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Loading...NYC Budget Cuts Hurting Our Kids
This post is courtesy of Richard Buery, Jr., president of The Children’s Aid Society, and originally appeared on the Manhattan Viewpoint blog.
On Thursday, Mayor Bloomberg announced his $68.7 billion budget proposal, and for the fifth straight year, his budget slashes early childhood and after school programs.
Nonsensical Cuts
With Wall Street tax revenues lower than predicted and our city still recovering from the economic downtown, I understand that the city has difficult choices to make, but decimating these critical programs for children is just the wrong choice.
From his Young Men’s Initiative to improve outcomes for young people of color, to his plans to serve juveniles in supportive programs here in New York City rather than upstate juvenile jails, to the groundbreaking poverty-fighting initiatives of his Center for Economic Opportunity, the Mayor has demonstrated his sincere commitment to the poor and working-class children of New York City. And while I haven’t agreed with every element of his education reform policies, he has bravely asked to be judged as the “education mayor.” Our expectations of what a public education system can and should be expected to deliver for poor children have been changed forever.
That is why the mayor’s proposed cuts to early childhood education and after-school programs make absolutely no sense. We all understand how important it is to keep kids engaged and on track beginning at a very early age. Every $1 spent on high-quality early childhood programs for a disadvantaged child creates up to$9 in future benefits — in new taxes collected and more productive workers, and fewer dollars spent on publicly subsidized health care, prisons and the like. A great early childhood program prepares students for school — any kindergarten teacher can tell you about the importance of these resources.
Quality after-school and summer programs are similarly critical for children’s development. A study by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids New York found that the majority of juvenile crime occurs between the hours of 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Children who are consistently involved in stimulating, educational activities grow up to be smart, safe and productive members of society. They are more likely to go to college, get jobs, support their families and less likely to end up on the streets, involved in gangs or in prison. After-school programs not only help children succeed in school, but they also keep them off of the streets.
Once upon a time, the Mayor understood this. He has said, “Teaching doesn’t stop when the last school bell rings.” He created the city’s Out-of-School Time initiative, a nationally recognized effort to bring high-quality after-school and summer programs to kids, declaring that what happens after school is as important as what happens during the school day.
Read more: after school programs, bloomberg, child care, Children, kids, new york, new york city, nyc. budget, the children's aid society
Photo credit: Thinkstock
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+ add your ownThank you Kayla, for Sharing this!
As far as tax dollars go, the people are the ones getting squeezed out.
Many American children are educationally deficient compared to European and Asian children already. Each cut of the school budget anywhere put our kids at more of a disadvantage than they are already. Reduced physical education programs have made our kids fat and for many sports was the only incentive to study hard. Computer learning is great but it doesn't make up for physical activity keeping the mind sharp and refreshed. I feel sorry for today's youth for missing out on so much, and for us adults who will have to eventually depend on these same kids when they grow up. They already don't know how to count back change for purchases, the way we did when growing up.
Why is such a local article being posted on a site with so many international readers? Lots of cities everywhere are having these problems. Posting this article here unfortunately makes it sound as if NYC is the centre of the universe, so the whole world must weep for NY kids. It would have been better if the problem was discussed in general, and not so locally.
I no longer live in N.Y.C.,therefore do not care...
Children need all the help they can get these days to become future leaders and worthy adults.
Thanks.
Thanks for the information.
Sadly noted.
Sadly, NYC is not th only place this is happening. Across our once great nation, child care and after school programs are being "cut". Maybe if we Stopped funding wars there would be something left over for our future generations education.
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