stevens
6:22:52
Thirty seconds.
Robin Veenstra-VanderWeele
6:22:52
The new the new funding, and we're request respectfully requesting an increase in funding to the Compass contract in this budget year to meet us halfway to the funds that we need.
6:23:02
Thank you for your time.
Althea V. Stevens
6:23:02
Thank you.