Good morning, Chair Stevens and members of the Committee on Children and Youth and thank you for holding this hearing today. I am here today to represent Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and to thank you on his behalf for your continued support of the essential programs our children, families, and most marginalized groups across the city need to thrive.
With unpredictable cuts and large budget gaps across agencies due to expiring COVID Relief funds, FY25’s Preliminary Budget sends a concerning message to New Yorkers. The Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) was hit with November PEGs, including reductions to 3,538 highly coveted and necessary COMPASS slots, legal services, recreational events, youth services coordination, and even Summer Rising’s Friday programming for middle schoolers – all of which are counterproductive to this administration’s work to reduce crime and provide opportunities for our youth. Overall, this administration’s approach to addressing a self-imposed budget crisis is inconsistent with the Council’s and IBO’s forecasted $3.3 billion surplus for FY25.
Borough President Reynoso is particularly concerned about cuts to the following initiatives:
Summer Rising
Summer Rising has become a popular program that provides fun and enriching experiences for our youth, keeping them safe and off the streets in the summer. While Borough President Reynoso was pleased to see the administration restore cuts to DOE’s share of the program, a $19.6M gap still exists for DYCD’s share for FY25 and outyears. The cuts impact Friday programming, which will force middle school students and their families to pay out-of-pocket for other opportunities, or worse, leave students without the opportunity for productive activities. Given the documented benefits of programs like this, we shouldn’t have to fight for them every year. Borough President Reynoso encourages the administration to baseline funding for Summer Rising so that every student who wants to participate has the opportunity.
Additionally, the administration should address the ongoing issues between the providers and the administrating agencies. As you, Chair Stevens, have highlighted several times, Summer Rising providers do not feel that they are equal partners in this collaboration. This echoes the Borough President’s testimony last year, as well as concerns that providers continue to share with our office. They report that poor communication from DOE has resulted in confusion from parents about enrollment, sometimes leaving parents scrambling to find childcare, and that some matches between providers and schools have ignored existing relationships. An August 2023 Chalkbeat article also reported a wide variation in program quality. The answer to these issues is not more cuts; rather, it is giving providers more support in developing programs that are both educational and fun.
After- and Out-of-School Opportunities
It is also unfortunate to see cuts to after- and out-of-school opportunities that provide enrichment and promote pathways to employment for thousands of NYC youth, and disappointing that we have to fight for these programs seemingly every year. The Borough President stands with the Council in their calls to restore and baseline sustainable funding for the initiatives outlined below:
- COMPASS: The COMPASS program provides students in elementary through high school with access to after-school programs including a variety of activities. As mentioned, such programs provide critical opportunities for our youth to spend time productively, and for working parents to save on the cost of childcare. Yet the administration proposes reducing COMPASS seats by 3,538 slots annually in 2025-2027, on top of cuts already made in the November PEG. They cite underutilization as the reason for these cuts; however, providers report sustaining cuts even though they have waitlists for their existing seats.
- Precision Employment Program. The Precision Employment Initiative, connecting at-risk youth with green job opportunities, has served over 1,700 students since 2021 and was expanded in FY23 with an investment from this administration of $54M. The Mayor, Speaker, Borough President Reynoso, and several other State and City electeds applauded this commitment and its targeted impact on communities such as Brownsville, East New York, Flatbush and East Flatbush.
- Summer Youth Employment Program Metrocards: The City Council successfully fought for free Metrocards for SYEP participants; however, this administration aims to undermine this effort with a failure to fund the full need in FY25.
- Work-based Learning Internships: Funding of $714K should be baselined for this City Council initiative, which provides youth with opportunities in a wide array of industries, including pathways to high-paying and quality careers.
Youth Homelessness
According to the Mayors Management Report, DYCD’s Runaway and Homelessness Crisis Centers served 780 people in the first four months of FY23, an increase of 5% compared to the previous year. Additionally, their Drop-In Centers served 1,720 youth and young adults in the first four months of FY24, an increase of 19% from the same period in FY23. These increases represent a real need for these services, yet the administration is proposing 1.96M in cuts. These services are particularly critical for LGBTQ youth and other marginalized populations. It is difficult to see how this cut will not negatively impact programs, services, beds offered, and hours of operation.
Thank you again for the opportunity to testify today. Borough President Reynoso looks forward to working with the Council throughout the budget process to ensure that DYCD and ACS have the resources they need to provide our youth with robust opportunities for success.
